Illegal Immigration? Why it’s the fault of the unions!

That lovely albeit stupid, totally absurd and fucktarded thought is from the mind of an elected representative of the people – One Senator from South Carolina, Jim DeMint. From RawStory:

After the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day, a months-old question for the Senate became a pressing concern for the public: Why is the Transportation Security Administration without an appointed director?

While President Obama did make a nomination to the spot — one Erroll Southers, a counterterrorism expert and former FBI special agent — Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has held up his appointment for months. His blockade of Southers’ nomination is apparently due to President Obama’s promise that he would push to allow TSA baggage screeners full union rights.

The objection being, if baggage screeners are allowed to negotiate for better pay, benefits and working conditions, it would somehow place national security at risk. (emphasis mine)

This man is holding up the nomination of the Director for the TSA. Because he freaks out at the thought of people unionizing. Please..read and digest his rationale for this horseshit:

“The union boss that you were interviewing used the customs and border enforcement as an example,” DeMint said, though customs and border enforcement had not been mentioned during the segment. “We do have 12 million undocumented aliens in our country and that agency has also had to deal with all kinds of charges for changing prices for parking. They’re dealing with the collective bargaining of unions all the time and they’re not as effective as they should be.”

Just how fucking ignorant is this man, not to mention the idiots that keep electing him? That question is of course..rhetorical.

Even the Washington Post has published an article about this fuckwit’s hold-up of a most important job post. As the WaPo article notes:

Two Senate committees have given their bipartisan blessing to Erroll Southers, a former FBI special agent and a counterterrorism expert who is Obama’s nominee. But DeMint has objected to a full Senate vote, saying he wants additional testimony to clarify Southers’s stand on unionizing the TSA, a shift Democrats support.

Notice the word ‘bipartisan’ in that quote from the article. That gives me hope that not all Republican’s are idiots and morons in the same vein as Jim DeMint. So there is hope for the party..however slim.

The Federation of Government Employees has the following response to DeMint’s ridiculous and totally inane bullshit logic:

“This is not an issue of security,” a group spokeswoman said, according to CNN. “There is no evidence that labor union rights have any effect on transportation security officers. This is a dedicated workforce who see their jobs as important to the security of the nation.”

“They point to union members who acted after 9/11 and the Fort Hood massacre as well,” the host said. “These were union members — firefighters, police officers — who essentially acted very quickly, and that your argument doesn’t hold water here.”

And if that isn’t enough to convince you that this crap is all in the mind of a fucking idiot, read the ProPublica article on this issue, specifically the following:

John Gage, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, told CNN earlier this month, “People who insinuate that being a union member has a nation security implication are just totally wrong.”

Totally wrong? I call them idiots and morons with the IQ of a fucking dandelion Mr. Gage. It’s embarrassing that this jackass actually holds an elected office. It’s embarrassing that people from around the globe can read his ignorant rantings and frankly I think he should be not only recalled but jailed in Gitmo for being a fucking terrorist..since he is single-handidly undermining the effectiveness of the TSA.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ..how do these people get elected? WTF is in the water in South Carolina anyway? Watch this whackjob say it:

Terror suspect was a lonely kid?

It wouldn't surprise me a bit to read that he was just such a child. I know a little about children that do not get the adult attention and guidance they need.

My own son turned to gangs when I was working about 55+ hours a week when he was around 12 years old. The gang mentality was this: We are now your family and we will always be there for you. My son ate it all up.

I could not say the same thing as I was never really there for him during that two year stretch. I was working myself to death, and did little more than work ungodly hours and sleep.

So, to see that this child..and I still consider him a child, was lonely and depressed and acted out makes sense to me. From the HuffPo link:

Internet postings purportedly written by a Nigerian charged with trying to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day suggest a fervently religious and lonely young man who fantasized about becoming a Muslim holy warrior.

Throughout more than 300 posts, a user named "Farouk1986" reflects on a growing alienation from his family, his shame over sexual urges and his hopes that a "great jihad" will take place across the world.

While officials haven't verified that the postings were written by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, details from the posts match his personal history.

What is incredibly ironic, for me, is the photo they use of the kid shows him wearing Nike gear..which is the height of American Capitalism.

A decade after my son and I were separated because of his 'acting-out' to the extreme, his self-realization that the gang took advantage of him and his loneliness is what haunts me the most. I did not see what was happening until it was too late to save him from himself or from them and their manipulations of him.

