Today's edition of quick hits:
* Services continue for victims of Friday's massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
* Heartbreaking: "A Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher who died cradling a special-needs student in her arms was laid to rest Thursday, with one of the nation's top religious leaders speaking about how the world was "awed" by her sacrifice."
* Syria: "Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria have resumed firing Scud ballistic missiles against rebel positions in recent days, American officials said on Thursday."
* Benghazi: "State Department officials promised on Thursday to carry out quickly the recommendations of a review board to beef up security for the foreign service and urged Congress to provide more money to protect American diplomats."
* Getting right to work: "Vice President Biden held the first meeting of the White House's gun-violence working group on Thursday, convening law enforcement officials and Cabinet secretaries for a meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building."
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), not surprisingly, said senators would return to work on Dec. 27.
* This will get ugly: "Republicans in the Senate, seeking to substantially trim a Hurricane Sandy aid package being sought by Democrats, are planning to unveil a $23.8 billion emergency spending plan to finance the recovery efforts of states devastated by the storm."
* Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) will become the first woman to head the Senate Appropriations Committee, and one of six Democratic women to serve as committee chairs in the new Congress.
* Why there haven't been more jokes about "Plan B" and contraception, I really don't know.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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No doubt Boehner is a pill, but Boehner, contraception, Plan B... well, it's just plain icky.
Just announced in North Carolina : Art Pope, one of the directors of Americans for Prosperity and a large funder for causes and candidates on the right has just been named Patrick Mc Crory's (NC's new Governor) budget director.
Ms. Maddow,
There is an answer to the current and future gun control issues that not only will protect the public, but the law abiding gun owner. This will also close the gun show loop hole.
This is a purchasing license for lack of a better terminology. It is this simple. First the individual will need a back ground check that is already in use today, secondly. A health certificate,which will need to be completed by a family doctor. Part of these questions will be about the mental health of the individual and family members that the family doctor should have knowledge of. The health certification and the back ground check once completed and viewed by the agency that completes the back ground check will send a completion form to the individual. This is then taken to the DMV for a photo ID.
This ID will then need to be used to purchase fire arms. Without it no gun!
This with the banning of high capacity magazines should greatly reduce the chance of another tragedy.
Thank you, Steven O. Dyer.
Did you hear about John Boehner's "Plan B"? He realizes it was ill-conceived, and he's already considering aborting it.
There. How's that?
Do you think his brain is afloat in alcohol, he looks hung over all the time.
Dear John, you won't be able to get Plan B Over The Counters. (Need a coat hangar?)
This group was inspired by Weds. TRMS story on gun buy backs! https://www.facebook.com/groups/462151453819907/
Republicans act like they're so worried about voter fraud that they make people jump through hoops in order to vote. But just about anyone can walk into a gun show and purchase an assault weapon, no questions asked. Where is the justice.
Many in the GOP seem to be now against Plan B after finding out what it is...
And all the side effects if taken! Basically, whether they vote for or against it, there is no telling what will really happen until the next period!
Well, Plan B IS a no go!! They will be faced with decisions the next period for sure now!!
What happened to this vote that was happening today? Boehner stood there (for 52 seconds) yesterday , and said there would be a vote TODAY. What were the results, is anyone taking the GOP to task over this? I was so looking foward to seeing the orange man fail at his bluff, but it seems the coward hid at home, too sceered to face the little kid he's for so long been bullying in the schoolyard.
According to Politico, the Speaker is having trouble lining up the votes as of 8pm -ish EST.
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/eric-cantor-we-have-the-votes-for-plan-b-85365.html
Now the Speaker's office has announced they are pulling the bill due to lack of support.
8:09 EST
And Boehner falls on his face - again!
All that publicity - and......hope the American people are paying attention! Wonder what the fools at CNBC who were so SURE it would pass are thinking now!
They also went home til Wed.
