Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 12)

I need to wrap this up – prior related posts appear below:

Part 11

Part 10

Part 9

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

RIP

Patti Page, Richard Ben Cramer, David Wycoff, Paul P. Woolard, Pauline Phillips (“Dear Abby”), Eugene Patterson, H. Craig Lewis, Stan Musial, Michael Winner, Happy Fernandez, Joseph Eger, George Gund, “Sally Starr,” Stanley Karnow, Hadiya Pendleton, Ralph Collier, Patty Andrews, Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, Ed Koch, Reg Presley, Donald Byrd, Stuart Freeborn, Eula Cousins, John Kerr, John E. Karlin, George “Shadow” Morton, Jerry Buss, Magic Slim, Alan F. Westin, Damon Harris, Andre Cassagnes, Wolfgang Sawallisch, C. Everett Koop, Dan Toler, Van Cliburn, Bobby Rogers, Hugo Chavez, Alvin Lee, Kimani Gray, Peter Banks, Malachi Throne, Bobbie Smith, Chinua Achebe, Timothy J. Driscoll, Wayne Fleming, Deke Richards, Phil Ramone, Jack Pardee, Chuck Fairbanks, Joseph Massenburg, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Roger Ebert, David Kuo, Milo O’Shea, Les Blank, Annette Funicello, Mikhail Beketov, Anne Smedinghoff, Andy Johns, Rehtaeh Parsons, Jonathan Winters, Pat Summerall, Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Storm Thorgerson, Richie Havens, Christina Amphlett, Allan Arbus, Bob Edgar, George Jones, Jack Shea, Ray Harryhausen, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Carol A. Baumhauer, Ray Manzarek, Steve Forrest, Haynes Johnson, Rev. Andrew Greeley, Jean Stapleton, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Deacon Jones, Esther Williams, Michael Hastings, James Gandolfini, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Richard Matheson, Sarah Guyard-Guillot, William Gray, John Wible, Phil Lindy, Douglas Englebart, Helen Thomas, Dennis Farina, Lindy Boggs, Lois DeBerry, William Scranton, Eileen Brennan, Col. George “Bud” Day, “Doghouse Riley,” aka Douglas Case, John Palmer, Julius Chambers, Michael Ansara, George Duke, Jerry Wolman, Margaret Pellegrini, Eydie Gorme, Jack Germond, Allen Lanier, Elmore Leonard, Joyce Patterson, Karen Black, Zachary Reyna, Julie Harris, Dean Meminger, Gilbert Taylor, Marian McPartland, Seamus Heaney, Joan Krajewski, Darren Manzella, David Frost, Judith Glassman Daniels, Sushmita Banerjee, Ibrahim Mothana, Terrie Hall, Jackie Lomax, Ken Norton, Martin Bodrog, Margaret Mary Vojtko, Michael Ward, Evelyn Lowery, Robert J. “Bo” Terry, Abraham Nemeth, Bill Eppridge, L.C. Greenwood, Harold Agnew, Nicholas Oresko, Scott Carpenter, Jadin and Joe Bell, Laporshia Massey, Tom Foley, Gloria Lynne, Michael Landsberry, Hal Needham, Marcia Wallace, Lou Reed, Charlie Trotter, John Tavener, Barbara Park, Doris Lessing, Peter Lewis, Jack Gardo, Peter Kaplan, Paul Walker, Nelson Mandela, Colin Wilson, Joe Bihari, Eleanor Parker, Delbert Tibbs, Colin Eglin, Peter O’Toole, Tom Laughlin, Joan Fontaine, Ray Price, Claire Davis, Laney Brown, Paul Blair, Ricky Lawson, Joseph Ruskin

Dregs of the Year Nominee

That sleazy weasel Eric Cantor for not meeting with the immigrant families as shown in the clip here (another citation goes to the Capitol cop and his “this is getting old real fast” stuff – crowd control happens to be part of your job…like to see how YOU would react if you were trying to be naturalized like these folks)…

…though I guess Cantor likes some kids after all, but apparently, they must be dead first.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Well, well, the governor of our illustrious commonwealth, Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett, FINALLY revealed his Medicaid “reform” proposal that, in his tiny mind, would justify the expansion for health care reform.