It took us years to find our way back to each other.

Sadly, I think this child will now pay the price for just wanting to belong to someone or some group.

I am of course reacting as a parent..not an American that feels violated by a wanna-be terrorist. Surely I would not give a rat's ass about this child's life if I reacted solely as an American. I would be just like the assholes that recruit such people..heartless and calculating..they use these types of people for their own horrific schemes.

Ah..compassion..it serves us well at times..

The decades best viral video's.

The list isn't mine..it belongs to Salon.com I don't know if I agree with all their choices either, but there is the link anyway. The one I really enjoyed on their list that I had not seen is the wedding march down the aisle, which you can watch below. Those kids really have a great sense of humor and I hope it bodes well for their marriage. It reminds me, sort of, of when the Ball n' Chain and I were married by the Elvis impersonator in Vegas. We had a great video of it till the asshole accidentally erased it. Lots of singing and dancing was involved in our wedding too. Thankfully, neither I nor the BnC sang..the very short, very Asian Elvis impersonator sang Viva Las Vegas...and he did sound just like Elvis.



Of course this one of Christian the lion and his former owners meeting a year after he was released back into the wild really chokes me up every, single, fucking time. So, I won't put it up here. 

There is also a list of honorable mentions..some are worth it..some are not. Enjoy! ;)

Smokin' Joe Bonamassa: Merry Christmas Baby..

A bluesy rendition of Merry Christmas Baby from my main man Joe Bonamassa.

What's in the healthcare bill? Even Senators aren't sure.

I have a bet going with myself about the healthcare bill that will be voted on by the assholes in the Senate bright and early this morning.

I bet that those jerkwads, for the most part, haven't read the complete bill and have even less of an understanding of what's in the damn thing and how it will work.

Who thinks I am wrong? Anyone? Then, I read the McClatchy writeup and felt vindicated. From McClatchy:

Will health insurance premiums go up or down under House of Representatives and Senate health-care plans?


It's hard to say, and it depends on who you are.


Will the plans "bend the cost curve," as Democrats so badly want? Maybe, but again, there's no easy answer.


The health-care legislation scheduled for a Senate vote early Thursday is a 2,000-page plus grab-bag of ideas and strategies, and a lot of senators are as confused about its potential impact as the general public is.


"It has to be complicated," said Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va., because it overhauls a complex system that involves one-sixth of the American economy.


However, Jost added, "It's probably more complicated than it has to be." Constituents are puzzled.

If the idiots that ram this through can't explain wtf is going to happen..then who can?

My guess is The Insurance Companies. The AHIP press release can be read here. Five will get ya ten they helped craft the fucker. The lobbyists always do, you know.

Then the secretive and wholly partisan blending of the House and Senate bills will commence. Of course that won't begin until after New Years. Hell, probably not until after The Big O's State of the Union speechifying.

I will be watching the...cough..historic vote that will take place in a few hours. Afterwards..all the bigwig's will gather on the Senate steps and wax dramatic about what they have just accomplished.They will invoke Teddy Kennedy's name as well. Bank on it.

And what will they have accomplished? A big, fat corporate welfare check of a bill for the greedy bastards in the insurance game.

Oh, and Barry..you are now a lying sack of sheepshit dude. Because your candy ass did campaign for the public option and against the mandate. A mandate that does little to stem the tide of money flowing into the coffers of big insurance, while it leaves at least 20 million Americans still without health insurance.

Taxing union members because they negotiated a contract that gave up salary hikes to get great healthcare benefits..don't you just love that part of it? I understand that section completely.

Check out the McClatchy link..there IS one person that seems to understand the bill and it's intended and unintended consequences. Linda Blumberg, an economist and a senior fellow at Washington's nonpartisan Urban Institute.

I won't spoil the ending..but she does give us a dose of bad news in her examination of 'the bill'.

Ah..don't you just love the smell of health insurance reform in the morning? Just don't breathe in too deep.

In Teddy’s name, they will get it done tomorrow.

I just watched the Senators wax poetic about the healthcare bill they are about to pass. Harkin did bring a lump to my throat when he spoke about Teddy and his assistant that still carried the torch for healthcare for all after Teddy died.
I do not call it a ‘reform’ bill because it does so fucking little in that regard. I still consider the bulk of it to be corporate welfare for the insurance companies. Fucking bendejo’s  do not need another handout..they have more than their share of those sumbitches.