You're right! You've convinced me....I'm gonna vote against my own self interests! Go ROMNEY!.....what??? I can't vote? Oh, it's too late? Oh, it doesn't matter, cause your party is the most un-American pRty in the history of my country, hell bent on re-instating SLAVERY,and stopping at nothing to acheive your hate-based goals, including sending 99 percent of the populace in to extreme, on the street poverty........of course ,then you can make a law that homeless=instant military recruit, also NO NOT HAVING BABIES(e.g. miscarraige,contraception,abortion,but conveiniently NOT masturbation(male)) or to war with you! Yes you are right, if I'm not making a million....I deserve to die, and so domy children, sandy hook style if you get your drothers.....that's what this world needs more of ....folks like you, not me...cripes! The species might survive with too many like me!
Fine, but lets cut the 633 billion approved today for the military-industrial complex, to wage un-necessary wars and build un-necessary war machines; that will never be used.....out of my bill! And the bills of every American...that gives you pleanty of money for chastity belts, castrations, stocks, chains and gallows. But stop pretending that you care about this country, or anyone else who lives here, because you don't...if you did you would realise that the best economic future would tax un-earned income(capital gains...etc.) at 75 to 90 percent. Multiple studies have shown that there is no more joy that you can gain from money, after you bring home 75-85 grand; yet there is no happiness in earning 15g a year, in fact there is NO state in this union where minimum wage is a "living " wage......your party sucks, your view of the world sucks, and that leads me to believe that you suck. The conservatives always win, until they don't....and when they don't...the world NEVER turns back.
Btw, you can go ahead and take care of all the un-aborted children, conception til 18,(then @!$%# 'em....isn't that the conservative view.......ooops nope only the feti), the non offensive criminals that are locked up (read:non violent marijuana arrests) , send all illegals out of the country( but be prepared to do a lot of vegetable picking, hotel cleaning...etc.) ...And I don't want that on my bill MONEYBAGS.............or you could stick to FAUXNEWS.com like a good troll would
So you are a superior being....thats what I thought. Yes you are right, the few that can make money, by never lifting a finger should certainly not pay taxes on that money, while someone breaking their back, risking injury, sacrificing all their time to buy milk and clothes for their family are "sub-Cliff" creatures, that should be treated like dogs......nope, too good......@!$%#, not even dirt, but @!$%#...wiped (not from your non-@!$%#ting @!$%#) but from the butts of dogs, on their way to the euthenasian chamber of the local spca(which, also needs to go)......glad someone so successfull as "Cliff" should get to make decisions about who lives and dies.......unborn:lives born but not wealthy:dies..........I get ya, and I'm definately voting Romney/Ryan now that you have posted such human thoughts on these matters. When is the mothership coming?7:05am?
Heads up, Rachel......Today in North Carolina, we found out that our GOP Governor has chosen ART POPE as his BUDGET CZAR.....and Art ain't even gonna get paid!
What a GUY, right? I bet 'ol Art won't use his new superpowers for personal OR political gain.
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Plan B is dead, due to lack of support in the House GOP caucus.
The only power center left to the GOP is in chaos.
Are we witnessing the slow demise of the Republican Party?
Is it?? I suspect that Boner and the repugs are just biding their time, looking like they are doing something...because in the end, they know that the Traiter-in-Chief will end up giving them everything, and more, that they want.
This is so horrible....
Adam's father needs to claim his remains. No one would think he was doing anything else than being a father. He must own this boy in death even though he is not responsible for his deeds. Maybe Adam will be cremated... but his ashes, or remains should honorably be claimed by his biologic father. At some level, his father owning this, as the surviving parent -- will round the circle of accountability. He is not guilty of anything... but he takes responsibility that this boy's soul -- whatever its anguish, does not go into eternity without his witness... He is his son/brother's keeper -- and we are also.
I'm for all the gun control possible, but whoever writes the bills should include a provision that no one can buy a gun without getting their DNA tested and recorded. I just want to see them sputter.
