Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Today in grumpy old man news




(via C&L)
About 90 World War II vets from Mississippi arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, determined to visit the World War II Memorial—shutdown or no shutdown. When they reached the barricaded memorial, the red, white, and blue–clad gang—many of them in wheelchairs—just kept moving, knocking down gates to get inside.


You know, if it wasn't for old people in places like Mississippi, there probably wouldn't be a government shutdown keeping people out of the WWII memorial. Maybe if folks like old guys from Mississippi didn't vote for looney right-wing teabagger idiots, maybe we'd have a Congress that isn't opposed to keeping a functioning government going. And of course, the shameless teabaggers of Congress were there to pretend that they were somehow standing with the people? Or something? Pretending that they weren't ONE HUNDRED PERCENT responsible for this shutdown.

Texans can smell an opportunity

mississippi vets 3

mississippi vets 6

And of course, they're all falling for it. Of course they're all buying this charade that these teabagging imbeciles are defending common folks from the big bad government shutdown, completely oblivious to the fact that these teabaggers are entirely responsible for this shutdown because they will shut down the government if they don't get exactly what they want every time no matter who wins the election.

This is what you get from people who live in the FOX bubble, when they get all their "information" from the Limbaughs, Hannitys and Becks of the world. And until these people finally get senile enough to not be able to find their way to the polling station. we're going to be stuck with these teabagger assholes.

Today

Today Google informed me that this is the 123rd anniversary of the opening of Yellowstone Park





And today is the day the National Parks shut down because a bunch of spoiled children can't accept that some people might get better healthcare because the black guy might get the credit.

Thanks, GOP, you pathetic gaggle of pig-fuckers.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

We're Back!

Well, we're back a little sooner than anticipated. We've actually been back a few days now, but I've been staying off of the internet and avoiding any news for my own sanity. Mostly by binge-watching the entire first season of Orange is the New Black which is my new favorite show, holy shit is that show good.

Anyway, here's a few snapshots of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Since it is technically "illegal" to climb on an elk's back and ride him a round, there are no photos of us doing that.



photo 2.JPG by spudboy67
photo 2.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.
Young Black Bear, Great Smokey Mountains National Park



photo 4.JPG by spudboy67
photo 4.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.
Laurel Falls, Great Smokey Mountains National Park
photo 1.JPG by spudboy67
photo 1.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.


photo 3.JPG by spudboy67
photo 3.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.
Grazing Elk. Great Smokey Mountains National Park

photo 3.JPG by spudboy67
photo 3.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.


photo 4.JPG by spudboy67
photo 4.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.
Moss-covered rocks, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

photo 3.JPG by spudboy67
photo 3.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.
Meadow, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

photo 5.JPG by spudboy67
photo 5.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Going on Vacation

The Missus and I will be spending the next week at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so no posting until at least next Monday. I will probably be on the Twitter, though. https://twitter.com/akaProfessorCha

At least tweeting cool vacation pics. Last time we went, there were baby bears, but no promises.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Saying things out loud



Sometimes terrible people say things out loud that they're supposed to only think quietly inside their own horrible heads. Like when shriveled undead hate-beast Phyllis Schlafly said that of course we need restrictions on voting because they help Republicans win.

Well, it happened a couple more times recently.

First this guy:




This fat bag of douche came on the Thom Hartmann show to explain why the minimum wage should not be raised. Instead of reciting the company line of how the current minimum wage is plenty and folks earning it are living super comfortable lives buying steak and lobsters with their food stamps. this guy goes off script and says yeah, we know you can't survive on minimum wage and we're okay with that. We don't really want you to survive.


MOORE: But, why should every job pay enough to live on? The whole idea of a diverse economy is that there are many, many, many jobs on which you can make a living, and there are many jobs which are not intended -- they're at the bottom of the scale -- they're not jobs you're supposed to be able to live on.

HARTMANN: Every job should make enough to live on, because every human being is worth living

MOORE: No. When you're unskilled, you should not expect to be able to make a living off of your ordinary day's labor.



Stunning. Really, just shocking. I mean, we all pretty much figured that's what they were thinking, but to think you could say that out loud. . . wow!

Then there's the government of the state of Michigan, which is defending its anti-gay-marriage and anti-gay-adoption laws in court. This is what they are stating in their defense filing:


One of the paramount purposes of marriage in Michigan
and at least 37 other states that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman
is, and has always been, to regulate sexual relationships

Yeah, because, you know, small government! Freedommmmmmm!!!
they are seriously arguing that it is the role of the state government to regulate the sex lives of its citizens. Wow!

to regulate sexual relationships between men and women so that the unique procreative
capacity of such relationships benefits rather than harms society.
[source]


How keeping gay people from marrying is going to make sexual relationships benefit society and keep them from harming it goes unsaid. Like a lot of things probably should have.