Invoking Teddy’s name really kinda pisses me off too..this bill is that shitty.



So kiss my hairy ass you bunch of fucking bought bastards. You do not honor Kennedy's legacy with this friggin bill. Not even close.

Parkers good-bye.

This guy has been a rightwinger from day one. Adios mutha fucka. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lawd split ya.



Major Irony Alert...the bloggers over at Red State are already plotting his demise as he ain't 'rightwinger' enough for them. Any thoughts on his speechifying?

Oh, and get this: Parker got a million $ large from the Democratic Party for his run last year. He won't be paying that back I hazard a guess...

Paul Krugman: It's a moral responsibility.

It's only a minute and a half long so watch it and feel morally superior to the extreme rightwing nutters who are so against health insurance and health care for every human in the US. Because we are morally superior to those self-centered fuckwits.

Cheney, Rove, Palin, Gingrich: In Bakersfield at the same conference

I have been keeping an eye on the speakers lineup for the annual neocon lovefest here in Bakersfield, called interestingly enough: Bakersfield Business Conference. There has been one regularly for decades. It's put on by the largest business law practice in this part of the state and possibly state wide. Borton Petrini.

Full disclosure: I worked for the firm for a very short time. As in 85 days. We didn't 'blend' well which means it was far too rightwing nutter for me.

And they weren't fond of me either. But I digress...the list of neocons that will be speaking there is like a who's who of the entire fucking group of well-known rightwing nutters:

Newt Gingrich
Palin
Mitt Romney
The Big Dick Cheney™
Lynne Cheney

Laura Bush
Rudy 911 Giuliani
Eleanor Clift

Rove..yes that Karl Rove

And they are adding to the list weekly.  Laura fucking Bush?? WTF is that about?

And some of you actually didn't believe me when I said in live in the reddest part of California. tsk..tsk..tsk. Now if only the planets would align on that day and the biggest bolt of lightening ever seen hits that fucking building. That these 'leaders' of the extreme right will all speak in my little burgh..well, it just shocks the shit out of me. Lotsa money here in nutter-ville..wouldn't you say?

Joe Trippi to Faux Noise?

WTF is up w/this news? Dean was probably the most liberal, and viable, presidential contender since Eugene McCarthy. From the SwampPolitics link:

 Joe Trippi, who served as campaign manager for Howard Dean's unique bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, has signed on for a new ride: FOX News contributor.

The Swamp has learned that the indefatigable Democrat will join the lineup of commentators on call for political analysis at the No. 1 cable news network. Trippi will help FOX ring in the new year, the Swamp hears, starting as an on-air contributor on Jan. 1.

Is the man desperate for a job or does he enjoy arguing with neocons and the rightwing nutters?

War Bonds anyone?

Oh, this is rich:

 Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced legislation to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by using a method that's a throwback to prior U.S. conflicts: war bonds.

Saying that it would "promote national shared sacrifice and responsibility," Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., introduced a bill Wednesday in the House of Representatives that would authorize the treasury secretary to issue and sell war bonds to Americans to fund the wars.

A national shared sacrifice? Are you shitting me jackass? Exactly how in the blue-fucking-hell, Representative Meek, does buying war bonds share with the soldiers doing three or four tours in Iraq or Afghanistan?

The last time the US issued War Bonds was for WWII.

These 'bonds' do effin' nothing to erase the debt we are incurring for two morally bankrupt wars. As a noted in the McClatchy piece, Critics note that the bonds must be repaid eventually, merely postponing the debt.

Assholes.

I love Al Franken!

Finally, a Congress Critter that gives me hope that a least a few of these jackasses have a set of balls and wear them regularly.



We are Not entitled to our own Facts. Speak it brotha! ;)

Holy Joe-America's biggest douche nozzle.

come-up-pance-[kuhm-uhp-uhns] –noun Informal.Deserved reward or just deserts, usually unpleasant.

Usually unpleasant? How about deservedly unpleasant? There are very few people whom I detest as badly as Mrs. LIEberman's fuckwitted son Joey.

Like child molesters and meth dealers. Joey L is in that crowd. Oh yes he is.

And running a close second to Joey L is the leadership of the Democratic Party. Those assholes really chap my ass.

First, they have no balls. Second they lie like a fucking rug and smile whilst doing it. And third....they are no different than Rethugs when it comes to representing their constituents....meaning they don't represent them..they represent the Corporatocracy.

