A real "bain" in the ass.

I am trying to post but I keep seeing Flipper on my television. My man is on television more than Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials. Flipper was on five different networks tonight playing damage control to his little Bain problem.

Of course, as is to be expected, he blamed it all on O, and he charged him with running a dirty campaign which is beneath the dignity of the POTUS. (Funny, he wasn't so worried about the dignity of the office when his peeps were shouting him down while he was addressing the country. Or, for that matter, when Donald Trump and his birther friends were questioning his legitimacy as president.) 

Now he wants an apology. I know one thing, the guy certainly has enough you know what to become president. Actually Mitt, it is  you who should be apologizing to the American people for telling one lie after the other.

"Mitt Romney disputed reports that he worked for Bain Capital longer than he had publicly suggested, insisting Friday he had no role "whatsoever" in managing the company after February 1999 when he left to run the Winter Olympics. Public filings from the company suggest otherwise.

In consecutive interviews with all five television news networks, Romney accused President Barack Obama and his campaign of attacking him on his record at Bain Capital in order to "deflect attention" from Obama's "failed" economic record. And he called on Obama to apologize for the false attacks.

"There is absolutely no evidence that I had any role whatsoever in the

management of Bain Capital after February 1999," Romney told ABC News' Jon Karl. "Why the president continues and his people continue to make these kinds of charges and try to turn this into something big is clear, I think, to the American people because the president's failed to do the job he was elected to do which was to get this economy turned around."

Asked by Karl about an Obama campaign aide's assertion that he may have committed a "felony" by leaving his name on Securities and Exchange Commission documents if he didn't work at Bain, Romney called the charge "ridiculous and disturbing" and "beneath the dignity of the president and his campaign." 

Yes, but DID YOU POSSIBLY COMMIT A FELONY BY LEAVING YOUR NAME ON THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISION DOCUMENTS?

"On Thursday, the Boston Globe reported that Romney's name remained on several documents Bain had filed with the SEC, including a 2002 filing that described him as the firm's "sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president."

Asked why his name remained on documents if he wasn't involved in the company, Romney told ABC that he had "retained ownership" until he and Bain officials could negotiate a departure and retirement package with the company. He told CBS News' Jan Crawford he had the "capacity" to return to Bain if he wanted after the Olympics but chose not to. He told Crawford he didn't "recall even coming back once" for Bain management meetings because he was running the Olympics "full time."  

Oh, I see, "retained ownership". ("it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.") So that's not the same as working for the company? I guess when you are an owner you don't really "work" for the company; you just kind of get to collect the profits. Nice.

And didn't you and your partners agree that you would come back to the company in a different capacity? Yes, I think you did:

"I opined that it wouldn't make sense for me to come back to the company at the end of my tenture at SLOC as I had following my [1994] campaign." They disagreed and came to a different arrangement" [Source]

Hmmm, and Bain's own press release  said that "Myth" Romney (love that name) was a part-time employee back in 1999.

So why, do you ask, would Flipper make such a big deal of working for Bain from 1999 to 2002? Pssst, Field, it's that outsourcing thing. Oh, and this as well.

"(Americans) expected more from this president. He was the one that talked about a post-partisan presidency, changing the way politics works, changing the way Washington works. And I think people assumed he would make it better," Romney said. "But instead, with the kinds of attacks that he's been launching over the last several weeks, he's been making it worse and people recognize that."

Let me translate that for you:

I know that I, along with my surrogates, have spent millions of dollars mercilessly attacking my opponents throughout this elections cycle, but please do not attack me.

The "new Iraq."

"Tupac back, I'm 2 glocks strapped
Rolling down in Philly this the new IraqSoon as I hit the the hood they screaming who got wacked It's a recession on the work, I'm screaming who got crack.."

Sorry Meek Mill, I have to start this post by saying that we have another "new Iraq" here in America. (16 kids under 15 murdered so far this year?!! WTF??!!) It is no longer my hometown of Killadelphia. We have 189 murders so far this year, and in the "new Iraq they have over 255 and counting. Young men are being slaughtered in the streets of America's second largest city, and it is about time some of us start giving a damn. (President Obama this means you as well.) Murders are up 38% so far this year and Mayor Rham Emanuel has no answers.