Ugh (here)…

For 48 years, the state and federal governments have jointly paid for all Medicaid health-care expenses for the poor, including bus fare to get to a doctor’s appointment, with no penalties or strings attached.

Corbett wants to add some strings and at least one penalty — in the form of healthy lifestyles, work requirements and job searches — for some current and newly eligible Medicaid recipients to keep their coverage or pay reduced premiums.

Health care is a basic human right that should not be subject to any specious “work requirement” rules from ANY politician EVER (the only thing I’ll say in Corbett’s defense is that he has been talking about this garbage for awhile now, so it’s not as if we weren’t warned).

This is a typically disgusting joke from Corbett (and to do something about it, click here).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Former Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who will retire as a Toronto Blue Jay (the team that originally drafted him and the one he pitched for where he became a master at his craft) – thanks, Doc, for all of the great performances, and best of luck (particularly in 2010, which, by itself, would have been good enough for an entire career – here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Michigan Republican Dave Agema for this (because, as we know, dying of AIDS falls under the heading of “family values”)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

I honestly try to take it easy on the pundit class with these selections, but somebody named Dan Zak at the WaPo concocted this fawning piece of dookey about Fix Noise humanoid Megyn Kelly (from here) that was too wretched to ignore (h/t Atrios – worth it if for no other reason, though, than to read Charles Pierce’s great response)…

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

As noted here…

For the seventh consecutive year, Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson invited 12 kids from children’s protective services to race through Toys ‘R’ Us to nab up as much stuff as their little hands could grab in 80 seconds, CBS Houston reported. The number is representative of the digits he wears on his jersey.

When the last child checked out, the total tally for the toys came to $17,352.

And I’ll bet Johnson didn’t even feel the need to do a stupid end-zone, post-touchdown victory dance (or whatever) after it was all done – nice work.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Scott Bach of the NRA gets a dubious mention; he blasted (so to speak) Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop. What did Fulop do that Bach though was so awful?

As Think Progress tells us here, Fulop “will disseminate a survey to all vendors bidding to supply firearms to local law enforcement asking how they handle gun safety issues, including whether they take steps to prevent illegal gun trafficking.”

In response (among other idiocy), Bach said that “(Fulop’s) grandparents were Holocaust survivors according to Wikipedia. So you’ve got to wonder why he is not getting it.”

OK, so Bach invokes The Holocaust against the descendant of Holocaust survivors. Nice touch.

And Bach also encouraged gun vendors to “boycott” Jersey City as a result. In response, I have only the following to add:

GOOD!

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Anyone in our corporate media (or anyone else overall, really) willing to give credit to “Man Tan” Boehner for getting a budget deal (ensuring the operation of our federal government through 2014) passed by the U.S. House (and in the process, praising Boehner’s “leadership” for standing up to the Teahadists – here).

Excuse me, but isn’t that the bare minimum when it comes to what Boehner and his “leadership” are supposed to do? And as noted previously by a few people (including your humble narrator), the Ryan/Murray deal doesn’t raise any stinking taxes anywhere that need to be raised, including the gasoline tax for infrastructure, which hasn’t been raised in 20 years (all the Dems sought was 13 cents a gallon). It also doesn’t do a thing for the poor or the unemployed, and it doesn’t shore up Social Security by removing the ceiling on earnings subject to withholding either.

There are at least a couple of reasons I can think of right off why Boehner is making these kinds of noises. The first is that the Repugs lost ground in the 2012 election cycle – if, God forbid, Willard Mitt Romney and Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv were in the White House and they had built on their House majority (or added Senate seats), Boehner wouldn’t be saying a word, even though what the Teahadists seek is ultimately our ruination if it adds to their own selfish comfort (and I say this with caution since we have an off-year election coming up, where the Repugs usually do well unfortunately).

Boehner is also saying this because, in the last standoff, President Obama stuck to his guns on the shut down and Boehner got his proverbial lunch handed to him (more on that later). Again, had Boehner somehow been able to weasel more concessions, he would be crowing like crazy instead.

Oh, and even though the budget has passed, the debt ceiling will have to be raised next year also. If Boehner says these same things then and gets the debt limit raised (which, by the way, is a political consideration far more than an economic one) without any histrionics or another shutdown, THEN I’ll give him credit. But not one second before.