The Democrats are willing to toss us all under the fucking bus when it comes to healthcare reform.

And they deserve a slow, painful death for that. And Joey is a lying sack of sheep shit to boot. Read this piece on First Read this fine but friggin cold morning:

There’s now growing evidence that Lieberman’s objection to the Medicare “buy-in” compromise isn’t necessarily based on principle. Yesterday, a video from this past September made the rounds that showed Lieberman clearly stating he supports expanding Medicare to those in their 50s. In addition, while Lieberman has been a hawk on national security issues, he’s been a consistent liberal on economic ones. According to National Journal’s vote ratings for 2008, he was MORE LIBERAL than 68% of the Senate on economic issues, putting him squarely in the Democratic mainstream. (By comparison, he was more liberal than just 38% of the chamber on foreign affairs, placing him to the right of the Dem caucus.) In 2007, he was more liberal than 72% of the Senate on the economy, and his ratings for 2005 and 2006 were similar. Bottom line: It appears Lieberman is acting a bit out of character on this issue, given his history of being a rank-and-file Democrat (leaning liberal/progressive) on domestic issues. This is why the charge of playing politics with the left is looking so believable to some.

Fucking douche nozzle extraordinare. Below is the video referenced in the First Read writeup.



Flip flop much Joey?

It started with a photograph

From ProPublica:

It was three days after the levees broke: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 — in my limited view, the day things completely fell apart in New Orleans.

The desperation was mounting. The cavalry wasn’t coming, it seemed. We were in it alone.

As we drove up Religious Street, just past the Saulet Apartments, we saw a dicey situation ahead. Police-issue Crown Victorias blocking the intersection. A parked bus and a wrecked limo. And a swarm of police officers in the street, guns drawn, facing the other direction.

Georgiev, a Macedonian national who has spent much of his life covering wars, went into gung-ho mode. He took a right — toward the lake — on Race Street. Then left at the next block, St. Thomas Street. Then left again on Richard. And suddenly, we were right in the middle of chaos.

We saw a man, clad in a white T-shirt, down on the pavement, hands behind his back, not moving. We were both sure he was dead. A lot of agitated police officers hovered around.

It seemed no one noticed, though we were less than 50 feet away. Georgiev shot off a few frames, then started to drive away. As he passed through the intersection, the cops yelled at us to stop. Some had their guns raised. I shouted to stop, and Georgiev did, not as quickly as I would have.

A few cops rushed over and stuck their guns in our faces. I said I worked for the Picayune. I was told to shut up and get out.

They threw us up against a cinderblock wall and frisked us. There was a lot of cursing, and one of the officers mentioned a shootout.

One of the cops grabbed the notebook out of my shorts. They also snatched one of Georgiev’s cameras.

Lying in the weeds

A few months ago, I reached out to Georgiev, who lives in Macedonia, and he sent me two photos of the incident. A closer look at them reveals that there seem to be two guys on the ground, not one. Georgiev’s second shot shows a human form in the street, next to one of the police cars, wearing a red shirt and hidden behind weeds.

As it happens, the existence of a second person squares with the only official account of the incident I’ve been able to get thus far. That account came from Anthony Cannatella, a semiretired deputy chief with 42 years on the force who during Katrina was the commander of the 6th District, where the incident happened.

Cannatella — to his credit, one of the only officers who will talk about any of this — was one of the cops who responded, though I didn’t see him that day. As Katrina descended, Cannatella says he told “his guys” this: “We’re gonna do basic police work until someone comes and relieves us.”

Read the rest of the article here.  There are federal grand juries investigating the actions of the NOLA PD after Katrina. How they shot first and never asked questions later. In my heart, I know there were police officers that did the right thing..just as there are police officers who did not. How anyone will be able to separate them, years later, is the $50,000.00 question.

But you really can't put a price on a human life.

Jon Stewart: You can't spell Gold without God.

Jon Stewart slaps Glenn Beck around a bit. It’s hilarious and fucking sad..all at the same time. But remember…Beck only sold 17 tickets at his Boston showing, so the rightwing nuttery factory isn’t hitting on all cylinders. Thank Gawd.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Beck - Not So Mellow Gold
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show

I hate Xmas but I love this video.

Check it out. From my sis in Montana, Laurie. A whole pack of smart doggies!

Turley on Yoo and BushCo.

I really don't want to say how I feel about Obama's DOJ propping up BushCo's torturous bastards. I am afraid I couldn't stop screaming at the top of my lungs.

