Fuck its silent in here.......

[R-V]

"Put me in charge of the fence and it will be a twenty foot wall, barbed wire, electrified on the top. And on this side of the fence, I'd have that moat that President Obama talked about. And I would put those alligators in that moat!"

-- Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, quoted by Mediaite.

[Slaky]

"Put me in charge of the fence and it will be a twenty foot wall, barbed wire, electrified on the top. And on this side of the fence, I'd have that moat that President Obama talked about. And I would put those alligators in that moat!"

-- Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, quoted by Mediaite.

"Also, buy one medium with two toppings and get another for half price!"

[R-V]

Simply put, the ad is Willie Horton on steroids.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Simply put, the ad is Willie Horton on steroids.

In a statement EMILY's List, which has endorsed Hahn, called the ad "the most vile, racist, sexist ad we have ever seen" and also called on Huey to condemn it.

HUEY!!!!!!!

[Chuck to Chuck]

Not only did the last administration let him go, he can probably teach a class on how to implement secret US torture techniques to Al Qaida.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/nyregion/anthony-d-weiner-tells-friends-he-will-resign.html

WASHINGTON — Representative Anthony D. Weiner has told House leaders that he plans to resign his seat after coming under growing pressure from his Democratic colleagues to leave the House, said a top Democratic official and two people told of Mr. Weiner's plans.

His decision follows revelations of his lewd online exchanges with women.

The top Democratic official said Mr. Weiner called Representative Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative Steve Israel of New York last night while they were at the White House picnic to inform them he had decided to resign on Thursday.

Mr. Weiner plans to resign in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at 2 p.m. , at the spot where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1992, according to two people told of his plans.

[Eli]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/nyregion/anthony-d-weiner-tells-friends-he-will-resign.html

WASHINGTON — Representative Anthony D. Weiner has told House leaders that he plans to resign his seat after coming under growing pressure from his Democratic colleagues to leave the House, said a top Democratic official and two people told of Mr. Weiner's plans.

His decision follows revelations of his lewd online exchanges with women.

The top Democratic official said Mr. Weiner called Representative Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative Steve Israel of New York last night while they were at the White House picnic to inform them he had decided to resign on Thursday.

Mr. Weiner plans to resign in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at 2 p.m. , at the spot where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1992, according to two people told of his plans.

I still like the guy.

[CBStew]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/nyregion/anthony-d-weiner-tells-friends-he-will-resign.html

WASHINGTON — Representative Anthony D. Weiner has told House leaders that he plans to resign his seat after coming under growing pressure from his Democratic colleagues to leave the House, said a top Democratic official and two people told of Mr. Weiner's plans.

His decision follows revelations of his lewd online exchanges with women.

The top Democratic official said Mr. Weiner called Representative Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative Steve Israel of New York last night while they were at the White House picnic to inform them he had decided to resign on Thursday.

Mr. Weiner plans to resign in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at 2 p.m. , at the spot where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1992, according to two people told of his plans.

I still like the guy.

After the Bill Maher show last week I think that Weiner tops the list of Creeps.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

History's Greatest Monster opines...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/opinion/17carter.html

IN an extraordinary new initiative announced earlier this month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has made some courageous and profoundly important recommendations in a report on how to bring more effective control over the illicit drug trade. The commission includes the former presidents or prime ministers of five countries, a former secretary general of the United Nations, human rights leaders, and business and government leaders, including Richard Branson, George P. Shultz and Paul A. Volcker.

The report describes the total failure of the present global antidrug effort, and in particular America's "war on drugs," which was declared 40 years ago today. It notes that the global consumption of opiates has increased 34.5 percent, cocaine 27 percent and cannabis 8.5 percent from 1998 to 2008. Its primary recommendations are to substitute treatment for imprisonment for people who use drugs but do no harm to others, and to concentrate more coordinated international effort on combating violent criminal organizations rather than nonviolent, low-level offenders.

These recommendations are compatible with United States drug policy from three decades ago. In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts. I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: "Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself."

These ideas were widely accepted at the time. But in the 1980s President Ronald Reagan and Congress began to shift from balanced drug policies, including the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, toward futile efforts to control drug imports from foreign countries.

...