(And by the way, based on this, it sounds like “Orange Man” has more work to do.)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled recently here that the NSA spying program likely violates the 4th amendment of the Constitution (‘ya think?).

As HuffPo tells us…

The federal ruling came down after activist Larry Klayman filed a lawsuit in June over the program. The suit claimed that the NSA’s surveillance “violates the U.S. Constitution and also federal laws, including, but not limited to, the outrageous breach of privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the due process rights of American citizens.”

It utterly sickens me to be on the same side with Larry Klayman on anything (citation goes to Judge Leon), but fair is fair (nice if this ruling had come, oh, I don’t know…about seven years earlier at least, maybe?)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

The 50 Catholic leaders who signed a letter here protesting the fact that the Catholic University of America accepted a $1 million donation from Charles and David Koch – the letter reads in part as follows:

As you well know, Catholic social teaching articulates a positive role for government, an indispensable role for unions, just tax policies, and the need for prudent regulation of financial markets in service of the common good. We are concerned that by accepting such a donation you send a confusing message to Catholic students and other faithful Catholics that the Koch brothers’ anti- government, Tea Party ideology has the blessing of a university sanctioned by Catholic bishops.

And in case you were wondering whether or not the CUA actually got the message, I give you the following response:

Andrew Abela, dean of CUA’s new School of Business and Economics, said that the Koch Foundation will allow the school to hire the new faculty with no strings attached. “I’m just delighted to draw anybody into that conversation,” he said before receiving the letter. “And if they want to bring money, double bonus .”

A spokesperson told America Magazine that the signers of the letter “seek to instruct The Catholic University of America’s leaders about Catholic social teaching, and do so in a manner that redefines the church’s teaching to suit their own political preferences.“

Sounds to me like the CUA needs to revisit the whole “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” thing as noted in Matthew 22:22, among other places in the Bible.

Dregs of the Year Nominee (Commemorative “Fa-La-La-La-La-LOSER!” Citation)

Lewis Atwood of Michigan, who (inebriated, of course) repeatedly punched his mother in the face when she forgot to hang a Christmas tree ornament with his name on it (and apparently this was a third offense – have fun with your “Christmas balls” in the gray bar hotel…here)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Individuals who claim to be “men” have filed false rape reports at Occidental College to protest the school’s use of an anonymous form to track alleged incidents of rape on Occidental’s campus, with these trolls using the supposed excuse that men are being victimized since the forms let the victims off the hook, as it were, because they don’t have to reveal their identity (here).

Well, here are some things to consider in response, as noted by Think Progress: first, the form in question was instituted in 2009; second, those accused have gotten off in at least one case with five-page book reports as a supposed “punishment”; and third, just 2 to 8 percent of rape reports are based on false claims.

Congratulations, you morons. Now, the school will have to waste time weeding through your idiocy to try and determine if a crime has actually been committed, as opposed to using those valuable law enforcement assets to protect students of the campus facing actual danger. Heckuva job!

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Lex Luthor Scott earns a dishonorable mention – as HuffPo notes here, it can be argued very plausibly that laying off hundreds of employees with the Florida Department of Children and Families and recommending budget cuts to the agency led to the deaths of 40 at-risk children in the state.

So how does Scott respond? Through a spokesperson…

“We are prioritizing spending on critical services as we craft the budget, and vital child protective services will not be reduced,” said an e-mailed statement from deputy press secretary John Tupps.

And of course, Scott said the budget cuts were necessary to “grow jobs.” Riiiiight…

Yep, I suppose it was necessary to cut the funding for child welfare services to “decrease the surplus population,” wasn’t it?

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which recently struck down a provision of PA’s Oil and Gas Act that stripped municipalities of the power to determine where natural gas drilling activity could occur within their boundaries, as noted here (wow, so ALEC actually lost for a change, to say nothing of Governor Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett – cool! And please tell me again how the Repugs are supposed to be the anti-“big gumint” party).