A national disgrace doesn't even come close as Prof Turley states.its an international disgrace what the DOJ is doing.

The Public Option is dead.

AP is reporting the spineless Dem's have reached agreement on the Senate healthcare bill. Reportedly, it does not include the Public Option. Reuters on the other hand..reports that Harry Reid has stated the Public Option is not dead. Which is it for Christs sake?

Fuckers…you worthless, ball-less fuckers. I hope you lose in Nevada Harry Reid. By a fucking landslide.

Billionaire brothers spend millions to stop ‘the liberal agenda’.

These men rape the earth and make billions doing it. Their father founded the John Birch Society. I don’t give a tinker’s damn how much they give to the Smithsonian or any other non-profit, non-political organization, they are pond scum because they lie to the public at large and they finance the extreme rightwing nutter factory. From The Progress Report:

Billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch are the wealthiest, and perhaps most effective, opponents of President Obama’s progressive agenda. They have been looming in the background of every major domestic policy dispute this year. Ranked as the 9th richest men in America, the Koch brothers sit at the helm of Koch Industries, a massive privately owned conglomerate of manufacturing, oil, gas, and timber interests. They are best known for their wealth, as well as for their generous contributions to the arts, cancer research, and the Smithsonian Institute. But David and Charles are also responsible for a vicious attack campaign aimed directly at obstructing and killing progressive reform. Over the years, millions of dollars in Koch money has flowed to various right-wing think tanks, front groups, and publications. At the dawn of the Obama presidency, Koch groups quickly maneuvered to try to stop his first piece of signature legislation: the stimulus. The Koch-funded group “No Stimulus” launched television and radio ads deriding the recovery package as simply “pork” spending. The Cato Institute — founded by Charles — as well as other Koch-funded think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, produced a blizzard of reports distorting the stimulus and calling for a return to Bush-style tax cuts to combat the recession. As their fronts were battling the stimulus, David’s Americans for Prosperity (AFP) spent the opening months of the Obama presidency placing calls and helping to organize the very first “tea party” protests. AFP, founded in 1984 by David and managed day to day by the astroturf lobbyist Tim Phillips, has spent much of the year mobilizing “tea party” opposition to health reform, clean energy legislation, and financial regulations.

STOPPING CLEAN ENERGY: David Koch presents himself as a champion of science. Next year, because of his donations, a wing of the Smithsonian will be named after him. Nevertheless, Koch has done more to undermine the public’s understanding of climate change science than any other person in America. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, funded in part by Koch foundations, has waged an underhanded campaignHot Air” tour, a nationwide roadshow using a balloon to depict climate change science as “hot air.” Despite the brothers’ extravagant wealth, Koch’s Americans for Prosperity has run populist ads mocking environmentalists as spoiled brats more concerned about their “three homes and five cars” than about economic conditions. In addition to its efforts to misinform the public, Koch Industries has spent nearly $9 million dollarsattempting to crash to falsely charge that a set of hacked e-mails somehow unravels the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring. Koch finances the ” so far on direct lobbying, much of it on climate change legislation. With a team of Koch-funded operatives going as far as the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week, the brothers may succeed in scuttling any prospect for addressing climate change.

STOPPING HEALTH REFORM: Much of the fierce opposition to health reform can be credited to Koch organizations. As the health care debate began, AFP created a front group, known as “Patients United,” dedicated itself to attacking Democratic health care reform proposals. Patients United has blanketed the country with ads distorting various provisions of the health reform legislation, particularly the public option. Patients United even centered a media campaign around Shona Robertson-Holmes, claiming she had a brain tumor the Canadian system refused to treat. However, the Ottawa Citizen reported that Patients United has been exaggerating Holmes’ case, and that she in fact had a benign cyst. In their quest to block health care reform, Koch-funded groups have fostered extremism. A speaker with the roving Patients United bus tour repeatedly compared health reform to the Holocaust while an eight-by-five foot banner at an AFP health care rally with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) read, “National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany” superimposed over corpses from a concentration camp. Although many were surprised at the level of anger AFP channeled into Democratic healthcare town halls in August, it wasn’t the first time Koch groups have helped to hijack the health reform debate. Back in 1994, Americans for Prosperity, then known as Citizens for a Sound Economy, worked closely with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich to bring mobs of angry men to health reform rallies with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton.

