President Obama speaks about the tornadoes that impacted Oklahoma yesterday, while joined by VP Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino.
****
FEMA: 30,000 meals, 45,000 liters of water, 2,100 cots, 4,500 blankets, arrive in Oklahoma at 3 pm
As the investigation continues into potentially discriminatory activities at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), former commissioner Douglas Shulman said Tuesday he was “saddened” that the agency had been judged as having acted in a way that was not “non-political and non-partisan,” though he said he couldn’t say exactly what happened to lead to the practices now under fire.
On Tuesday, Shulman reiterated that, at the time of his testimony, he had not yet learned about the IRS behaviors now under question. …”The full set of facts around these circumstances came out last week,” he said. “What I knew was not the full set of facts in this report. What I knew sometime in the spring of 2012 was that there was a list that was being used. I knew that the word ‘tea party’ was on the list.”
Shulman said he didn’t know what other words were on the list, if liberal groups had been targeted as well, or if the groups that were targeted would have been pulled in for higher scrutiny anyway.
The Democrats are so spineless. I keep waiting for someone to ask about the other 270 organizations that were scrutinized. They are allowing this to be an investigation centered around the Tea Party as opposed to IRS practices. More importantly, no one has bothered to say that the practice of political targeting by the IRS goes all the way back to FDR.
One of the IRS panelist did say the problem would not have occurred had Congress provided well-defined legislation. Of course, they sped right past that remark.
I can’t believe this thing is still breathing! Not to mention the fact that the tea party “patriots” actually should never have qualified for non-exempt status – which is the real scandal. It’s like we’re in the Twilight Zone.
Our governor (Okla) just made a statement, and now Craig Fugate, the head of FEMA is talking, explaining what is being done. They were on the job yesterday…….amazing. Good government works. One more support for LL’s op ed.
She hasn’t mentioned the President on Twitter, but did mention in the press conference on TV a few minutes ago that he’d called twice to offer support. I guess that’s something.
Yes, I think so, but I turned the volume down. I just cannot stand to hear her talk. Another person reported that on MSNBC she thanked FEMA head Fugate and the president. He called her twice yesterday. She is the governor who left the state when the president visited here two years ago. Since then, I’ve tried to ignore her.
Carolyn, I wanted to thank you again for keeping us informed, probably better than the national media, on what is happening there, both specifically related to this current situation, but also the political climate in OK.
Been thinking of you from afar Carolyn – so glad that you are safe. It seems sad that help in times of disaster becomes political. I doubt the Governor will “invite” the President to her state & I have no doubt the media will complain whether he goes, or whether he does not go. The Governor should be thankful FEMA are involved because there is no state that could organize and run the rescue and restore effort that is needed in your state.
The pictures so remind me of a disaster we had in our northernmost city many years ago. We had no-one but the army with the strength or know-how to run the recovery. This is so different to flooding – where, despite the initial mayhem – many structures remain. Nothing remains in these parts of Oklahoma. The rebuild will take years – charities can provide bottles of water – even food and shelter – but they cannot rebuild. The only people that can and will do this – work for the Federal Government. If the Governor does not quickly recognize this – the areas will never be rebuilt to any type of “livable” standard.
At the press briefing Ed Henry sits in the front row and smirks like a cheshire cat. There is no seriousness of purpose. Just snarky gotcha questions dripping with sarcasm.
A Brief Reminder: Presidential Distance from DOJ and the IRS is a Good Thing
By Kevin Drum
———————————
Ditto for the IRS, which for similar reasons is an agency that we’ve deliberately set up to be independent of the president. We don’t want the president to have any influence over the IRS, and we don’t want him kept apprised of the details of ongoing inquiries. It would have been a scandal if Obama had known any details about the IG investigation of the IRS’s tea party targeting.
By chance, two of our three current “scandals” happen to involve agencies that we really do want to retain their independence from the president. (Benghazi is different, but there’s no scandal there in the first place.) As the feeding frenzy moves into high gear, I hope everyone remembers this. Ask all the tough questions you want, but let’s not pretend, even jokingly, that Obama should have known more about investigations at DOJ or the IRS. That’s exactly the opposite of what we want.
McCain has a pathological craving for war–he just can’t start enough of them. God knows how many military men and women would be dead by now if he had become president.
At a hearing Tuesday, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George told the Senate Finance Committee that the Treasury Department informed Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) office of its investigation into the IRS in 2012, and has had communications with this staff since then.