"More beat officers are now on the streets and staying in specific areas, replacing the large, specialized units that would temporarily drop into crime-ridden areas. Emanuel and McCarthy said they have no plans to change that strategy, and the mayor announced Monday that he's devoting another $4 million to tear down vacant buildings where gang members live and store guns and drugs.

The old tactic of flooding high-crime areas with teams of hundreds of officers for a short period of time, then moving the teams to other areas, was "like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound," McCarthy said. "We're not repairing anything by doing that."

Emanuel, who has made attacking the city's street gangs a cornerstone of his administration, was equally dismissive of the effectiveness of those citywide units.

"I don't think coming in, swatting something down and letting it come back in two weeks is strengthening a community," he said. "What it does is build up cynicism."

Honestly, I really don't give a damn about the cynicism or the feelings of the people in certain communities. Kids are dying.

The silence of the black press and some of our leaders on this issue has been shameful. With the exception of a few online news outlets, (shout out to Politic 365) no one seems to want to talk about this issue or how we can tackle it.
And, if I am going to be honest, I don't have much room to point fingers. Here in my hometown more kids have Glocks than bicycles and they are killing each other at an alarming rate as well.

I could give you some ideas on how I think we could tackle this problem, but I suspect that it wouldn't do any good. The parents of these urban terrorist are the ones who have to be called out, but some smart mouth lawyer on a blog from Philly isn't going to make them listen. The people they elected to lead them better start stepping up to the plate and being accountable to the people they serve. If it means telling them some uncomfortable truths about themselves and passing some tough laws along the way, well then so be it.

Some other folks who have to face some tough and uncomfortable truths today are the people up in "white hat" nation.  Now that we know that a Catholic church style cover up took place up in "Happy Valley" for at least the past fourteen years, it's time for the folks who worshiped at the altar of Joe Pa to take a serious look at themselves and an even more serious look at the icon who they worshiped for all these years.

Let this be a lesson to all those people who value the power of institutions and money over real people: The truth always comes out in the end.

Finally, I am sure that the main stream media will leave this story alone, but it looks like our guy Flipper might have some splaining to do:

"Republican candidate Mitt Romney was listed as the chairman and CEO of Bain Capital on government documents years after he says he gave up control of the private equity firm, The Boston Globe revealed Thursday in a report that intensified a war of words between the rival campaigns.

Romney has said he left the firm in February 1999 to take charge of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and has repeatedly used that as a defense when asked about bankruptcies and worker layoffs at Bain-controlled companies after that date.

The Globe, however, said it found nine SEC filings that describe Romney as running the company after that point. The report said some indicate he had control of five Bain Capital entities formed in January 2002.

In addition, the newspaper said Massachusetts disclosure forms indicate that Romney made at least $100,000 as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, apart from his investment earnings. They also show he was paid as a Bain executive while he was directing the Olympics, the Globe reported." [Source]

Move along folks, there is nothing to see here. Just another politician who likes to play fast and loose with the truth on his way to "Etch A Sketching" his way to 1600 Pennsylvania, Avenue.





   

No black love for Mitt.

Sorry for posting a little late tonight folks, I just got off a plane from Houston. I had to boo Flipper in person.... okay, I kid. I was not at the NAACP convention today. I had nothing to do with the Negroes who booed the republican nominee for president down there.

Folks are saying that you colored folks are rude. Funny, I never heard that said about Joe Wilson. Anyway, you certainly were not rude to Senator John McCain when he visited your convention a few years back. I think that this guy just rubbed you all the wrong way.

Maybe it's what he said: "If you want a president who will make things better in the African American community, you are looking at him."

Flipper, how exactly will you do that? Not when over two million colored folks would experience a tax hike under your plan. Not when you want to cut investments in education and cut Pell Grants. I am sure that the millions of colored folks who would see their college tuition go up wouldn't consider that "better". Not when you want to increase class sizes and cut teachers for urban schools.

