Author: Trish

Former Pres. Jimmy Carter Had Some Bad-Ass Friends

Trish

BenGrayAtlantaConstitution
Photo by Ben Gray and printed in the Atlanta Constitution

Like former Pres. Jimmy Carter himself, his friends seem pretty bad-ass. They put up 500 signs around Plains, Ga., where Carter lives, that said, “Jimmy Carter for Cancer Survivor.”

Of course, the 90-year-old won’t live forever but it’s hard to make the case that he left anything on the field, as the saying goes, and it would be nice if he could.

Carter’s recent press conference announcing that he has metastatic cancer included two wishes for the rest of his time:

  • That the last guinea worm, which causes a painful and horrifying disease and which Carter has worked to eradicate, precede him in death.
  • That peace is achieved in the Middle East.

Neither outcome is likely, but the wish Carter didn’t make, for a long and happy life, is a done deal.

If You See Marco Rubio with a Football, Hide Your Children!

Trish

The ones where he hits the kids smack in the face are the best, but they’re all good. You’d think Markie Marc would learn after the first couple of passes how to do this thing.

Trump Again Triggers the Instinct to Destroy Stuff

Trish

There’s something about Donald Trump that makes people want to beat things, and this ad from a Van Nuys, Calif. Nissan dealer is proof. The ad, which has been condemned by Nissan corporate, shows a sales manager nicknamed, “The Ladies’ Man” beating a pinata of a man in a suit with a generous topping of blonde hair.

After store managers hit the piñata, Van Nuys General Sales Manager Martin Cuevas declares, “Aqui en Van Nuys Nissan, los Latinos mandan.” (Translation: “Here at Van Nuys Nissan, Latinos rule.”)

Nissan quickly condemned the ad.

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Is John Kerry Really a Better Secretary of State than Hillary Clinton?

Trish

clintonkerry

John Kerry could eclipse his predecessor, Hillary Clinton, in the role of United States Secretary of State. If he does, will it be because of sexism, anti-Clintonism, or world events? Or is Kerry simply more effective?

Kerry has seen a recent series of diplomatic victories.

  • The Cuban embassy is open again in America for the first time since 1961, and the American embassy is open again in Cuba.
    • If Clinton has greatness within her, it’s time to take a page from Kerry and show it
  • After months of talks, some while Kerry was on crutches with an injured leg, a deal was worked with Iran to commit to not building a nuclear bomb and to allow inspections to verify they are not.
  • Saudi Arabia, which was expected to criticize the Iran deal and bolster opponents, publicly came out in favor of it.
  • After saying no for months, Turkey agreed to allow American air strikes on ISIL targets from bases in its country, which could prove pivotal in the fight.

Both Kerry and Clinton had their bad moments.

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Some Questions for the Gun Store Owner With the “Muslim-Free Zone”

Trish

When a gun shop owner announces he’s closing because he’s tired of selling arms to young, disturbed white guys wearing rebel flags, that will be a YouTube video worth watching

It’s bad enough that a gun store owner declared his store a “Muslim-free zone” after the shooting and killing of four Marines and a Navy sailor by 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdelazeez. That he chose to deliver this message in front of a rebel flag tacked up over an American flag, while wearing a sidearm, made this move just that much worse.

There are so many questions raised by Andy Hallinan’s video. For starters:

  • Why didn’t Hallinan declare his gun shop a “white supremacist who says he wants to start a race war free zone” after 21-year-old Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at a Charleston church?

    • […]

A Map of the Biggest Companies in Each State

Trish

BVN-Largest-Companies-by-Revenue-20152

In line with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which held that corporations have the right to buy as much free speech as they can afford, it might be time to consider changing the names of the 50 states. Here’s a handy map that will help, posted by Broadview Networks VoIP Blog.

The map shows the largest company in each state, based on revenue, and makes the distinction between size by revenue and size by market value. If market value were the metric, California would be Apple-fornia.

The map also answers a question that’s been popular for years: What’s the matter with Kansas?

Unexpected Obamacare Savings for Women Could Lead to Fewer Abortions

Trish

pregnancytest

The numbers are in for the Obamacare provision that ended women’s out-of-pocket expense for family planning, and they are huge, according to the policy journal Health Affairs, and quoted by Kaiser Health.

Women are saving a lot of money as a result of a health law requirement that insurance cover most forms of prescription contraceptives with no additional out-of-pocket costs…But the amount of those savings and the speed with which those savings occurred surprised researchers.

The study looked at out-of-pocket spending from nearly 800,000 women (sic) between the ages of 13 and 45 from January 2008 through June 2013. For most plans, the requirement began Aug. 1, 2012, or Jan. 1, 2013.

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Why Aren’t BMW and Adidas Condemning the Rebel Flag?

Trish
Now flying over the South Carolina state capitol
Now flying over the South Carolina state capitol

Both BMW and Adidas have plants in South Carolina but neither company has shown any interest in asking state legislators to stop flying the Confederate flag* over government buildings.

When these companies decided to take advantage of the cheaper, mostly non-unionized labor there, they made a decision to identify with the state. So why aren’t they speaking up? After all, it’s their state now.

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