Dregs of the Year Nominee (“Most Aptly Named Citation Recipient” Citation)

Cracker Barrel (and don’t ask me exactly what they are – not a clue) earns a dubious mention for first joining the boycott of the show “Duck Dynasty” and related products after supposed “DD” leader (or something) Phil Robertson uttered homophobic sentiments, then “doing a 180” and dropping out of the boycott when they apparently found that they had offended what I guess is their elderly, overweight, borderline diabetic, deep-fried-Southern (and elsewhere I guess) clientele (and upon further review, as they say, it turned out that Robertson had uttered racist sentiments too – color me shocked, not!).

Figure out exactly what your convictions are (or aren’t in this case, I guess), and stick to them. Is that so difficult?

That being said, I have something else to add. Yes, standing up to racist, homophobic, and other types of hateful words and actions is important – I certainly don’t argue that. However, I should note that I actually watched a minute or two of that program, and my question is this: how ELSE do you seriously think these people are going to act (all of this is noted here).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Talk about a Christmas story (here)…

Widower David Schmitz was called by radio station KSTZ in Des Moines, Iowa and told that they received a letter they wanted to read on the air. The letter, as it turned out, was written by Brenda Schmitz, David’s wife who had died two years previously from ovarian cancer; Brenda had written the letter and sent it to a friend to be read two years after her death, and David knew nothing about it.

In part, it read as follows…

Brenda had three wishes on her list, including one for her children’s new stepmother.

“First, for David’s new life-long partner, a day or better yet, a weekend, of pampering in all aspects of her life. She deserves it,” she wrote. “Make her smile, and know her efforts are truly appreciated from me. Thank you. I love you, whoever you are.”

Her other wishes were for a night of food, drink and fun for the Mercy Hospital staff that took care of her while she battled ovarian cancer.

David told NBC News he was in shock at Brenda’s wishes for his new family.

Her third and final wish was for a magical vacation for her husband and his new blended family at a place “where they all can enjoy their company and companionship as a family and create those memories that will be with them forever.”

Obviously, a Do-Gooder citation goes out here to Brenda for her courageous act of kindness, and another goes out to the Des Moines radio station which, as Crooks and Liars tells us, granted all three wishes by sending David, his kids, and his new spouse to Disney World.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Snarf’s, a Chicago-area sandwich shop, which (as noted here) fired all of its employees shortly before Christmas – oh, and by the way, many of the store’s employees participated in the nationwide day of action in December to protest low wages for fast-food workers (but see, the place is closing for renovations…yeah, that’s the ONLY reason the workers were let go…uh huh).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Carlos Santana, for helping former band mate Marcus Malone, who is now homeless – as noted from here…

Malone was forced to quit the band in early 1969 when an arrest sent him to jail, before their big breakthrough at Woodstock.

The footage found its way back to Santana, and after 40 years, the two were reunited on camera, just days before Christmas.

You don’t know how hard I prayed to get to see you,” Marcus told Santana.

“God has a way,” he responds.

And now that they’ve found each other again, Santana doesn’t plan on letting Marcus get lost again.

“I want to offer him a place to stay in an apartment, get him some clothes, and just get him out of the street,” he told CNN.

“I want to offer my brother Marcus Malone an opportunity to record on the next album with the original band, with Greg Rolie,” Santana says. ” We wrote a song for him called ‘Magnificent Marcus Malone.’ We want him to play on it and we’re going to start, Lord willing, in January or February. So I would like to get him some congas so he can get his hands hard again because he hasn’t been playing the congas in a while.”

I think this is a truly great story, and how appropriate that we learn about it during the season of miracles (and a Do-Gooder citation to reporter Stanley Roberts of KRON TV also).

And now, without any more ado…

Dregs of the Year

I know I’ve given this citation to the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR once before, but as far as I’m concerned, they definitely deserve it again for basically chucking the “pre-clearance” provision of the Voting Rights Act in June, meaning that geographic locations in the Act that have practiced historical discrimination against minorities (and had been forced to comply with the Act’s provisions against that sort of thing as stated in the 1965 law) are now basically free to do so once more without what they see as a hindrance from the federal government (the fallout is noted here, here, here, here, and here).

Let’s not forget, though, that Antonin Scalia of The Supremes gave us a bit of a warning as to how the High Court would rule when he said during oral that the Act is the “perpetuation of racial entitlement” here; typical for such a willing tool of his corporate and political puppet masters who want to pursue their goal of an “ownership society” to its utterly disastrous ultimate realization (h/t Atrios).

