Irony is Dead, cont.

Exhibit A: Darrel Issa

 

Try to resist the urge to punch your computer monitor right in its ugly stupid face.

 



Issa, in his Quixotic quest to turn up a scandal as damning as an oval-office blowjob so that he can finally have an excuse to impeach this guy who dares call himself "President" even though he is clearly black is suing Ereic Holder over some sort of documents that he is convinced will prove that Obama personally sold guns to Mexican drug cartels so that they could use those guns to murder Federal agents because, duh, he hates America! Never mind how many times and in how many ways this "scandal" has been debunked, if only he can get his hands on these magic documents, they will surely prove that POTUS is running guns out of the West Wing, probably to finance the Muslim museum for which he is paying out of pocket.

Aaaaaanyway, this lawsuit has been put on hold due to the government having been shut down, a situation for which Issa's party is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT RESPONSIBLE. But Issa just doesn't understand why this suit can't go forward.

A federal judge was less than amused when Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) requested that a lawsuit he filed two years ago be allowed to move forward in spite of the fact that federal courts have been immobilized by the Republican shutdown of the U.S. government. According to Think Progress, Judge Amy Berman Jackson refused to consider violating the shutdown to handle the case, saying that it’s ridiculous for Issa to make the request, considering his caucus’ role in ordering the government to close.

The irony of which is, of course, completely lost on Issa. Sort of like how the irony of a former car-thief turned car-alarm marketer being a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is lost on him.


But Issa insists that his suit should be allowed to go forward due to its being super-important and stuff, claiming that a

“Contingency Plan provides that Department employees may continue to work on matters necessary to the discharge of the President’s constitutional duties and powers,” and therefore his actions against President Barack Obama and the Justice Department should not be affected by the federal work stoppage.  (via Raw Story)

Yes, it is vital to the president's ability to discharge his Constitutional duties that he be allowed to be bothered with frivolous lawsuits from idiots who seek to destroy him. That's just absolutely vital.

 

So, let's see if I've got this straight. You shut down the government in order to try and politically damage Obama. Then you insist that part of the government be opened, opened to just you, so that you can try to politically damage Obama. Do I have that straight?

Irony is Dead

Once this happens:

 

 

(via MSNBC)

 

Republicans put on their lab coats, grabbed their stethoscopes and said it’s time to fund the National Institute of Health.

 

That's right. The very people who are 100% responsible for shutting down the NIH are now demanding that it be re-opened.

 

Without a hint of irony.

 

Congressman Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist, carried a stethoscope around his neck as he said “we should make sure that every child, each and every one who has cancer can be taken care of by the world’s best at  the NIH.”

 

Yes, the people who are shutting down the government to prevent people from getting health care, the people who are hysterically warning the American people about all the imagined dangers of having a government agency involved in health care are demanding that a government agency be allowed to continue providing health care which it is only not doing because they themselves insisted on shutting down the government to prevent the government from being involved in healthcare. . .does anyone elses's head hurt?

 

 

 

Majority Leader Eric Cantor was asked at the event why, if government services like the NIH’s are so vital, he shouldn’t just fund the government with a clean spending bill, an idea now backed by 18 House Republicans.
“I think the Speaker and I have both said that the Republican position is we believe we should fund this government, but we also believe that there should not be any special treatment for anyone,” Cantor said. “That is why we believe the right solution to that is to provide for a delay of the individual mandate under the health care law.”

So no one should get special treatment, but only some government agencies should be funded, only the ones Republicans are okay with? And these kids with cancer should get treatment but not other people with cancer or other diseases, because no special treatment for anybody?

 

 

 

Death of irony, part II:

 

(Via TP)

Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) told a Raleigh TV station Wednesday that she would continue to accept and keep her government paycheck during the shutdown. Her reason, she explained, was that she needs the money.

“I need my paycheck. That’s the bottom line.” Ellmers explained. “I understand that there may be some other members who are deferring their paychecks, and I think that’s admirable. I’m not in that position.”

Oh, that's the bottom line, is it? You need your paycheck? So even thought your party is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT RESPONSIBLE for 800,000 federal workers losing their paychecks, you needing yours is the bottom line? That's the only thing that really matters? Granted, you donating your paycheck to charity wouldn't do much to mitigate the harm that your party is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING, but do you really not see the inherent irony here? You know, how maybe these workers also need their paychecks to, um, eat and pay rent and what-not?

Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) took a similar line in an interview with Omaha World Herald: “I’ve got a nice house and a kid in college, and I’ll tell you we cannot handle it. Giving our paycheck away when you still worked and earned it? That’s just not going to fly.”

Oh, well if you've got a nice house, then that's perfectly understandable! Of course you need your money. You need your money so much more than someone who's one missed paycheck away from eviction. Yeah, working without getting paid? That's total bullshit. I mean it's total bullshit for a man of your stature, for other people. . .

Some federal employees have to work, with no pay in sight

October 5, 2013

The IRS, National Park Service, USDA and MSHA employees are working on a skeleton plan, with essential employees only, but even the ones who are working aren’t getting paid. 





Also with sequestration, Federal Bureau of Prisons employees did not have to report to work, but with the shutdown, federal law enforcement officers and correctional officers are mandated to report for duty.

“We’re mandated to go to work, but they’re not paying us to show up.”

 

 

So, you know, fuck you guys.



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.







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.

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, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.

Young Black Bear, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

photo 4.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.

Laurel Falls, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

photo 1.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.

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

Grazing Elk. Great Smokey Mountains National Park

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

photo 4.JPG, a photo by spudboy67 on Flickr.

Moss-covered rocks, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

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

Meadow, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

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