[J. Walter Weatherman]

http://origin.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2011/06/gop-state-sen-roy-mcdonald-will-vote-in-favor-of-legalizing-same-sex-marriage

With at least four other Republicans on the fence, the measure is expected to have enough votes to pass if the Republicans decide to allow the bill to the floor for an up-or-down vote.

"You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f--- it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing," McDonald said.

The GOP will privately conference the issue tomorrow morning. Multiple insiders say they expect the measure will be brought to the floor. McDonald himself said he expects a vote could come Friday.

McDonald two years ago voted against a gay marriage bill. "Things changed," he said.

He said he altered his viewpoint in large part because he has two grandkids with disabilities.

"You realize that people and circumstances aren't always what you think they're going to be... develop a little more sensitivity... As a father, as a grandfather you try to do the right thing, you care about people."

He went on to say he's worked closely with Gov. Cuomo and likes him: "I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics," he said. "I'm tired of blowhard radio people, blowhard television people, blowhard newspapers. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing and that's where I'm going with this."

He said if the public respects that, he's grateful. If not, he'll move on.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

http://timeoutchicago.com/things-to-do/this-week-in-chicago/14765671/chicago%25E2%2580%2599s-first-on-street-bike-parking

The cycling initiatives have 1st Ward Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno dropping the F-bomb in support. In March, Moreno, whose ward includes Wicker Park, visited Seville, Spain, for the Velo-city bicycle conference. Joining him were fellow bike-friendly, Spanish-speaking Northwest Side politicians, 30th Ward Ald. Ariel Reboyras and 35th Ward Ald. Rey Colon.

"Six years ago Chicago was ahead of Seville in terms of biking," says Moreno. "Now Seville has physically separated bike lanes and a bike-sharing system, and they've closed down their center city to cars. It's so easy to bike there, everybody's doing it: old people on adult tricycles, young men in suits and women in heels."

The aldermen presented their findings last month during a forum at Logan Square's Boiler Room pizzeria. Moreno discussed the Wicker Park bike corral and other innovative ideas to push pedaling in the neighborhood. Since recent CDOT counts show bikes make up 22 percent of daytime traffic on parts of Milwaukee Avenue, Moreno is exploring the possibility of removing one lane of car parking on the street from California to Division to make room for a Seville-style separated bike lane. Asked how meter lessee LAZ Parking would react to the loss of revenue if car spaces were removed, Moreno responded, "Fuck 'em." The crowd of cyclists went wild.

Bump.

http://www.theurbancountry.com/2011/05/bicycle-infrastructure-is-good-for.html

A study in Toronto seems to support the theory that people who arrive sans automobile spend more than those who arrive by automobile.

Despite the fact that businesses overestimate the number of customers that arrive by car, the study found that 4 out of 5 people do not in fact drive to the particular study area and people who arrive by transit, foot or bicycle "visit more often and report spending more money than those who drive".

Another interesting study from Melbourne found that re-allocating car parking spaces to bicycles could increase hourly revenue for businesses by about 5 times. The study found that in Melbourne, car drivers do spend more on shopping when they park their car than bicyclists do. But since car parking takes up several multiples of the space that bicycles require, businesses can increase their revenue by re-allocating that space to bicyclists.

Related...

http://www.stevencanplan.com/the-bollards-are-in-nuff-said/
http://gapersblock.com/tailgate/2011/06/on-the-right-cycle-track.php
http://gapersblock.com/tailgate/2011/06/transportation-commissioner-gabe-klein-meets-chicagos-bicycle-community.php
http://www.activetrans.org/blog/adolfo-hernandez/mayor-emanuel-announces-kinzie-st-protected-bike-lane

[CBStew]

Marvelous!  The Republicans hire an impersonator to ridicule Obama, but he turns it around on them so the cut off his microphone and escort  him offstage.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/politics-15749652/25659152

[morpheus]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/flight-risk-for-boeing/2011/06/17/AGH9Q5bH_story.html

Employers who engage in unfair labor practices should be penalized. But the NLRB's move goes too far and would undermine a company's ability to consider all legitimate factors — including potential work disruptions — when making plans. It also substitutes the government's judgment for that of the company. This is neither good law nor good business

Yep.  The editors of the Washington Post get it.