I can not help but think that this most recent House of Representative "Fiscal Cliff Drama" has less to do with the Fiscal Cliff than it has to do with getting the Gun Regulation conversation out of the headlines and off the news. Today, more slain children and teachers were buried in Connecticut. But they were mentioned almost as a footnote on the news. The reports of people willingly turning in their guns and the push for reform, reflected by recent poll numbers showing Gun Regulation taking a sudden shift in the polls, is also being buried by this Republican Party Drama. Let us not follow the shiny object of distraction at exactly the time when gun regulation is - and must continue to be - at the forefront of our National Conscience. The Massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School is not as the media continues to proclaim, "A National Tragedy". It is the GREAT SHAME of our Nation and will become our NATIONAL DISGRACE if not addressed now and forever.
Due to recent events to be specified momentarily all the talk about cabinet shake ups has got me asking.....what about the DOJ? ERIC HOLDER MUST GO! The president needs to get him out of there and as far as I'm concerned Holder should take Geithner(aka the banker's congressman in DC) with him on the way out a well.
HSBC was just found guilty of numerous tremendous financial crimes including money laundering for terrorists, doing business with Iran, banking for the mafia and many others. Now what's their punishment for this? A tiny fine, about a billion if I recall, which is a small percentage of HSBC's average annual profits and gains. This criminal bank can easily afford to pay thi and still profit from their illegal activities.
Eric Holder's DOJ is responsible for that. Why aren't they pressing criminal charges on these people who opened our nation's financial system to foreign hostile assault? Citizens United expanded corporate political spending to basically unlimited levels on campaigns. The GOP primary taught us that a single guy out there with enough money can have a candidate, even for the highest office, under his thumb. Remember how Gingrich and Santorum were no where close to viable nominees and had no real support but were able to make it through all the way to the final portions of that election. Recall that this was because of people like Sheldon Adelson who quite clearly was pulling all Gingrich's strings. The mega money will make candidates do anything. But what's to stop a hostile group to work with its national business and corporations to undermine the US economy through banks like HSBC.......
The reality is all they'd have to do is make a front group, transfer money in to that foreign company via HSBC type criminals, they then use that fake american corporation to donate and boom now that foreign national threat has leverage over our politics. This is quite possible because Holder refuses to enforce law and stop it.
Oh and you know...how long did it take him to do anything about those unconstitutional voter id laws? He was rather late on that and should have been able to shut down almost all of them before the elections if they were shown to be illegal.
The bankers who broke laws and crashed the economy....not one prosecution for any crime even though we has communications where the banksters would tell their clients they had good deals to give them money. Problem was they often were intentionally lying and laughing behind the clientss back that they sold the person a crappy deal. They knew the deals were crappy and didn't disclose that to the investors. That's way, super, wicked, ILLEGAL. We've got all recorded in one form or another, the evidence is there, blatant evidence!!!! Yet not one prosecution......
Going back to HSBC Holder also said that HSBC could not be prosecuted even though they knew it was against the law!!! WTF!!! Holder is saying that they were esentially too big to jail so going after them would have hurt the economy. Regardless of whether that's true or not Holder's DOJ is saying that the law doesn't have to apply to everyone and if you have enough money you no longer have to follow rules.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! HOLDER MUST GO NOW!!!!
The banking industry has never been forced to lend to unqualified clients that itself is against the law. At any rate had they not bundled and gambled on those mortgages it wouldn't have crashed on them. But you don't intend to have a genuine discussion so I don't know why I bother.
Fairly obvious that the Republicans went after Rice to force her out of consideration so that Obama would choose Kerry to open up the Senate seat in Massachusetts so they could get Brown back in the Senate. If that sentence is convoluted it only reflects the ruthless contortions of the Republicans.
Obama should have selected Bill Clinton for Secretary of State. That would have put the fox in the hen house!!! And what a fantastic SecState !!!