George’s remarks under questioning from Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ):
Menendez: “Inspector General, did Chairman Issa send a letter on August 3rd of 2012 to all the inspector generals reminding them that under the Inspector Generals Act it requires IGs to report particularly flagrant problems to Congress through the agency head within seven days via what has become known as the seven day letter. Did you receive that letter? And, if so, did you respond to inform Chairman Isaa of your investigation into the IRS?”
George: “Senator, we did receive the letter, and Chairman Issa’s committee was the first to actually contact us regarding this matter. And so through the course of engaging the review, on occasion we have had communications with his staff.”
Kudos to Menendez for finally asking a meaningful question. This should come as no surprise to anyone. It is what the Republicans do…they pocket matters to raise when they think it will be helpful. Benghazi wasn’t working, so they had to find something else.
Darrell Issa has had one trick since Jan 20, 2009….to decimate president Obama. He tried with Fast & Furious. He has made other nefarious charges. Now if there was there there in 2012 about these IRS 501C4,……No one could have contended Darrell Issa from going to the press in 2012 and shouting on top of his voice……the roof…..dancing as well to Deliver his Pound of Flesh.
I have a strong urge to hug Jay Carney right now. Dealing with the jackals is a challenge beyond belief. He has the patience of Job. He is an absolute treasure.
Don’t get me started Allison. The questions about the timing on the IRS crap (who knew who what when) makes you feel like you are in a court of law. It’s remarkable. There is a wall between the White House and departments like the IRS and DOJ for a reason. But this fact is ignored by the jackals because they are desperate to keep the GOP manufactured controversy in play. I am reminded of this brilliant post …….
The Mainstream Media Suffers from Conservative-Induced Stockholm Syndrome
That was my first thought seeing this, Allison – whether or not Karl asked a question. I cannot bear to watch those press briefings – I’ll wait for Jay to tweet something that didn’t come from a jackal’s mouth.
LH, the urban definition of “jackal” contains – a person distinguished by their pretentiousness, self-entitlement, and general air of douchebaggery. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jackal) Sounds like the whitehouse press corp. lol 😀 😀
This tweet is sort of a follow-up to some comments, including mine on the last thread. It comes out of frustration with those people who call the US a Christian nation yet are against the government doing so many things.
If US is a Christian nation, as some claim, then government should be doing what Christ commanded, take care of poor, sick and disadvantaged
I’m reposting this from the last thread since I was chattering to myself. But this made me really happy today:
Standing in line at the grocery store today, for my lunch. There’s a particular cashier who I love – a big-hearted, outspoken Earth Mother of an AA lady, and we just love talking to each other. In front of me was a blonde woman, in her 50′s I would say, and I asked her about the barbecue sauce she was buying, and she said she was from West Texas and she knew good barbecue and she loved the sauce. The three of us got into a conversation about the Woes of the World and this woman from West Texas said, “I’m Christian and ashamed of anyone who claims that God says, “I don’t like gay people so I’m going to decimate little children. The God I believe in gave me a mind to learn and reason with, and the earth to take care of.” I told her you don’t have to be Christian to believe in that God – that’s the God I was raised to believe in in Judaism.
“We gotta stop these nuts,” she said. And my Earth Mother of a cashier said, “And I won’t let them take over my mood or defeat me in any way.”
Now, that’s what I call a religious service. These two great women made my day.
I went back through the store to get some of the barbecue sauce. When checked out the second time, Earth Mother Cashier said, “It’ll need a little honey and a touch of lemon juice.” I LOVE her.
Also, the West Texas lady’s son lives in Oklahoma City. He escaped harm but was volunteering today to do whatever was needed.
Ugh! I need some pest control for the troglodyle Teabaggers who keep trying to goad me into responding to their drivel on Twittah. Thank goodness for the Block button.
You have a stronger stomach than I do. Not often, but sometimes I engage/entertain them, then it becomes clear they’re not interested in real dialogue, just hurling epithets. So [boop] “your ass is Blocked buddy”.
We are having a good rain today in OKC, thunder, but no wind. I’m not watching TV today…..just wore myself out yesterday. But I’ve seen and read enough to know that wonderful and helpful as the average people are and will be during this disaster, our two Senators….Disgusting Coburn and Stupid Inhofe will make fools of themselves, while doing nothing to help. Sad. They’ll take the spotlight and shine it on themselves, not what is actually important.
In another break from seriousness: I just had a conversation with one of our part-timers about curling. She’s from Canada, and, no, she doesn’t understand it either.