Also, while they were making headlines for deliberating over overturning Prop 8 in California and DOMA, they also managed to sneak this ghastly ruling under the proverbial radar that threw out a class action lawsuit filed by Comcast shareholders over alleged price fixing and anti-competitive practices…yeah, John Roberts just wants to call balls and strikes or something – sure, in a rigged game (more here).

And a runner-up citation goes to the truly dreadful 113th Congress, and the U.S. House in particular (including Mikey the Beloved, of course), which set a record for abject futility by passing on a mere 58 bills that were signed into law (here and here…here also).

Do-Gooder of the Year

No, I don’t like the expansion of the national security state that continues to go unchecked despite all the “hopey, changey” stuff (here). No, I don’t like the fact that the doctrine of “extra-judicial review,” or whatever it’s called now, has grown unabated under his watch and more or less enshrined the kind of presidential dictatorial powers that allow Number 44 or any of his successors to send bombs and flying death robots halfway around the world to blow up dark-skinned people we don’t like (here…gosh, I must have been asleep during the robust public debate over civil liberties that took place over the matter – didn’t it?).

And no, I don’t like the continued clamp down on the press either (here), though our lapdog Beltway media that is all in a snit over it pretty much snoozed through similar abuses under the foul, fetid Bushco reign, including this sorry chapter.

But despite all of that, there is one simple reason why President Barack Obama is the Do-Gooder of the Year. And that is because liberal blogger types like yours truly complained for years that he wouldn’t stand up to congressional Republicans.

Well, guess what? This year, Boehner, McConnell and company pulled their typical garbage, trying to shut down the government over the federal budget. And President Obama stood his ground, as noted here.

Other reasons? How about the Syria chemical weapons deal, which prevented more U.S. “boots in the ground” in harm’s way (yes, it didn’t settle the civil war, though I’m not sure it’s possible for anyone to do that without accidentally starting World War III). And how about a deal in the works with Iran over their nukes (and a pox on these chicken “Democrats” doing AIPAC’s bidding by trying to pour cold water all over it, as noted here).

In addition, this reminds us that Obama decided to be flexible on the enrollment deadline for anyone covered through the Affordable Care Law if their insurance policy was cancelled due to that law. Also, his speech on income inequality, as noted here, was pretty much ignored by our corporate media, as was this).

And speaking of the Beltway punditocracy…well, giving this citation to Number 44 is pretty much my middle-finger-raised-on-high to our bought-and-paid-for Beltway lapdog stenographers for propagating the conventional wisdom that Obama had a “terrible” fifth year, or something. As Steve Kornacki reminded us on Rachel Maddow recently here, if you want to talk about supposedly awful fifth years of a presidency, let’s talk first about Dubya and Katrina, LBJ and Vietnam, The Sainted Ronnie R and Iran-Contra, and of course, Richard Nixon and Watergate, which trumps everything else as far as I’m concerned.

Could Obama have had a better year? Sure. But how about balancing the negative with the positive, OK? And yes, I know Obama said that anyone who had their insurance policy prior to health care reform could keep it, but that turned out not to be completely true. To which I ask the following: how the hell is Obama or any politician supposed to somehow know what a private health care insurer is going to do?

If a president is going to say something like that and it turns out not to be true, then I’m willing to cut a little slack. But if a president says that Iraq has WMD, we didn’t trade arms for hostages or “I Am Not A Crook” (and yes, whether or not a president had sex with an intern or not)…well, let’s just say that some lies are worse than others, OK?

Update 1/7/14: And I guess I have a bit of egg on my face for the Obama selection in light of this.

Also, if I’m giving Obama the Do-Gooder of the Year nod, then to be fair, I should at least acknowledge the contributions of Edward Snowden (here) and Glenn Greenwald (here) on the issue of abuse of state secrets and freedom of information on behalf of all of us.

_____

Well, that’s all I’ve got. As is my almost usual custom, I just want to take a minute and thank everyone who has taken any time at all over the past year to visit this site and read what I have to say. Doing this gets more and more challenging every year – I may be able to keep this going, or I may have to shut it down; I just don’t know yet. I’ll keep you informed.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season, and all the best in 2014.

