Mark Kirk: One week ago he was a heterosexual with a sterling military record
June 1, 2010
This probably isn’t the week Mark Kirk envisioned. The Republican running for what was Barack Obama’s Senate seat in Illinois started the week as a big Republican hopeful. Today – not so much.
Kirk was caught lying about his military record. That he could have survived.
The fact that the notorious Mike Rogers has outed him as a Gay Male? Naw, probably won’t survive that in the GOP’s Tiniest Possible Tent.
From Joe.My.God.:
Rogers goes on to recount having met Kirk personally at a 2004 party largely attended by gay men. It should be noted that Kirk has one of the more positive records on LGBT rights and recently earned an 88% score from the Human Rights Campaign. Last June he signed on as a House co-sponsor of ENDA.
What a difference a week makes.
–WKW
Wolfrum the big name for Teen Werewolves
June 1, 2010
There are Werewolves in Texas. And the leader of the “Wolf Pack” is known as “DayKitten Wolfrum Lupis.”
The Wolfrum name proudly lives on.
–WKW
If you tax the rich you’ll get cancer
June 1, 2010
Being a lobbyist can’t be easy. First off, in most cases, you have to actually rid yourself of any soul whatsoever to get into the business. Secondly, there are no career goals outside of getting paid – even the most successful lobbyists on the planet have no real “achievements.”
Are they a necessary evil? I don’t know. But perhaps America might be a better place if lobbyists didn’t tell Americans that they could get cancer if they tax the wealthy.
From Politico:
Lobbying campaigns by people who have money must appear to be for the good of those who don’t, or they aren’t worth the money.
Thus, the venture capital and private equity lobbies have worked hard in the past few weeks to claim that raising the tax rate on executive compensation is less about the executives than it is about the danger to minorities, academics, pensioners, economically depressed Michigan, “the average American home,” the fight against cancer and jobs.
The fight-against-cancer argument comes courtesy of 28 scientists— “members of the U.S. academic and research community,” according to a letter to President Barack Obama — who, while thanking him for increasing grant money for medical research, warned that the tax measure could cut into the funding they get for long-term research from venture capital.
The jobs arguments comes from a new study for the Private Equity Council that, the group says, shows the venture capital industry isn’t just for rich capitalists but for 10 million regular Americans across the country who are directly or indirectly employed in it.
At issue is a provision in the financial reform bill that would curtail the tax treatment of so-called carried interest, by which venture fund managers get part of their fee in the form of an interest in the funded venture, allowing the fee to be taxed under lower capital gains rates when the gain is realized.
Speaking as someone who not long ago lost his mother to cancer, this is as disturbing and ugly an argument against taxing the wealthy as has ever been proposed. But the simple fact is that – with Obama and Democrats constantly bending over backwards for Conservative beliefs – it may work. And that’s just sick.
–WKW
Telling Israel not to kidnap U.S. Citizens is Anti-Semitic
June 1, 2010
While Israel fights its newest PR war after it’s attack on an aid flotilla left a dozen or so dead, the U.S. is showing that friends in high places can be quite helpful. First, the Obama Administration has taken a stand from the rest of the planet by not condemning the acts. And second, it seems that Israelis can even manage to kidnap American citizens without getting any reprimand from Washington.
As many as nine Americans may have been aboard the Gaza relief flotilla attacked by the Israeli military, and are now being held by Israeli authorities, a State Department official said Monday.
The official, who had no details about their identities, conditions or whereabouts, said U.S. consular officials were expecting to interview the Americans on Tuesday.
Separately, Jonathan Slevin, a spokesman for the activist group Free Palestine Movement, said a group of five Americans participated in the flotilla, including former U.S. Ambassador Edward Peck.
Slevin said the Americans boarded a ship called the Sfendoni in Athens, Greece. He said there had been no communication with the Americans since the flotilla was intercepted by the Israelis.
While we hope for the best for those in Israeli custody, don’t expect the U.S. to condemn Israel for the act. After all, nothing is more anti-Semitic than telling a nation not to kidnap your citizens.
–WKW
GOP unveil plan to save Gulf of Mexico from Grace Slick
June 1, 2010
WASHINGTON – Angered over repeated accusations that they have no answers or plans, the GOP today announced a new strategic plan to save the Gulf of Mexico from Grace Slick.
“We are the party of today, and tomorrow,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner. “The Grace Slick situation in the Gulf of Mexico is one that we’re ready to handle.”
When informed that Grace Slick was a singer who now lived in Illinois, Republicans, as is their wont, refused to back down, budge or change course.
“Listen, Grace Slick is out there and we’re losing jobs,” said Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. “Obama has no interest in her, but we Republicans sure do.”
No details of the strategy – known in GOP circles as “Operation Starship” – have been released. Still, Republicans of all flavors are backing the plan.
Rand Paul, a U.S. Senate Candidate from Kentucky, said that Slick and the abuse of oil companies had to stop.
“Everyone from the President on down was so mean to British Petroleum. So, so mean,” said Paul. “Really mean. Ugly mean.”
Reached for comment at her Indiana home, Slick said she hadn’t been in that region of the U.S. for years.
“I’m not sure what’s happening,” said Slick. “God how I wished we would have dosed Nixon with LSD back in the day.”
–WKW
That sinking feeling in Guatemala
June 1, 2010
Well, at least we now know what digging a hole to China looks like:
From Gizmodo:
This sinkhole appeared last sunday in a street intersection of Ciudad de Guatemala. …
… A sinkhole is a natural depression caused by the removal of underground soil by water. Usually, it happens when the substrate is formed by limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds or any other rock that is easily eroded by water streams. The process could be slow, but sometimes the land just cracks open without notice. In this case, it happened suddenly, swallowing an entire house. The cause: Massive underground water torrents created by tropical storm Agatha.
No word on whether or not those that believe the world will end in 2012 are gloating about this incident.
–WKW