[Bort]

http://timeoutchicago.com/things-to-do/this-week-in-chicago/14765671/chicago%25E2%2580%2599s-first-on-street-bike-parking

The cycling initiatives have 1st Ward Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno dropping the F-bomb in support. In March, Moreno, whose ward includes Wicker Park, visited Seville, Spain, for the Velo-city bicycle conference. Joining him were fellow bike-friendly, Spanish-speaking Northwest Side politicians, 30th Ward Ald. Ariel Reboyras and 35th Ward Ald. Rey Colon.

"Six years ago Chicago was ahead of Seville in terms of biking," says Moreno. "Now Seville has physically separated bike lanes and a bike-sharing system, and they've closed down their center city to cars. It's so easy to bike there, everybody's doing it: old people on adult tricycles, young men in suits and women in heels."

The aldermen presented their findings last month during a forum at Logan Square's Boiler Room pizzeria. Moreno discussed the Wicker Park bike corral and other innovative ideas to push pedaling in the neighborhood. Since recent CDOT counts show bikes make up 22 percent of daytime traffic on parts of Milwaukee Avenue, Moreno is exploring the possibility of removing one lane of car parking on the street from California to Division to make room for a Seville-style separated bike lane. Asked how meter lessee LAZ Parking would react to the loss of revenue if car spaces were removed, Moreno responded, "Fuck 'em." The crowd of cyclists went wild.

Bump.

http://www.theurbancountry.com/2011/05/bicycle-infrastructure-is-good-for.html

A study in Toronto seems to support the theory that people who arrive sans automobile spend more than those who arrive by automobile.

Despite the fact that businesses overestimate the number of customers that arrive by car, the study found that 4 out of 5 people do not in fact drive to the particular study area and people who arrive by transit, foot or bicycle "visit more often and report spending more money than those who drive".

Another interesting study from Melbourne found that re-allocating car parking spaces to bicycles could increase hourly revenue for businesses by about 5 times. The study found that in Melbourne, car drivers do spend more on shopping when they park their car than bicyclists do. But since car parking takes up several multiples of the space that bicycles require, businesses can increase their revenue by re-allocating that space to bicyclists.

Related...

http://www.stevencanplan.com/the-bollards-are-in-nuff-said/
http://gapersblock.com/tailgate/2011/06/on-the-right-cycle-track.php
http://gapersblock.com/tailgate/2011/06/transportation-commissioner-gabe-klein-meets-chicagos-bicycle-community.php
http://www.activetrans.org/blog/adolfo-hernandez/mayor-emanuel-announces-kinzie-st-protected-bike-lane

We get it, you're a self-righteous, bearded, bike-riding hipster.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

http://www.9news.com/news/sidetracks/204061/337/Man-robbed-bank-for-1-to-cover-jail-health-care

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Desperation apparently drove a North Carolina man to commit a bank robbery last week. What made him sit down and wait for police to arrive to arrest him, is another story.

"I'm sort of a logical person and that was my logic, what I came up with," James Verone said.

Verone says he came to the decision to rob the RBC Bank on Thursday of last week. He had no gun but handed the teller a rather unusual note.

"The note said this is a bank robbery. please only give me one dollar," Verone said.

Then he did the strangest thing of all.

"I started to walk away from the teller then I went back and said, 'I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police," he said.

And that is what he did. So why did he did he do everything he could to get arrested?

"I wanted to make it known that this wasn't for monetary reasons, but for medical reasons," he said.

That's right James Verone says he has no medical insurance. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot. He is 59 years old and with no job and a depleted bank account. He thought jail was the best place he could go for medical care and a roof over his head. Verone is hoping for a three-year sentence. He'd then be able to collect social security when he got out, and says he'd head for the beach.

"I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor, on Myrtle Beach," he said.

He admits his story is unusual and says he wouldn't recommend anyone else do what he did, but James Verone says he has no regrets. He says he is getting good medical care now, but the jail doctor accused him of manipulating the system.

"If it is called manipulation, then out of necessity because I need medical care then I guess I am manipulating the courts to get medical care," he said.

Verone may have a little problem with his plan. Because he only demanded one dollar and didn't have a weapon police charged him not with bank robbery, but larceny, so he might not get as much time in the slammer as he was hoping for.