The Canadian government has nearly doubled its spending to promote the Keystone XL pipeline to $16.5 million, up from $9 million a year ago.
This dramatic spending increase is a result of an increased lobbying effort the government is planning, which includes high-profile ad buys and dispatching a series of officials to reiterate talking points that the pipeline will increase U.S. energy security and provide us with thousands of home-grown jobs.
Their expanded lobbying efforts include Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper traveling to New York City to speak with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and participate in roundtables with American business leaders. During his Q&A session with the CFR, Mr. Harper advocated for approval of the pipeline, insisting it would add “almost nothing globally” to carbon emissions.
Harper also said the US should not “turn up” its nose at the potential of 40,000 construction jobs nor the prospect of being able to reduce its dependence on oil shipped in from overseas.
Again, Harper is just avoiding the facts — the State Department released a draft environmental impact statement earlier this year that found the pipeline would directly only create “3,900″ temporary construction jobs. After construction is complete, the operation of the pipeline would support 35 permanent and 15 temporary jobs,
Unfortunately, that dirty oil will be going on the market somehow and someway. With or without our help.
What scares me is, trucks or Ships down the Mississippi!
We hire a few people for a year or so. After that, we assume all the risk of this foolhardy continuation of our gluttonous dependence on oil.
the pipeline goes to Port Arthur, TX. What few Americans know is that Port Arthur is practically carved out of the U.S. and is a free-wheeling, free market haven for shipping oil overseas.
The news from OK tells us they don’t have basements or shelters because of the bedrock under all of OK. How are they going to dig a pipeline through there? The map shows that’s were it’s going. . .
One morning, a grandmother found that her grandson wanted to surprise her by making her a cup of coffee.
Not wanting to disappoint him, she drank the worse cup of coffee she’d ever had.
Managing to finally finish the cup, she found 3 little army figures on the bottom.
Surprised, the grandmother asked her grandson, “Why are the little army men in the bottom?”
“Because”, he exclaimed, “I made the cup of coffee like they do on TV!”
Puzzled, she asked, “How is that?”
He replied, “You know…..the best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!”
Republican Sen. James Inhofe, like Coburn, has opposed emergency aid in the recent past, including voting against a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy. This morning, however, the conservative senator said that was “totally different.”
That was a “totally different” situation, Inhofe told MSNBC, arguing that the Sandy aid was filled with pork. There were “things in the Virgin Islands. They were fixing roads there and putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C. Everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won’t happen in Oklahoma.”
The difference between Hurricane Sandy and the tornado in Oklahoma is that Sandy hit the “liberal” northeast and the tornado hit his “conservative” south. I hope all the American people rise up in 2014 and 2016 and get rid of all of these hacks.
I will go one better…the difference between Hurricane Sandy relief and OK tornado relief is VOTES….if he voted to deny his constituents Federal aid…he can kiss the next election goodbye…
so he has to couch it as different …so that he can vote for it
There is a big difference which Inhofe has yet to realize – Hurricane Sandy left much infrastructure, homes and businesses – damaged but NOT destroyed. The areas in Oklahoma are completely destroyed – nothing remains. This is no repair – this is remove the rubble and rebuild. If 100% of state expenditure went into the area – it would not be enough.
Both of the state’s senators, Sen. James Inhofe (R) and Coburn, however, have long worked to undermine the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even though their state heavily relies on disaster aid:
– In September 2011, Coburn offered an amendment to offset $6.9 billion in FEMA funding.
– Coburn voted in 2011 against funding FEMA after it ran out of money, because, in his words, funding FEMA would have been “unconscionable.” Inhofe did not vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fired back at Republicans blocking a bill for necessary funding to FEMA.
– Inhofe proposed removing grants for storm shelter programs coordinating with FEMA, and instead provide individuals with tax breaks.
– Coburn criticized items in Sandy disaster relief such as $12.9 billion for disaster mitigiation and $366 million for Amtrak as “wasteful spending.”
– After Hurricane Sandy, Inhofe and Coburn voted against a bill for $50.5 billion in Hurricane Sandy disaster relief.
– Coburn demanded that $5.25 billion in FEMA grant funds be reallocated because of sequestration in April 2013.
–” Inhofe proposed removing grants for storm shelter programs coordinating with FEMA, and instead provide individuals with tax breaks.”
Tax breaks sure helped build a storm shelter in the schools – I read somewhere (sorry no link) that the schools didn’t have them because they were “too expensive”.
Embattled IRS official Lois Lerner will invoke her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself when she appears before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
In a letter to Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Lerner’s attorney William W. Taylor III cites the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the issue of whether the IRS singled out tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny.