And then you told those Negroes that you would repeal Obamacare. Boooooo!
Seven million black folks will get health care thanks to the ACA. I don't believe in booing people, but if I was there I would have probably been tempted to boo you as well.

Anyway, I think Flipper accomplished exactly what he wanted to. He never really planned to reach out to you Negroes. This was his way of convincing the rest of white America---who are not right wingnuts--- that he is capable of talking to Negroes without pandering.

"Well, bravo to Mitt Romney for entering the lion’s den, getting briefly hooted down by a hostile crowd, and keeping your composure.
When Romney announced Wednesday to the NAACP convention his intention to “eliminate every non-essential, expensive program that I can find — and that includes Obamacare,” the crowd lustily booed, a media narrative was firmly established, and Republicans got exactly what they wanted.

Immediately after the completion of Romney’s speech, CNN replayed two moments in which the crowd jeered him. (His claim that it was his candidacy that would most benefit the “African American community” was also met with derision.) It then brought in Democratic strategist Donna Brazile to comment on the crowd’s reaction. She dismissed those who might criticize the booing because the audience was reacting to that “intolerant group of Americans” who oppose Obamacare.

The pundit postmortems have focused on these few moments, of course, and wondered whether the inclusion of the Obamacare line — guaranteed to aggravate the audience — was a deliberate provocation.

As everyone recognizes, a Romney speech to the NAACP will have almost zero impact on the number of African Americans who cast ballots against President Obama, but that wasn’t the point. This seemed to be an appeal to independent white voters, the Romney camp underscoring their man’s willingness to reach across the aisle and, by implication, to show that he isn’t a zealous tea partyer interested in expanding the partisan divide." [Source]

Yes, we all get "the point". I think the folks in Houston kind of knew they were being played as well. Booooo!

*Pic courtesy of Artmaggot 






 

      

There will be no guns pulled in Houston, tomorrow. (I hope)

I gotta give it to those dudes in the Middle East, they do not play. Those dudes are some real "gangstas". Have you seen the video going viral of the politician pulling a gun on his opponent in the middle of a television debate? I would have loved to see Wolf Blitzer handle that one. Dude threw his shoes first. My man, you have a gat, why are you pulling your shoes?

Of course it won't be long before some Tea Party wingnut pulls a gat on one of "dem fast talking liberals" and splits his dome while the FOX cameras are rolling. Talk about a ratings boost. "Hey honey, did you see that guy give it to that commie right between the eye on O'Reilly?"

I love how the guy who had the gun pulled on him kept getting into the gunman's grill. ("Reminds me of a scene I witnessed on the streets of Kingston as a kid.)  Some folks just don't care about their lives. How else do you explain daring some dude with a gun to pull the trigger on you?  

When politics in America gets as passionate as it is in some other parts of the world, all the money in the world will not be able to influence our elections.


Speaking of all the money in the world; Flipper is prepping for his big speech to the Negroes tomorrow in Houston. Flipper and the rest of the republicans should be really doing some minority outreach. With the election being so tight a million or two black votes could make the difference. (See W)

Some of you disagree, (some think it's too little too late) but I think that my *friends* in the GOP, to their credit, are (at least outwardly)making an outreach effort.

"Obama had a stunning 94-3 lead over Mitt Romney among blacks in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week....

"But Republicans are trying to loosen the grip.
The Republican National Committee is planning to launch a "black Americans" outreach program as part of their "strategic partnerships" initiative aimed at courting groups that have traditionally leaned Democratic.

Web platforms targeting women and Hispanics have already launched.
The party is set to introduce a new web site, which will go live in the next two weeks, featuring testimonials from some of the party's most prominent black elected officials, including Florida Rep. Allen West, South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott and Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.

"We highlight our elected officials so people understand that we do have Republicans that are elected that are black," said RNC co-chair Sharon Day, the committee's coalitions director. "I don't care if they are a mosquito sprayer or a dog catcher in Arizona, or Jennifer Carroll or Allen West. We have black conservative leaders who stand for their principles." [Source]

Allen West???!! Okay, I guess you have to start somewhere.

