mjh's blog

Counter-attack

Every time a Republican brays “Benghazi!”, say “Iraq Invasion. Afghanistan invasion. Economic collapse.” They’ll NEVER get that message, but everyone else will.

Are liberals crazy? Keep reading by Leslie Linthicum

I could kiss Leslie. That said, I’m leery of “biology is destiny.” I don’t want to believe that our views are hard-wired. However, we clearly have difficulty changing our views. Of course, we don’t know if brain differences are the result of attitude-views or vice versa.

» Are liberals crazy? Keep reading | ABQ Journal By Leslie Linthicum / Of the Journal on Thu, May 2, 2013

From a study published in “Biology,” MRIs of self-reported liberals found more volume in the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain, which provides tolerance to uncertainty, whereas self-reported conservatives had more volume in the right amygdala, where fear is processed.

From another study published in “Current Biology”: “In general, liberals are more open-minded, creative, curious, and novelty seeking, whereas conservatives are more orderly, conventional, and better organized.” And another study in the journal “Dreaming” that is even less responsive to your question but still interesting found conservatives slept more soundly and had mundane dreams while liberals were more restless sleepers with bizarre dreams.

» Are liberals crazy? Keep reading | ABQ Journal

I resisted linking to a study that showed that when packaging compared energy efficient bulbs to wasteful bulbs without comment, conservatives and liberals both bought energy efficiency. But when packaging added environmental messages, conservatives shunned those bulbs. peace, mjh

Eugene Robinson: Are Sanford and Cuccinelli the best the GOP can offer? – The Washington Post

Eugene Robinson: Are Sanford and Cuccinelli the best the GOP can offer? – The Washington Post

By Eugene Robinson, Apr 04, 2013 11:52 PM EDT The Washington Post Published: April 4

I think I’ve figured it out. Republicans must be staging some kind of fiendishly clever plot to lure Democrats into a false sense of security.

That’s the only possible explanation for some of the weirdness we’re seeing and hearing from the GOP. The party must be waiting to come out with its real candidates and policy positions at a moment when unsuspecting Democrats are in the vulnerable position of being doubled over with laughter….

Eugene Robinson: Are Sanford and Cuccinelli the best the GOP can offer? – The Washington Post

Eugene Robinson: Paul Ryan’s make-believe budget – The Washington Post

Eugene Robinson: Paul Ryan’s make-believe budget – The Washington Post

Voters were supposed to believe that Ryan was an apostle of fiscal rectitude. But his real aim wasn’t to balance the budget. It was to starve the federal government of revenue. Big government, in his worldview, is inherently bad — never mind that we live in an awfully big country.

Ryan and Mitt Romney offered their vision, President Obama offered his, and Americans made their choice. Rather emphatically.

Now Ryan, as chairman of the House Budget Committee, is coming back with an ostensibly new and improved version of the framework that voters rejected in November.

Eugene Robinson: Paul Ryan’s make-believe budget – The Washington Post

» Conscience gets the best of some conservatives on Medicaid | ABQ Journal

» Conscience gets the best of some conservatives on Medicaid | ABQ Journal By Dana Milbank / Syndicated Columnist on Sun, Feb 24, 2013

In Florida, the dwindling band of tea-partyers was furious with Scott, calling him a “Benedict Arnold.” But the cause he supposedly betrayed has already lost. After following the tea-party agenda over the last two years, Scott has the support of just one in three Floridians.

Now he’s acting like a competent executive. He said he would evaluate the expansion over time and decide whether changes should be made. That’s a great idea. It’s too bad the law’s opponents wasted three years hollering about socialism and tyranny.

Scott argued that the Supreme Court and the 2012 election made Obamacare inescapable, but he also made a personal appeal for the expansion. The recent death of his mother gave him “a new perspective,” he said. “I thought about my mom’s struggles raising five children with very little money. I remember my mom’s heartbreak when she struggled to find health care for my brother … I don’t want any parent to worry like my mom did.”

“My top priority continues to be to make Florida the global leader for job creation,” the tea-party traitor said. “But we also have to be sensitive to the needs of the poorest and the weakest among us who struggle to access affordable, high-quality health care.”

Barack Obama couldn’t have said it better himself.

» Conscience gets the best of some conservatives on Medicaid | ABQ Journal

Who is twisting and re-writing what here?

“Recently, information has come to me that this sacred situation might be twisted, re-written out of whole cloth and shopped to press outlets large and small in a vicious attempt to smear, hurt and diminish Pete Domenici, an honorable man, his extraordinary wife, Nancy, and other innocents,” Michelle Laxalt.

An honorable man known as Saint Pete, who cheated on his wife yet continued to participate in his Catholicism and conservatism? From the woman involved in St Pete’s betrayal of his extraordinary wife?

Understand: None of these people needs my forgiveness, understanding, nor respect. People are flawed. People cheat and lie. When “saints” do it, one could kindly say he’s only human. But Conservatives have raged against society’s decline at the hands of everyone but them. Conservatives present themselves as pillars and paragons. Conservatives believe they are more patriotic and more trustworthy than liberals. Perhaps they are simply bigger fools. It would be funny except for how hard they ride roughshod over the rest of society. Conservatives had earned humiliation, scorn, and derision. I don’t want to hurt Saint Pete or any of these fools. I want to see all of Conservatism with its head bowed, tears in eyes, lips trembling as it lies, “Please, baby, I won’t do it again.” We should know better.

Domenici’s news?

That the paragon of Republicans before the party went insane was a lying philandering hypocrite for over 30 years? I want to see Republicans tearing off their shirts to flog themselves bloody in the street – nothing less will begin to redeem the party of scoundrels and bastards. Until then, they can shut the fuck up, sit on their hands, and nod politely while decent people move the nation forward again.