Well, this is probably because the tea party has already launched a law suit. If I was in her position, I might do the same, given the way the media has behaved and distorted reality.
True the Vote, a Houston-based voter watchdog group that arose from a tea party organization, filed suit in federal court Tuesday against the Internal Revenue Service over the agency’s processing of its request for tax-exempt status.
The lawsuit, filed by the conservative ActRight Legal Foundation, asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to grant its request for tax-exempt status and award damages for what it described as unlawful conduct by the IRS. True the Vote, which was founded in June 2010, is affiliated with the King Street Patriots, a tea party group which started in December 2009.
Originally called KSP/True the Vote, the group filed in July 2010 for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) charity organization. In August 2011, the group changed its name to True the Vote Inc.; King Street Patriots has separately been seeking the 501(c)(4) status from the IRS. True the Vote has come under fire for intimidating African-American and other minority voters at the polls.
I remember them. I’ve been trying to post and tweet the actual truth, but our miserable press and complicit Dem’s bought into the ‘abuse’ and ‘targeting’ messaging. I wish the Dem’s had gotten ahead of this and taken hold of the narrative: it is the responsibility of the group to prove they are not operating politically and to prove their ‘social welfare’ status. Now I’m afraid the intimidation has been so effective that any and every group will be given a rubber stamp. I’m really furious.
Avoid the word ” Should ” as much as possible . Never tell others what they ” Should ” do…..it has a negative tone. Try saying ” You may want to consider ” or ” You may want to try…..”
( It is very difficult not to use that word ). On the blackboard was written ” Should = Shit “
Something I used to try to drum into the heads of my counseling clients, both the individuals and couples. Using “should” was a self-inflicted wound which never worked for the good and frequently became the source of much that was bad.
The Obama Diary 
Trust Barack!
Good Afternoon
Absolutely.
Wow twice Dudette!!! Congrats!
Tee-hee! Just lucky! Also helps that I don’t have to sneak, since I’m working at home today. 🙂
Hiya Dudette!
Hiya Chips! 🙂
Working from home today. Hard to keep up.
Congrats Dudette on #1! 🙂
Thanks! 😀
Congrats Dudette!!!
#TrustBarack For sure!!!
Thank You Friend! 🙂
Two in a Roll? 😎
Congrats.
Not red states, not blue states, we are the UNITED States. And this is our President, thankfully!
“Former IRS chief: “I can’t say” what led to IRS targeting”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57585478/former-irs-chief-i-cant-say-what-led-to-irs-targeting/
—–
As the investigation continues into potentially discriminatory activities at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), former commissioner Douglas Shulman said Tuesday he was “saddened” that the agency had been judged as having acted in a way that was not “non-political and non-partisan,” though he said he couldn’t say exactly what happened to lead to the practices now under fire.
On Tuesday, Shulman reiterated that, at the time of his testimony, he had not yet learned about the IRS behaviors now under question. …”The full set of facts around these circumstances came out last week,” he said. “What I knew was not the full set of facts in this report. What I knew sometime in the spring of 2012 was that there was a list that was being used. I knew that the word ‘tea party’ was on the list.”
Shulman said he didn’t know what other words were on the list, if liberal groups had been targeted as well, or if the groups that were targeted would have been pulled in for higher scrutiny anyway.
The Democrats are so spineless. I keep waiting for someone to ask about the other 270 organizations that were scrutinized. They are allowing this to be an investigation centered around the Tea Party as opposed to IRS practices. More importantly, no one has bothered to say that the practice of political targeting by the IRS goes all the way back to FDR.
One of the IRS panelist did say the problem would not have occurred had Congress provided well-defined legislation. Of course, they sped right past that remark.
I can’t believe this thing is still breathing! Not to mention the fact that the tea party “patriots” actually should never have qualified for non-exempt status – which is the real scandal. It’s like we’re in the Twilight Zone.
Our governor (Okla) just made a statement, and now Craig Fugate, the head of FEMA is talking, explaining what is being done. They were on the job yesterday…….amazing. Good government works. One more support for LL’s op ed.
Carolyn, did the Governor mention that she had been in contact with President Obama or mention him at all specifically? Just curious.
I believe she did. I will have to locate the tweet, but I do recall seeing it sometime yesterday late afternoon or evening.
She hasn’t mentioned the President on Twitter, but did mention in the press conference on TV a few minutes ago that he’d called twice to offer support. I guess that’s something.