Believe it or not, I actually know some black republicans, and the ones I know
would probably do a good job of explaining to the rest of you Negroes why they decided to join the gang on the right. I would think that's a start. Build your Negro coalition from the ground up; not the other way around. Don't just listen to the first poverty pimp who comes along (see the preachers in Ohio who hoodwinked W) and tells you that he is a black republican, and if you can show him the money he will bring others along with him. Trust me, it won't happen. He will just take your money, and at the end of the day, you will still be in single digits when it comes to getting the Negro vote.

That's enough free advice from me to you republicans. I will be listening to Flipper's speech to see if he was tuning in to someone else for some advice on how to reach out to you Negroes.

I bet he paid that person a lot more than he will ever pay me.

The "common" people just don't get it, and Mitt will address "you people".

Before I start this post I would like to give a shout out to Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the field Negro and fellow Pistolvanian who performed the first open heart surgery in these divided states of America, some 119 years ago.

Doctor, that was truly field Negro behavior.

So anyway, now we understand a little more about the mindset of the folks who want to restrict the rights of those of us in the 99% when it comes to voting.

Gotta love those republican snobs.

 "As if voters needed any more evidence to show them where the big guns of “class warfare” reside, ThinkProgress flagged an LA Times report in which donors en route to a $25,000-per-head Mitt Romney fundraiser in the Hamptons hold forth on the cognitive weaknesses of “lower-income people” (which, given the amount of the donations involved, would seem to include everybody but them).

The money quote, however, demonstrates the central flaw in Republican “thinking” about the economy.

A New York City donor a few cars back, who also would not give her name, said Romney needed to do a better job connecting. “I don’t think the common person is getting it,” she said from the passenger seat of a Range Rover stamped with East Hampton beach permits. “Nobody understands why Obama is hurting them.

“We’ve got the message,” she added. “But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies — everybody who’s got the right to vote — they don’t understand what’s going on. I just think if you’re lower income — one, you’re not as educated, two, they don’t understand how it works, they don’t understand how the systems work, they don’t understand the impact.” [Source]

Yeah, I know, maybe we should bring back the poll taxes.

Finally, I am looking forward to Flipper's speech to the NAACP.(O, you might want to reconsider your decision not to attend.) Apparently, when it comes to civil rights, this apple falls far from the tree. Still, I am sure that Mitt will have some interesting things to say. Like for instance, some of his best friends are black. (Sorry, I couldn't resist)  

Everyone is giving Mitt advice on how he should handle his speech to a house full of Negroes. Touré thinks that he should talk about things like the unemployment rate among blacks and the education gap. That's all true, but the problem is that Mitt has no set plan to address any of these issues. Heck he doesn't have a plan to address the overall economy. So how can he address something that he has no plans to fix?

Still, Mitt should do just fine. He will find that those Negroes are quite a polite group, and they will applause right on cue. I just hope that he takes Steve Kornacki's advice and stay away from the "you people" references.


  

Was Allen West spanked too much as a child?

When a black man in America, elected to public office in the year 2012, calls social security "A form of modern, 21st century slavery",  we just might have a problem.

"Congressman Allen West appeared on Fox & Friends today to discuss America’s waning freedoms and how to reclaim them. One such example he offered was Social Security, and given how more people went on Social Security disability last month than new jobs that were created, West said this was creating an “economic dependence” which he classified as “a form of modern, 21st-century slavery."

I wonder how exactly Mr. West would have us "reclaim" our "waning" freedoms?

Does he think electing Mitt Romney as our president will make us freer?
I wonder how that worked out for the people of Massachusetts when he was their governor and they were one of the worse states in job creation?

West says that Obama would rather us be his slaves, and that he is purposely creating a welfare entitlement state to make us dependant on him. That is such a ludicrous and farcical statement that I am afraid to even respond to it for fear of folks believing that I am just as crazy for even acknowledging it.   

"Host Dave Briggs brought up recent comments West made exactly one week ago about President Obama, namely that the president would “rather you be his slave.”