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 11)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 10

Part 9

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Lockheed Martin, for announcing the closure of its facility in Newtown, Pa in November – as the Bucks County Courier Times tells us, about 800 of the thousand-or-so jobs will be lost (here)…

I remember when the announcement was made that these bastards were coming to our area. Route 332 was expanded and traffic patterns were altered to make it easier for the company’s employees. A big to-do was made over the fact that they would be partnering with the Holy Family College next door. And of course, there were tax cuts and incentives. Oh, it was only a matter of time until 332 became a “tech hub” in Newtown with Lockheed Martin as the “crown jewel.”

And I wonder how many other people besides yours truly are going to “connect the dots” between this and the ruinous “sequester”…

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

The editors of The Playwickian, the newspaper of Neshaminy High School in these parts, for deciding that the term “redskin” was offensive and deciding not to publish the term in their student newspaper (here, and a Dregs citation to the school administrators opposing the students – kind of funny in a twisted way when you realize that “Neshaminy” is the name of the Indian tribe that once lived in that region)

…and while I’m on the subject…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Sportswriter Tom Rimback of the Bucks County Courier Times, who said the following in November about the controversy surrounding the name of the Washington, D.C. professional football team (the Eagles had just defeated them at the Linc, 24-16)…

…the politically correct masses have latched on to the idea that they (the football team) are disrespecting their very name. No, not “Redskins.” That controversy is mostly made up.

See, Rimback was trying to make a joke that the “real” controversy is that Washington is disrespecting the game of football by residing in last place in the NFC East.

I realize that it’s in the performance requirements of every writer for the Courier Times to be talked about somehow (based on that quote by Oscar Wilde), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they must sound like they’re communicating out of their rectum.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Dem Hawaii State Rep Tom Brower, for exercising what you might call a peculiar brand of community outreach here – destroying homeless people’s meager possessions with a sledge hammer (wouldn’t it be appropriate if he experienced homelessness himself one day?)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Ryan Jake Lambourn, for coming up with a video game that simulates the Newtown gun massacre last year (yep, let’s do a tap dance all over the graves of those murdered kids – this is America, after all, the land where the federal government does absolutely nothing when people are slaughtered as a result of gun violence…here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for FINALLY exercising the “nuclear option” on Obama Administration nominees (here – better late than never)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Katherine Svenson of the Delta County School Board in Colorado, for criticizing proposed new policies that would add a layer of protection for students who identify as transgender (here)…actually, it was the way she did it, by basically saying that affected students should be castrated before the policy was implemented (to paraphrase a quote about Former Senator Man-On-Dog, Svenson appears to represent one of the most enlightened minds of the 12th century)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Those smiley-faced bastards earn yet another dubious mention here for firing employee Kristopher Oswald, who came to the aid of a woman screaming for help from a man trying to accost her; when Oswald’s actions allowed the woman to escape, the man started pummeling Oswald, and several WalMart employees rushed to help Oswald.

So what happened next?

Kristopher Oswald told WXYZ-TV in Detroit that Wal-Mart has policies against workplace violence to prevent employees from assaulting co-workers or tackling a shoplifter, but that it appears that nothing allows for them to assist in situations of imminent danger and self-defense (here).

A spokeswoman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. told The Associated Press on Thursday that while the company understood Oswald’s intentions, his actions violated company policy.

“We had to make a tough decision, one that we don’t take lightly, and he’s no longer with the company,” company spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said.

(An update is here, which I’m still pondering, actually.)

So, for the apparent lack of a sane HR policy or procedure, Walmart fired Oswald from his $8.70-an-hour job.

That’s the real Walmart, people.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Tony Rohr, a (formely) Pizza Hut manager in Indiana who was fired for committing what is apparently the unpardonable violation of actually closing his store on Thanksgiving and telling his employees to spend time with their families – fortunately, we have some non-pizza-chain, local alternatives close to Le Manse Doomsy, and I can assure you that they are the only ones who will get our business…good luck to Rohr (anybody besides me see a pattern here? Oh, and Rohr was hired back, but he never should have been let go in the first place…here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

If we’re getting close to the holidays, then it must be time for Catholic League president Bill Donahue to say or do something stupid in a desperate attempt to remain relevant; here, he said that HBO should cancel “Real Time With Bill Maher” since the host actually spent time talking to Dan Savage, a gay man who is also a writer and newspaper editor, and Savage mentioned the priest abuse scandal (can’t remember who said that truth was the best disinfectant, but that saying applies here – and let’s keep in mind once more that nobody appointed Donahue to a damn thing)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