Yes, I think so, but I turned the volume down. I just cannot stand to hear her talk. Another person reported that on MSNBC she thanked FEMA head Fugate and the president. He called her twice yesterday. She is the governor who left the state when the president visited here two years ago. Since then, I’ve tried to ignore her.
Thanks Carolyn. Just wanted to make sure she recognized PBO.
He will probably visit OK yet again before the end of next week. Will she leave the state this time?!?!? Or will she act her chronological age.
Where’s she gonna go? She’s gonna have to stand on the tarmac and thank the Black man. No finger wagging please.
Here is a tweet thanking FEMA.
Carolyn, I wanted to thank you again for keeping us informed, probably better than the national media, on what is happening there, both specifically related to this current situation, but also the political climate in OK.
Been thinking of you from afar Carolyn – so glad that you are safe. It seems sad that help in times of disaster becomes political. I doubt the Governor will “invite” the President to her state & I have no doubt the media will complain whether he goes, or whether he does not go. The Governor should be thankful FEMA are involved because there is no state that could organize and run the rescue and restore effort that is needed in your state.
The pictures so remind me of a disaster we had in our northernmost city many years ago. We had no-one but the army with the strength or know-how to run the recovery. This is so different to flooding – where, despite the initial mayhem – many structures remain. Nothing remains in these parts of Oklahoma. The rebuild will take years – charities can provide bottles of water – even food and shelter – but they cannot rebuild. The only people that can and will do this – work for the Federal Government. If the Governor does not quickly recognize this – the areas will never be rebuilt to any type of “livable” standard.
Back in a bit, tea and PT! You all are just the greatest! One might get the idea you are Obama supporters, or such like…..
At the press briefing Ed Henry sits in the front row and smirks like a cheshire cat. There is no seriousness of purpose. Just snarky gotcha questions dripping with sarcasm.
A Brief Reminder: Presidential Distance from DOJ and the IRS is a Good Thing
By Kevin Drum
———————————
Ditto for the IRS, which for similar reasons is an agency that we’ve deliberately set up to be independent of the president. We don’t want the president to have any influence over the IRS, and we don’t want him kept apprised of the details of ongoing inquiries. It would have been a scandal if Obama had known any details about the IG investigation of the IRS’s tea party targeting.
By chance, two of our three current “scandals” happen to involve agencies that we really do want to retain their independence from the president. (Benghazi is different, but there’s no scandal there in the first place.) As the feeding frenzy moves into high gear, I hope everyone remembers this. Ask all the tough questions you want, but let’s not pretend, even jokingly, that Obama should have known more about investigations at DOJ or the IRS. That’s exactly the opposite of what we want.
—————————————–
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/05/brief-reminder-presidential-distance-doj-and-irs-good-thing
Exactly! And the release of the Benghazi emails? That was a “Please proceed, Republicans” moment.
McCain has a pathological craving for war–he just can’t start enough of them. God knows how many military men and women would be dead by now if he had become president.
At a hearing Tuesday, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George told the Senate Finance Committee that the Treasury Department informed Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) office of its investigation into the IRS in 2012, and has had communications with this staff since then.
George’s remarks under questioning from Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ):
Menendez: “Inspector General, did Chairman Issa send a letter on August 3rd of 2012 to all the inspector generals reminding them that under the Inspector Generals Act it requires IGs to report particularly flagrant problems to Congress through the agency head within seven days via what has become known as the seven day letter. Did you receive that letter? And, if so, did you respond to inform Chairman Isaa of your investigation into the IRS?”
George: “Senator, we did receive the letter, and Chairman Issa’s committee was the first to actually contact us regarding this matter. And so through the course of engaging the review, on occasion we have had communications with his staff.”
Menendez: “In 2012?”
George: “And since then, yes.”
Menendez: “Thank you.”
Kudos to Menendez for finally asking a meaningful question. This should come as no surprise to anyone. It is what the Republicans do…they pocket matters to raise when they think it will be helpful. Benghazi wasn’t working, so they had to find something else.
Here’s a story on that from HP
Darrell Issa has had one trick since Jan 20, 2009….to decimate president Obama. He tried with Fast & Furious. He has made other nefarious charges. Now if there was there there in 2012 about these IRS 501C4,……No one could have contended Darrell Issa from going to the press in 2012 and shouting on top of his voice……the roof…..dancing as well to Deliver his Pound of Flesh.