West stood by the language he used, saying he shouldn’t have to apologize for stating the truth. He argued that the president and Democrats in Congress are creating a “welfare entitlement class” and pit them against the “production class.” [Source]

Yes, this Allen West dude is kind of scary. Still, I suspect, that like his boy- and fellow tea party wingnut- Joe Walsh, he won't be around much longer in Washington. Even wingnut republican voters can't be dumb enough to send guys like this back to Washington. 

Finally, I read an interesting article over at The Grio from a sister who has some issues with spanking.

"I am an extremely vocal opponent of corporal punishment as a casual form of discipline. Not because I particularly care about what happens in the households of others, but because there has been such extensive research proving myriad negative effects on the evolving psyches of children when their parents hit them, that I cannot, in good conscious, buy into the propaganda that “it’s good for them.”

Yes, hit. Not “spank.” Hit, and for the purpose of this article, we’re going to call a spade a spade.

When the results of a recent study hit the Internet revealing that hitting children as a form of discipline – no matter how rarely it may occur — increases their chances of developing mental illness, I posted it on my Facebook page without any commentary. "  [Read here] 

Well Kirsten, you might get a comment or two here.

Good parents needed!

I hate to do it, but, once again, it's time to attack black.

Will the parents (or parent) of Albert Roundtree, Jr. please stand up? I want you to identify yourself so that the rest of America can see what stupid ass parents look like.

Are you serious? You have your six year old child featured in a booty shaking rap video?

"Albert Roundtree Jr. is a 6 year old rapper from South Florida," reads the description for "Booty Pop" — the alleged music prodigy's first music video, which, ironically, he is not allowed to watch.

Scenes featuring semi-nude women popping their booties in Albert's face while he raps about "swag" have caused the video to be flagged for content on YouTube. It is now age restricted, meaning only registered users 18 and older can watch it.

If dressing up a child in baller outfits and making him gyrate while proclaiming his ability to make female backsides shake seems wrong to you, you're hardly alone. [Story] 

This is disgusting! And I am just as appalled when I see those little girls dressing up for child pageants, JonBenet style.

Honestly, if they passed a law tomorrow that said that some of you had to have parenting classes before having kids I might sign on to that bad boy.

And it's not only the parents who I have to call out. I have to rip the director of this video as well. This clown is actually proud of his work and believes that all the publicity he is getting is a good thing.

 "It's supposed to be a joke, but I'd say about 30 percent of the people watching it find it funny," admitted Tyler Council, president of Froze-N-Time Productions, which is based in Oakland Park. "But I still don't regret it." Council says he was commissioned to do the video by Albert's parents, who hope their son becomes a rap star from it. They paid "peanuts", he says without getting into dollar amounts, but he did the video because he needed a quick gig. "He's just trying to imitate his idols that he hears on the radio," says Council of Albert. "There's no touching going on, there's no drug abuse." He uploaded the video to Facebook on Monday. It's exploded since then, with Council expecting it will hit a million views by the end of the week. "Especially on the internet," he says, "negative publicity is the best." (Miami New Times) [Source]

I know that "it takes a village", but what do we do if the village is full of idiots?

Every white person hates Chris.

Chris Rock had a show on television called "Everybody Hates Chris". I think it was loosely based on his days growing up in New York. Anyway, I don't know exactly how much hate Chris experienced growing up, but unfortunately for him, he is about to experience it again. At least from some folks.

Chris made the mistake of bringing up an uncomfortable truth about America's past, -albeit in a joking manner to his twitter followers- and, as is to be expected, America is not pleased.

"..Some took offense to his words, like libertarian blogger Jeff Schreiber. He replied, "Slavery existed for 2000 years before America. We eradicated it in 100 years. We now have a Black POTUS." Another tweeter wrote, "Dear @ChrisRock: Without July 4, 1776, December 6, 1865 wouldn't have happened."

Here in America we like to keep certain things in the closet, and pretend that it never happened. "It was soooo long ago" . And when some rich black dude reminds us, it really pisses us off.

