Sine Qua Non

greenstate:

Renowned rocker Tom Petty hit Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann with a cease-and-desist letter Monday following the congresswoman’s decision to close out her campaign announcement to the tune of “American Girl,” Rolling Stone reports.

It’s not the first time Petty has fought back against a politician using one of his songs. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Petty insisted that George W. Bush not use his hit “I Won’t Back Down” to promote his run for the White House.

stfuconservatives:

cognitivedissonance:

Republicans have been playing a double game with the debt limit debate. On one hand, it’s hard to imagine GOP members of Congress actually blocking a measure that would raise the debt ceiling, because that would lead to sudden, dramatic reductions in government functions: there might not be money for Social Security payments, Medicare checks, military salaries and more. Worse, confidence in US Treasury bills would be seriously wounded if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by August 2, meaning economic catastrophe. Voters would blame Republicans for this economic catastrophe, polls show, and House Speaker John Boehner was warned by Wall Street executives in no uncertain terms that he could not allow this situation to occur.

At the very same time, this nightmare scenario is the only leverage Republicans have in the debt ceiling debate. They’re asking for a whole host of policy changes—from dramatic spending cuts to radical changes to entitlement programs—that would otherwise be non-starters with Democrats in Congress and the White House, but Republicans are refusing to vote for a debt limit increase unless these policy changes are approved. 
…
Democrats are insisting that tax increases be part of the deal—but only 17 percent of it. The tax increases are targeted to particularly egregious areas, like ending exemptions for private jets or changing rules that allow hedge fund managers to count their income as capital gains, and even though the Bush tax cuts are the number-one driver of the debt, the White House will not insist that a deal that repeals or changes them… Not satisfied with having even 17 percent of the debt ceiling deal include tax increases, Cantor and Sen. Jon Kyl walked out of the bipartisan meetings with Biden…

This is where the political theatre is getting more dangerous every day. There are serious risks attached to even the appearance that a deal may not happen. As Jared Bernstein explains at his blog, the Treasury Department is currently selling bonds to investors with a relatively low 2.93 percent interest rate. Investors feel comfortable with the low yield because they remain confident that the Treasury bonds are a safe investment. But if that confidence is shaken, investors may demand more, and Bernstein speculates that Treasury might have to add half of a percentage point to the interest rate.

If investors begin to lose confidence in US Treasury bonds like this, there could be serious economic consequences at home, as lending would become even more difficult. At the very least, if the interest rate we’re paying out on Treasury bonds goes up a half-percentage point, that means $50 billion more in annual debt servicing costs.

It’s a bewildering situation. Republicans, who recently voted for a Ryan budget that increases the debt by trillions, are demanding a debt reduction deal that ignores the largest driver of debt and the theatrical process they are using to get what they want may itself end up increasing the debt by $50 billion per year… with every passing day of threats and theatrics, the risks get bigger, the debt may get larger, and confidence in the American political system shrinks—with good reason. 

Dear Republicans,

You’re hurting America. Y’know, that one place you claim to love so much? Yeah. You’re hurting it. The hold your breath ‘til you turn blue thing is cute until it’s HURTING AMERICA.

Sincerely,
Those of us who quit throwing tantrums long ago. 

Seriously, this staring contest is way more dangerous than anyone in the government wants to believe. The Republicans would watch the entire global economy burn to see their corporate overlords put an extra percent in their pockets.

-Joe

stfuconservatives:

blissandzen:

drinkthe-koolaid:

ketsuekiran:

hatefulatheist:

The abortion debate in this country has gotten to absolutely ridiculous and disgusting levels. I am honestly ashamed of the fact that in Ohio they are trying to push through the heartbeat bill and even having a fetus testify in court. It is enraging. It is almost entirely religiously motivated, yet I’m told as an Atheist I should just live and let live…fucking hypocrisy.

|:

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

- Thomas Jefferson, from his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.

I’m all for letting the fetus testify, immediately after it produces proper  identification, states its name for the court, and takes the oath.

A law that would mandate religious counseling. A law. That would mandate uterus owners to submit to some condescending biased bullshit from a person who is not a doctor or other health professional but just wants OMG BABIEZ to be alive or whatever. This is disgusting and an abomination of Church & State.

fistwavingfeminism:

1. Stop making rape jokes. These jokes are becoming really popular right now and they are not funny. The other day, I heard a really famous musician say, “This is my rape face!” while narrowing his eyes and wrinkling up his nose. Another man sitting nearby replied,…