Sorry, somehow, I must have not properly copied the HP piece here. 😦
I have a strong urge to hug Jay Carney right now. Dealing with the jackals is a challenge beyond belief. He has the patience of Job. He is an absolute treasure.
I agree with you LH. How many times will they ask Jay the same dumb questions?? Have they not read the polls? The American ppl don’t give a shit!
Don’t get me started Allison. The questions about the timing on the IRS crap (who knew who what when) makes you feel like you are in a court of law. It’s remarkable. There is a wall between the White House and departments like the IRS and DOJ for a reason. But this fact is ignored by the jackals because they are desperate to keep the GOP manufactured controversy in play. I am reminded of this brilliant post …….
The Mainstream Media Suffers from Conservative-Induced Stockholm Syndrome
http://www.politicususa.com/mainstream-media-feelings-hurt-pretends-obamas-friend.html
Thank you LH for sharing the article. The MSM are trash and all they do is spew GOP talking points. Disgusting.
I tuned in late, do you know if Jon Karl asked Jay a question? Thanks.
That was my first thought seeing this, Allison – whether or not Karl asked a question. I cannot bear to watch those press briefings – I’ll wait for Jay to tweet something that didn’t come from a jackal’s mouth.
LH, the urban definition of “jackal” contains – a person distinguished by their pretentiousness, self-entitlement, and general air of douchebaggery. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jackal) Sounds like the whitehouse press corp. lol 😀 😀
Make him go away. Make him go back to AZ.
Thank you.
This tweet is sort of a follow-up to some comments, including mine on the last thread. It comes out of frustration with those people who call the US a Christian nation yet are against the government doing so many things.
Love it! Hope it gets retweeted thousands of times!
I’m reposting this from the last thread since I was chattering to myself. But this made me really happy today:
Standing in line at the grocery store today, for my lunch. There’s a particular cashier who I love – a big-hearted, outspoken Earth Mother of an AA lady, and we just love talking to each other. In front of me was a blonde woman, in her 50′s I would say, and I asked her about the barbecue sauce she was buying, and she said she was from West Texas and she knew good barbecue and she loved the sauce. The three of us got into a conversation about the Woes of the World and this woman from West Texas said, “I’m Christian and ashamed of anyone who claims that God says, “I don’t like gay people so I’m going to decimate little children. The God I believe in gave me a mind to learn and reason with, and the earth to take care of.” I told her you don’t have to be Christian to believe in that God – that’s the God I was raised to believe in in Judaism.
“We gotta stop these nuts,” she said. And my Earth Mother of a cashier said, “And I won’t let them take over my mood or defeat me in any way.”
Now, that’s what I call a religious service. These two great women made my day.
Let the congregation say “Amen”!
You would have loved these two great broads. They were fantastic.
Amen and Amen!!
Amen
Another Amen !!
Amen!
Aaaaaaaaa-men!!
I went back through the store to get some of the barbecue sauce. When checked out the second time, Earth Mother Cashier said, “It’ll need a little honey and a touch of lemon juice.” I LOVE her.
Also, the West Texas lady’s son lives in Oklahoma City. He escaped harm but was volunteering today to do whatever was needed.
Ugh! I need some pest control for the troglodyle Teabaggers who keep trying to goad me into responding to their drivel on Twittah. Thank goodness for the Block button.
I don’t block any of them. I just don’t respond. I like to see just how lunatic they can be.
You have a stronger stomach than I do. Not often, but sometimes I engage/entertain them, then it becomes clear they’re not interested in real dialogue, just hurling epithets. So [boop] “your ass is Blocked buddy”.
We are having a good rain today in OKC, thunder, but no wind. I’m not watching TV today…..just wore myself out yesterday. But I’ve seen and read enough to know that wonderful and helpful as the average people are and will be during this disaster, our two Senators….Disgusting Coburn and Stupid Inhofe will make fools of themselves, while doing nothing to help. Sad. They’ll take the spotlight and shine it on themselves, not what is actually important.
I tried to embed this link on twitter but it was too long. For any pet lovers out there, this is a tear jerker:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147264n
Try using bity.com to shorten URLs – perfect for posting in tweets.
Thanks! Didn’t have a clue.
Here’s another tweet of the story with embedded video
So sweet!
A good read:
http://www.nationalmemo.com/benghazi-interview-pickering-dissects-congressional-follies-media-coverage-and-cover-up-charges/
Afternoon Chips, TOD…..
May the good lord bless Kevin Durant. What an AMAZING human being!
In another break from seriousness: I just had a conversation with one of our part-timers about curling. She’s from Canada, and, no, she doesn’t understand it either.
