July 1, 2014 - Pensito

Why I Hate Independence Day, Part 2014

July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

Using fireworks near animals is both cruel and inhumane as explosive fireworks cause animals immense fear and stress.
— Voice for the Voiceless

Tell that to Bonnie. She’s our 9-year-old mixed-breed terrier who gets completely freaked by fireworks on the Fourth of July. In Miami on the Fourth the streets and night skies are filled with the sound, fury and cordite stench of illegal fireworks ignited by “patriots.”

Tampa Bay Online describes the legal loophole that allows Floridians to behave like asses on the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Patriotism as pest control: Florida’s weird fireworks law

BY JAMES L. ROSICA
Tribune/Scripps Capital Bureau
Published: June 29, 2014 | Updated: June 29, 2014 at 10:10 AM

TALLAHASSEE — The coming of Independence Day means fireworks season — and the beginning of the institutionalized charade behind their sale in Florida.

In the Sunshine State, one does not buy a bottle rocket for recreation; one buys it to scare birds away from farms and fisheries.

That’s right: Explosives for pest control.

[…]

Participation, Not Raw Numbers, Give Tea Party Power

July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

21%

Of Americans now say they support the Tea Party movement, but public support isn’t what gives the Tea Party its influence, says Allison Kopicki. “Interest in the 2014 election runs high among Tea Party supporters … 81% of voters who support the Tea Party say they will definitely vote in the 2014 election, compared with 67% of voters who don’t support the Tea Party.”

Clinton: Cheney’s Remarks on Iraq ‘Unseemly’

July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

If they hadn’t gone to war in Iraq, none of this would be happening. Mr. Cheney has been incredibly adroit for the last six years or so attacking the administration for not doing an adequate job of cleaning up the mess that he made. And I think it’s unseemly. And I give President Bush, by the way, a lot of credit for trying to stay out of this debate and letting other people work through it.

— Bill Clinton, in an interview with NBC News.

Jackson: Former Slave States Now Republican Strongholds

July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

Did you know that in the 11 Southern states that had slaves… those who were Jefferson Davis Democrats are now Reagan Republicans?

— Rev. Jesse Jackson, quoted by the Chicago Sun Times, on the shift in party affiliation that occurred across the South.

Americans’ Confidence in All Three Government Branches at an All-Time Low

July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

30%

Americans’ confidence in the Supreme Court, according to Gallup. Confidence in all three branches of the U.S. government has fallen, reaching record lows for the court and Congress (7%), and a six-year low for the presidency (29%). The presidency had the largest drop of the three branches this year, down seven percentage points from its previous rating of 36%.

Christie Gets Testy Over ‘Hobby Lobby’ Ruling

July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

Why should I give an opinion as to whether they were right or wrong? At the end of the day, they did what they did.

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Business Insider, on the Supreme Court’s contraception ruling yesterday.

Nonreform’s the Norm

July 1, 2014 Buck Banks

For Republicans, it’s a source of chronic inflammation,
And in the midterms, it would mean mass immolation.
And so, alas,
It shall not pass,
‘Til the GOP is hoisted upon the petard of immigration.

Day: July 1, 2014

Why I Hate Independence Day, Part 2014

Participation, Not Raw Numbers, Give Tea Party Power

21%

Clinton: Cheney’s Remarks on Iraq ‘Unseemly’

— Bill Clinton, in an interview with NBC News.

Jackson: Former Slave States Now Republican Strongholds

Did you know that in the 11 Southern states that had slaves… those who were Jefferson Davis Democrats are now Reagan Republicans?

— Rev. Jesse Jackson, quoted by the Chicago Sun Times, on the shift in party affiliation that occurred across the South.

Americans’ Confidence in All Three Government Branches at an All-Time Low

30%

Christie Gets Testy Over ‘Hobby Lobby’ Ruling

Why should I give an opinion as to whether they were right or wrong? At the end of the day, they did what they did.

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Business Insider, on the Supreme Court’s contraception ruling yesterday.

Nonreform’s the Norm

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“If you are committing fraud against the American people, all of us in public leadership should be trying to stop it and throw you in prison for enriching yourself off the American taxpayer.”

— Vice President JD Vance, on Fox News.

“Your generation has a great bullshit meter, because you’re fed bullshit online all day. And the Democratic Party brand right now is so bullshit.”

— Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D), quoted by The Atlantic, speaking to college students.

“We are done, Americans are done with endless conflict in the Middle East, spending trillions of dollars, American lives… this is insane and we have to call it for what it is.”

— Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), on CNN.

Numerati

+175,000

“The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas during President Donald Trump’s administration so far,” Fox News reports.

$4,600

11

30%

A new American Research Group poll finds just 30% of Americans say they approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 67% say they disapprove.

61% to 35%