The funny thing is that Rock became so popular with white folks because he dared to joke about uncomfortable truths about us black folks. White folks ate it up, and his bank account just kept getting bigger with each punch line. Of course that was different.

I bet I know one person in America who agrees with Mr. Rock. -that the 4th of July is for white people- That would be my buddy William Collier. Mr. Collier is the pastor of Church of God's Chosen, and he is holding a special conference down in Alabama:

"William J. Collier, pastor of Church of God’s Chosen, is holding a Whites-Only conference in the good ole’ state of Alabama, and he’s not making any apologies for it, reports the...

 ...We don’t have the facilities to accommodate other people. We haven’t got any invitations to black, Muslim events. Of course we are not invited to Jewish events and stuff,” he said. “”We are not breaking any laws, we are not violating any ordinances, we are bringing the word of God to people who want it … who are part of the chosen race.." [Source]

I hear ya there Billy. I would follow you on twitter, but I am guessing that you don't have an account.

"Chicken hawks" rising.

*
When are wingnut politricksters going to learn that they can't go off the FOX NEWS reservation and give television interviews?

Deadbeat Joe Walsh, a man desperately trying to save face after mocking the military service of a woman who lost both of her legs in combat, appeared on CNN with Ashleigh Banfield and made an absolute fool of himself. Dude came off as sexist and condescending, and he called the host by her first name in a school yard manner 93 times. Yes, 93! You can count them here.

I guess it is to be expected that Joe would resent the military service of Tammy Duckworth. There is nothing a wingnut hates more than someone who they consider to the left of them politically serving their country. Especially if they (the wingnut) have not. (See Flipper and all the males in his family) This runs contrary to their view of the world, and it confuses and bewilders them. "Only God fearing gun loving conservatives truly love this country enough to serve and give the ultimate sacrifice."  And yet, they will vote for a man who, when he had the chance to do so, did his best not to serve this great country.

"Though an early supporter of the Vietnam War, Romney avoided military service at the height of the fighting after high school by seeking and receiving four draft deferments, according to Selective Service records. They included college deferments and a 31-month stretch as a “minister of religion” in France, a classification for Mormon missionaries that the church at the time feared was being overused. The country was cutting troop levels by the time he became eligible for the draft, and his lottery number was not called.

...He said in 2007 — his first White House bid under way — that he had “longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam.” But his actions, Selective Service records and previous statements show little interest in joining a conflict that ultimately claimed more than 58,000 American lives.

....Critics note that the candidate is among three generations of Romneys — including his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, and five sons — who were of military age during armed conflicts but did not serve."

There is a name for guys like Flipper and Joe Walsh, and they have lots of company in the republican party.

*Pic from the worriedshrimp.com


      



 

How to steal an election and make sure that a tax cheat gets elected.

Remember when our governor here in Pistolvania said that 99% of the registered voters would not be affected by republican voter ID laws? Well, not so fast.

"More than 758,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania do not have photo identification cards from the state Transportation Department, putting their voting rights at risk in the November election, according to data released Tuesday by state election officials.

The figures - representing 9.2 percent of the state's 8.2 million voters - are significantly higher than prior estimates by the Corbett administration. Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele has repeatedly said that 99 percent of Pennsylvania's voters already had the photo ID they will need at the polls in November.

The new numbers, based on a comparison of voter registration rolls with PennDot ID databases, shows the potential problem is much bigger, particularly in Philadelphia, where 186,830 registered voters - 18 percent of the city's total registration - do not have PennDot ID." [Source]

I have to give it to the [right] wingnuts, they sure know how to work the system. This should give them a nice advantage come November. It's no secret where most of those Philly votes would be going. 186,830 is a big number.
You Dumbocrats better get your stuff together.

Of course my home state is not alone. Down in Florida it has been shown that governor Rick Scott has been cooking up something nefarious as well. It seems that his original voter purge list is 98.4% inaccurate and it disproportionately affects people of color. (Gee, there is a shock) 

Yep, just like he planned it.