🙂
The Canadian government has nearly doubled its spending to promote the Keystone XL pipeline to $16.5 million, up from $9 million a year ago.
This dramatic spending increase is a result of an increased lobbying effort the government is planning, which includes high-profile ad buys and dispatching a series of officials to reiterate talking points that the pipeline will increase U.S. energy security and provide us with thousands of home-grown jobs.
Their expanded lobbying efforts include Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper traveling to New York City to speak with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and participate in roundtables with American business leaders. During his Q&A session with the CFR, Mr. Harper advocated for approval of the pipeline, insisting it would add “almost nothing globally” to carbon emissions.
Harper also said the US should not “turn up” its nose at the potential of 40,000 construction jobs nor the prospect of being able to reduce its dependence on oil shipped in from overseas.
Again, Harper is just avoiding the facts — the State Department released a draft environmental impact statement earlier this year that found the pipeline would directly only create “3,900″ temporary construction jobs. After construction is complete, the operation of the pipeline would support 35 permanent and 15 temporary jobs,
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/05/20/2033231/canadian-government-pursuing-aggressive-lobbying-push-on-keystone-xl/
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Harper sounds just like the lying Republians and the lies of Heidi Heitkamp.
Shows how badly they want to get this stuff out of Canada.
The Keystone will merely transport oil to the Gulf in order to ship it overseas. How does that benefit this country?
Unfortunately, that dirty oil will be going on the market somehow and someway. With or without our help.
What scares me is, trucks or Ships down the Mississippi!
We hire a few people for a year or so. After that, we assume all the risk of this foolhardy continuation of our gluttonous dependence on oil.
the pipeline goes to Port Arthur, TX. What few Americans know is that Port Arthur is practically carved out of the U.S. and is a free-wheeling, free market haven for shipping oil overseas.
True. I live in Canada and he is absolutely despicable!!!!
Happy to let them spend all the money they want …. as long as President Obama ultimately kills the deal.
The news from OK tells us they don’t have basements or shelters because of the bedrock under all of OK. How are they going to dig a pipeline through there? The map shows that’s were it’s going. . .
A break from seriousness.
One morning, a grandmother found that her grandson wanted to surprise her by making her a cup of coffee.
Not wanting to disappoint him, she drank the worse cup of coffee she’d ever had.
Managing to finally finish the cup, she found 3 little army figures on the bottom.
Surprised, the grandmother asked her grandson, “Why are the little army men in the bottom?”
“Because”, he exclaimed, “I made the cup of coffee like they do on TV!”
Puzzled, she asked, “How is that?”
He replied, “You know…..the best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!”
Hah!
Reminds me of what people thought Jimi Hendrix was singing: “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy.”
LOL- very good, I love that. Kids really do say the darnedest things 🙂
hahahahaha,,,,,,so cute…smilin
Adorable! 🙂
“striking it (the law) down without additional comment.” Good to see no comment was needed.
Sorry, didn’t mean to duplicate. This is what I wanted to post:
“What James Inhofe sees as ‘different’”
By Steve Benen – Tue May 21, 2013
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/21/18401662-what-james-inhofe-sees-as-different?lite
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Republican Sen. James Inhofe, like Coburn, has opposed emergency aid in the recent past, including voting against a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy. This morning, however, the conservative senator said that was “totally different.”
That was a “totally different” situation, Inhofe told MSNBC, arguing that the Sandy aid was filled with pork. There were “things in the Virgin Islands. They were fixing roads there and putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C. Everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won’t happen in Oklahoma.”
The difference between Hurricane Sandy and the tornado in Oklahoma is that Sandy hit the “liberal” northeast and the tornado hit his “conservative” south. I hope all the American people rise up in 2014 and 2016 and get rid of all of these hacks.
I will go one better…the difference between Hurricane Sandy relief and OK tornado relief is VOTES….if he voted to deny his constituents Federal aid…he can kiss the next election goodbye…
so he has to couch it as different …so that he can vote for it
There is a big difference which Inhofe has yet to realize – Hurricane Sandy left much infrastructure, homes and businesses – damaged but NOT destroyed. The areas in Oklahoma are completely destroyed – nothing remains. This is no repair – this is remove the rubble and rebuild. If 100% of state expenditure went into the area – it would not be enough.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/05/21/2039991/coburn-inhofe-oklahoma-disaster-relief/
Both of the state’s senators, Sen. James Inhofe (R) and Coburn, however, have long worked to undermine the Federal Emergency Management Agency, even though their state heavily relies on disaster aid:
– In September 2011, Coburn offered an amendment to offset $6.9 billion in FEMA funding.