A LONG HISTORY OF STOPPING PROGRESS: The Koch brothers clearly have a financial stake in blocking reform. Koch Industry oil refineries are major carbon dioxide polluters, and George-Pacific, a Koch Industries timber subsidiary, is one of the largest contributors to the loss of carbon-sink capacity. According to the EPA, Koch Industries is responsible for over 300 oil spills in the U.S. and has leaked three million gallons of crude oil into fisheries and drinking waters. So there are clear business-related reasons why Koch would want to block regulatory enforcement, clean energy, labor, and other reforms. But part of their opposition stems from a long family tradition of funding conservative movements to shift the country to the far right. Fred Koch, father of Charles and David and the company’s namesake, helped to found the John Birch Society in the late 1950s. The John Birch Society harnessed Cold War fears into hate against progressives, warning that President Kennedy, Civil Rights activists, and organized labor were in league with communists. By presenting progressive reform as a capitulation to the Soviet Union, Fred Koch and the other industrialists bankrolling the Birch Society were able to galvanize hundreds of thousands of middle class people into supporting their narrow agenda of cutting corporate taxes and avoiding consumer regulations.

Rich irony alert: Obama is not a liberal, you douche nozzles. Anything that makes America better, for the people, is viewed as a liberal agenda by these uber rich racists, environmental rapists and haters. Their agenda is to maintain the status quo for the Corporatocracy..it’s as simple and horrific as that.

Where did this man leave his balls?

When he went to The Hill Sunday..he did not take them with him, as he only chatted up the Democratic Caucus.

WTF? Did you leave them in your other pants? The Dog ate them?

I know our methods are incredibly different, the Big O and I, but for the love of Christ dude..give those fuckwits a hard time when you make the effort to address their sorry asses. Slap them around a bit. They are the worst set of elected representatives this side of Tom Delay.

Ok, maybe not Hot Tub Tommy, but still..wtf, rip em a new asshole ok? The Rethugs are all on the same page, or nearby it..yet the Dem's all go off half-cocked and in six different directions.

Fuckers need to be herded like the dumbass bovines they are. The lobbyists have sure friggin figured it out, why the fuck can't you dude?

He called it a 'pep talk'. Give me an effin break. Those sumbitches don't need a pep talk, they need a sharp object rammed under their fingernails, and a set of electrodes attached to their balls.

Top ten companies to avoid at Christmas.

Personally, I think avoiding them all year is a good idea. This story on Air America's website is based on the book:The Blue Pages: A Directory of Companies Rated By Their Politics And Practices. It's quite interesting in the information it gives you, like the following:

The Children's Place. There are supposedly NO redeeming qualities about this corporation. They get their goods from countries noted for their human rights and labor violations, not to mention they were hit with a 1.5 million dollar fine from the SEC for misrepresenting the company. Also worth noting: Two of the CEO family members did jail time for monkeying around with clothing import documents.

Hanes.Besides the usual "being sued by workers" and "works with countries with widespread, well-documented human and labor rights abuses," Hanes went the extra step to be cited for "egregious labor violations." And while most companies at least try, it has no nondiscrimination policy covering sexual orientation or gender identity.

JCPenney. Settlements for sweatshop practices and racial discrimination. D- on Green America's scorecard and a D+ from the NAACP. On the other hand, it tries harder than Hanes on the sexual orientation issue. Has a written nondiscrimination policy and has insurance coverage for domestic partners.

Limited Brands Inc. They own brands like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works among other well-known stores. There's a pending lawsuit that claims that the company fired people based on disability and sexual orientation, although that seems at odds with a pretty good LGBT discrimination and insurance policy. The now scarily common "sourced from countries with widespread, well-documented human and labor rights abuses" rears its head here as does a 23 out 100 score on "The Climate Counts Company Scorecard Report."


Albertson's grocery chain. This company isn't as nationally well known as some of the others, but, man, is it involved with some bad stuff. Unpaid overtime, punishing employees for opposing their discrimination policies, and violations of California anti-trust laws. Intimidates workers into refusing unions and, always a classic, allows its pharmacists to refuse to fill morning after pill prescriptions.

L'OREAL.  There's not a lot bad about this company, really. But it does raise eyebrows that they've been accused of using chemicals banned in some countries and tried to hide that fact. And that it has no policy against animal testing.