Finally, if you have never heard of Sankaty High Yield Asset Investors Ltd. I will forgive you. I am sure you are not alone. It's a Bermuda based company and it is one of Flipper's offshore holding companies that he uses to hide his wealth from the IRS.

"Now now Field, it isn't exactly Mitt's company, there you go lying to your readers again." 

Oh yes, a slight correction:

"The omissions were permitted by state and federal authorities overseeing Romney's ethics filings, and he has never been cited for failing to disclose information about his money. But Romney's limited disclosures deprive the public of an accurate depiction of his wealth and a clear understanding of how his assets are handled and taxed, according to experts in private equity, tax and campaign finance law.

Sankaty was transferred to a trust owned by Romney's wife, Ann, one day before he was sworn in as Massachusetts governor in 2003, according to Bermuda records obtained by The Associated Press. The Romneys' ownership of the offshore firm did not appear on any state or federal financial reports during Romney's two presidential campaigns. Only the Romneys' 2010 tax records, released under political pressure earlier this year, confirmed their continuing control of the company.

The mystery surrounding Sankaty reinforces Romney's history of keeping a tight rein on his public dealings, already documented by his use of private email and computer purges as Massachusetts governor and his refusal to disclose his top fundraisers. The Bermuda company had almost no assets, according to Romney's 2010 tax returns. But such partnership stakes could still provide significant income for years to come, said tax experts, who added that the lack of disclosure makes it impossible to know for certain." [Source]

Yes, there is so much that we don't know. I suppose that with the help of some cleverly crafted voter ID laws we will soon find out.




   
  

The global warming "special effects".

I am no expert on global warming, but do I believe what most smart people have to say about the subject. That, coupled with the fact that the people who are on the right wing side of the debate believe that the world is four thousand years old, made it pretty easy for me to choose sides.

Anyway, regardless of where you choose to come down on this issue, you have to admit that something really screwy is going on with our weather.

I think that the folks on the right approach this debate with an economic agenda. To them, it's all about jobs and less regulation. I am down with cleaner renewable energy sources. Bring on the wind and solar age. I have no problem with saying goodbye to fossil fuels. Only a fool would believe that the EPA should not regulate greenhouse gasses and that they do not have a negative effect on our environment. Unfortunately, there are a lot of foolish people among us. (You don't have to drive a gas eating Chevy. Give it time and there might be some really nice electric cars on the market in the very near future.)

Take it away Bill McKibben:

"We can now admit it: global climate change is one big hoax. But let’s give credit to the special effects experts who have given us wildfires, downpour, and record heat this past month writes Bill McKibben.

Please don’t sweat the 2,132 new high temperature marks in June—remember, climate change is a hoax. The first to figure this out was Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who in fact called it “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” apparently topping even the staged moon landing. But others have been catching on. Speaker of the House John Boehner pointed out that the idea that carbon dioxide is “harmful to the environment is almost comical.” The always cautious Mitt Romney scoffed at any damage too: “Scientists will figure that out ten, twenty, fifty years from now,” he said during the primaries.

Still, you have to admit: for a hoax, it’s got excellent production values.

Consider the last few weeks. Someone turned on the rain machine up in Duluth, Minnesota, where they broke all their old rainfall records (and in an excellent cinematic touch flooded the city zoo with so much water that the seal escaped and swam down the road. You can make this stuff up). And when that was over, the production team hastened to the Gulf of Mexico, turning on the giant fans to conjure up Tropical Storm Debby—the earliest fourth storm of the season ever recorded, which dumped “unthinkable amounts of rain” on central Florida. (Giveaway movie moment: the nine-foot gator that washed into a Tampa swimming pool).

The special effects guys were doing their best in Colorado: first they cranked up the heat, setting a new state record at 115 degrees. And then came the fire stunts! They looked real enough—one Waldo Canyon resident wrote a harrowing account of driving his SUV across soccer fields to escape the blaze, with “a vision of hell in his rearview mirror.”

But there were giveaways it was all faked: for one, the “flames” perfectly framed the famous chapel of the Air Force Academy, and on the very day the new cadets arrived.." [Source]

Great! Now I have to wonder if we really did land on the moon.