He cannot erase the mark of the man.

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Image courtesy of New York Times


A good day for America.

It’s rare enough in this life to find someone you love who loves you back, and you both want to make a life together.

We should celebrate and promote it, rather than punish people for it.

Today the Supreme Court celebrated and promoted it.

Good day for America.


“Obamacare is a disincentive to work!!”

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Cartoon by Jeff Darcy, Northeast Ohio Media Group


Winter wisdom. Stay warm and safe.

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Image from libertymaniacs.com


One of the best Christmas stories I ever read features a guy in a red cape.

A few of us on Facebook have been posting images of various super-heroes and their Christmas tributes. I posted this comic book cover, “Christmas With The Super-Heroes, Special #2” from 1988. This prompted me to dig up and re-read my copy, and rediscover one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories. Click here for more.


Quote of the day

“This mess was created by the Republicans for one purpose, and they lost. People in my district are calling in for Obamacare — affordable health care — in large numbers. These guys have lost, and they can’t figure out how to admit it… So we sit here until they figure out they fuckin’ lost.”

— Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), quoted by Slate, on when the government shutdown will end


Syria, summed up.

A very insightful writer named Carl Whitehead posted this at Democratic Underground this morning. I tweaked it just a bit for context. It sums up the Syria situation better than I ever could:

After the eight miserable, misbegotten, god-forsaken years that was the Bush Presidency, we now have a leader who I believe tries his damndest to do what is right and just (in this case, at least).

And in the course of trying to gain a credible coalition of domestic and foreign support for his actions he has listened to the voices of every faction, both for and against his proposition; and has decided to give diplomacy more time to gain the objectives he seeks, because he saw so many are against a military solution, A very intelligent, articulate, considerate, and caring individual that so many on the left are now condemning as some kind of war-mongering scoundrel, foaming at the mouth to bomb somebody just for the hell of it.

I shudder to think of what might be happening right now were we to have a certain insanely wealthy venture capitalist in the White House and whether that individual would consider the will of the people, the approval of Congress, or international accord.

I know where I stand. I’m with the man who spoke to the people that elected him to be their President, who listened to those people and the world at large, and decided to give cooler heads another chance to take away another dictator’s ability to use chemical weapons on the field of war.

If I didn’t believe this man to be sincere, I would not hold this position.


Another reason the RepubliCANTS are trying so hard to stop ObamaCare.

imageIn addition to the fact that they’re being obstructionist dicks.

Once the insurance exchanges start up, lots of people (especially seniors) are going to see that they can buy health insurance policies for less than their employers provide.

Sixty-year-olds, in particular, are going to figure out they can get cheaper insurance to tide them over until they qualify for Medicare. So they won’t have to stay at their jobs just for their health coverage, and they can retire earlier.

This will open up lots of new jobs.

This will provide a huge boost to employment and, subsequently, the economy.

Conservatives are right to be hysterical about this: it’s an attack on everything they believe — and it’s going to make Americans’  lives better. What could be worse? – Paul Krugman

And the House RepubliCANTS cannot possibly allow this to happen on Obama’s watch. So they’ve tried 38 times now to repeal it. Rather than pass the jobs bill that would give us the result quicker that ObamaCare will provide eventually.

This is called Nose-Cutting-Off-For-Face-Spiting-Purposes.


A good deed may not completely erase an evil one

Image from Democratic Underground

but it sure helps.

Good job, Supremes.


Says it all.

Image from Tracy Knauss