– Coburn voted in 2011 against funding FEMA after it ran out of money, because, in his words, funding FEMA would have been “unconscionable.” Inhofe did not vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fired back at Republicans blocking a bill for necessary funding to FEMA.
– Inhofe proposed removing grants for storm shelter programs coordinating with FEMA, and instead provide individuals with tax breaks.
– Coburn criticized items in Sandy disaster relief such as $12.9 billion for disaster mitigiation and $366 million for Amtrak as “wasteful spending.”
– After Hurricane Sandy, Inhofe and Coburn voted against a bill for $50.5 billion in Hurricane Sandy disaster relief.
– Coburn demanded that $5.25 billion in FEMA grant funds be reallocated because of sequestration in April 2013.
–” Inhofe proposed removing grants for storm shelter programs coordinating with FEMA, and instead provide individuals with tax breaks.”
Tax breaks sure helped build a storm shelter in the schools – I read somewhere (sorry no link) that the schools didn’t have them because they were “too expensive”.
ok lol explain how that woman and the side table are not one.
Hahahaha! Good eye Forus50.! Weird camera angle illusion. She’s seated NEXT to the table. But her reflection in it does look odd.
Aerial view looks like Hiroshima
http://bigstory.ap.org/photo/oklahoma-tornado-41
“IRS’s Lois Lerner to take the Fifth”
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lois-lerner-could-plead-the-fifth-rep-cummings-says-91686.html?hp=t2_3
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Embattled IRS official Lois Lerner will invoke her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself when she appears before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
In a letter to Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Lerner’s attorney William W. Taylor III cites the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the issue of whether the IRS singled out tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny.
WTF?!?!
Well, this is probably because the tea party has already launched a law suit. If I was in her position, I might do the same, given the way the media has behaved and distorted reality.
True the Vote, a Houston-based voter watchdog group that arose from a tea party organization, filed suit in federal court Tuesday against the Internal Revenue Service over the agency’s processing of its request for tax-exempt status.
The lawsuit, filed by the conservative ActRight Legal Foundation, asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to grant its request for tax-exempt status and award damages for what it described as unlawful conduct by the IRS. True the Vote, which was founded in June 2010, is affiliated with the King Street Patriots, a tea party group which started in December 2009.
Originally called KSP/True the Vote, the group filed in July 2010 for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) charity organization. In August 2011, the group changed its name to True the Vote Inc.; King Street Patriots has separately been seeking the 501(c)(4) status from the IRS. True the Vote has come under fire for intimidating African-American and other minority voters at the polls.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/21/conservative-group-true-the-vote-sues-irs-over-being-subject-to-heightened-scrutiny/
Oh my God. THEY’re the ones who are doing the intimidating and should be hauled to jail. God.
Yes…there were constants complaints about that group.
I remember them. I’ve been trying to post and tweet the actual truth, but our miserable press and complicit Dem’s bought into the ‘abuse’ and ‘targeting’ messaging. I wish the Dem’s had gotten ahead of this and taken hold of the narrative: it is the responsibility of the group to prove they are not operating politically and to prove their ‘social welfare’ status. Now I’m afraid the intimidation has been so effective that any and every group will be given a rubber stamp. I’m really furious.
It just looks bad.
Knowing how much Republicans twist and lie and leave out details…this may be a smart move.
For her. But invoking the Fifth will add a nasty wrinkle and keep this alive.
The article linked is from December 2012, but read it for what passes for the United States Senator:
only if you define ‘we’ as rich white men.
Yup.
Please tweet that!!
psychology class 101
Avoid the word ” Should ” as much as possible . Never tell others what they ” Should ” do…..it has a negative tone. Try saying ” You may want to consider ” or ” You may want to try…..”
( It is very difficult not to use that word ). On the blackboard was written ” Should = Shit “
Something I used to try to drum into the heads of my counseling clients, both the individuals and couples. Using “should” was a self-inflicted wound which never worked for the good and frequently became the source of much that was bad.
One of my overheads for Sociology classes: Don’t SHOULD on me!
https://twitter.com/LOLGOP/status/336943849421299713
Some totally unrelated but pretty freaking awesome news:
More unrelated and awesome news:
Woooooooot! Yeh Baby!
Chat away:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/21/chat-away-146/
An important NYT op-ed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/opinion/stop-the-leaks.html?hp&_r=1&