Target. This one really hurt. But it has a D+ on Green America's score card and an F on the 2006 NAACP Economic Reciprocity Report Initiative report, besides which it had to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit. And of course: "sourced from countries with widespread, well-documented human and labor rights abuses."

Chiquita. Everything is contaminated. They've threatened unionized workers and have been accused of using pesticides which the U.S. has banned. And were involved in the awesome E. coli spinach recall of 2007. Despite that, has been pretty good about doing outreach and assisting in disaster relief.

So, read this and weep..especially if you frequent some of them like I do. I was unaware of Victoria's Secret's connection to the Limited Brands Inc umbrella. I also was not aware of how smarmy Target had become. The Ball n' Chain™ loves to grocery shop at Albertson's. I am gonna love explaining to him why I will no longer shop there for anything, regardless of how 'great' the deals are.

Hanes really surprised me..and I so like their female underwear line..damn it.

Corporations make conscious decisions to buy from specific countries, knowing full well how the garments are being made. For me, there is also no excuse for using animals to test makeup. I know some will not agree with me, but I refuse to give my money to corporations that inflict pain and agony on animals just so women can look good.

No Doubt about it - She is an idiot.

Seriously..I really thought Palin would be smart enough to stay away from the birther bullshit.

Apparently I gave her way too much credit. Friggin nutter and major publicity whore.




Oh, and don't forget to bring your wallet as she now charges for a picture of her. 

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

Dance with the one that brought you.

The Ball n' Chain™ is a type 2 diabetic. He is also a diabetic that doesn't pay attention to his disease. A couple of weeks ago, I got to sit in on one of his doctor appointments. He never lets me go, and I stopped asking a long time ago.

I was there because I was going to get my flu shots, but they were out of them. When they called the BnC's name I just followed him into the examination room. His doctor is my doctor but Dr. Miller will not discuss the BnC's health with me due to one of those laws that protects patient confidentiality. I can tell him things about the BnC but he can't tell me.

Anywho..the Doc took the opportunity to drop the bomb that the BnC needed to go on insulin injections. The BnC became agitated and said no way no how, he has a phobia of needles. I then took the opportunity to tell him, quite loudly and in front of the Doc, that if he didn't do what he had to, to say alive and somewhat healthy, I would be permanently relocating my ass somewhere else in the world besides Bakersfrigginfield. 

I was not going to watch him slowly die. Nope, I wouldn't. He already is fighting glaucoma because he doesn't take care of himself and his disease.

This made the Doc and the BnC sit up and take notice. The Doc said we could give it the old college try, meaning a strict diet and...cough..exercise for three months and see if that made a difference in his blood sugar levels.

So, we enrolled in some expensive classes that our insurance actually pays for..Wellness classes for diabetics.

We have attended two, two hour, classes this week. I have learned so much about his disease and sadly..so has he. Sad because he should of known some of those things, but like I said in the beginning..he never gave a shit because he thinks if you take a pill or two..or ten, then you can do whatever you want and the med's take care of what ails ya.

He really jumped into the program with both feet. I am so proud of him..the old bastard actually walked for 15 minutes..uphill!

Baby steps..it's all about baby steps.

Because I love that fat old bastard like you wouldn't believe, and he worships my leftwing ass. These changes will affect my life too, but it's worth it. It will actually be good for me to eat better and all the things that go along with taking better care of one's self.We actually have a good reason to spend quality time together, discussing his meter readings and how to attack this disease that can slowly take his life.

I know..it's not a political post..but fuck it. I wanted to praise the BnC so that everyone that reads this tripe knows he is making the effort after years, hell 15 years of neglecting his disease. And we will succeed. Because I hate to lose. And I refuse to lose this grand old fucker who actually is a good human being, former republican and a lazy, stubborn Okie.

The Big O's speechifying on Afghanistan

 Where do you think his speech was on the Bullshit Meter? Off the fucking charts.

Well, what did you think of his plan man? Same shit, different President.

Did ya think he sold it to the majority of Americans? Oh hell no.

Do ya think it's a war worth fighting for another eight fucking years? Not only no but fuck no.

Do ya think he sounded like an eloquent used car salesman who is trying like hell to sell ya a piece of shit yet he makes it sound like the best deal out there? Yep, that sums it up.

I know he told us that he would continue to fight this war, but for the love of Buddha..why prop up another fucked up regime with billions borrowed from China? Don't ask me I am just a pissed off voter..nothing more and nothing less. And there are millions just like me, Dems, Repubs and Indy's alike.