“Chuckles” Krauthammer for this (as always, IOKIYAR)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Jeb Bush, for trying to propagate the particularly ridiculous lie that President Obama wants to move the Vatican Embassy presumably to punish U.S. Catholics (and Jeb is supposed to be one of the adults in his party? Actually, as Think Progress tells us here, the process of moving the embassy began under Jeb’s brother and Obama’s wretched predecessor.)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Morgan Griffith for this

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Peter Willcox of Greenpeace for this (generally being unrepentant for protesting Russian Arctic oil drilling)

Update: I would say that this is a positive development concerning Greenpeace and Pussy Riot also.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Our wet noodle U.S. House Rep “Mikey The Beloved” Fitzpatrick could earn a citation here for a variety of reasons, but on this occasion, he gets a dubious mention for (in the wake of the ruinous government shut down earlier this year) supporting something called the “Government Shutdown Prevention Act” authored by James Lankford of Oklahoma. Fitzpatrick is one of 17 co-sponsors of the Act, and except for Mikey, Reid Ribble, Steve Daines, Tom Cotton and Aaron Schock (other co-sponsors), everyone associated with the Act also opposed House Vote 550 to reopen the government. On top of that, an aide for Congressman Daines dismissed Lankford’s bill as “a political gimmick” (but hey, political gimmicks and Mikey the Beloved – so coined because of his fawning coverage in the Bucks County Courier Times – go hand in hand, don’t they?).

Oh, and despite the fact that Mikey and his sycophants caterwauled like crazy during the 2010 U.S. House election for PA-08 over the charge that then-Dem Rep Patrick Murphy supposedly didn’t hold enough town halls (I can remember the one YouTube clip in particular where a Teahadist called Murphy a liar over it – of course, Patrick didn’t bother to ban cameras, unlike his wretched predecessor and successor), I have visited Fitzpatrick’s House web site repeatedly and I have NEVER ONCE seen a “Town Hall” schedule posted (inevitably, what happens is that a “town hall” with Mikey ends up reported after the fact by the Bucks County Courier Times, Mikey’s PR vehicle.). Also, Mikey decided at some point this year that all questions to him in a “town hall-ish” type of forum had to be pre-screened, including that idiocy with David Walker of “No Labels” at Bucks County Community College earlier this year.

All of this is good reason to click here, by the way.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

All of the fast-food workers who struck in 100 cities on 12/2, protesting for livable, non-Dickensian wages, as noted here

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Maya MacGuineas of the so-called “Campaign To Fix The Debt,” who said the following recently upon hearing that a so-called “grand bargain” on the budget will not be attempted by a team of Dem U.S. House Rep Chris Van Hollen, Dem Senator Patty Murray, Repug Senator Jeff Sessions, and Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv (here – what a combination)…

“It’s a stupid way to run a country,” said Maya MacGuineas, head of the Campaign to Fix the Debt, a non-partisan advocacy group whose members include business leaders and former lawmakers. “Change comes from two possible things: a crisis or leadership.” […]

“The uncertainty has a chilling effect on job creators, households and anybody who’s trying to see around a corner,” said MacGuineas, who is also president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal advocacy group.

No, do you want to know what “a stupid way to run a country” really is, Ms. (?) MacGuineas?

It’s allowing people like you to hold sway over our political dialogue. It’s allowing people like you and your group of miscreants (who apparently care absolutely nothing about the people trying to subsist on Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security…basically, any of the entitlements provided by the federal government whatsoever, including some truly miserly ones…YOU try living on food stamps – and programs that benefit kids to a large degree, let’s not forget) to monopolize the news and opinion political coverage in this country to the point where almost all of a particular voting demographic was thoroughly hoodwinked into believing that their own inherent, prejudicial stupidity was gospel on this issue as well as many others, therefore entitling them in their minds to obstruct actual progress (climate change, the Iraq war, immigration reform, and on and on…and by the way, Ed Rendell, I’m looking at you on this too, as noted here).

Oh, and the evergreen lie of “uncertainty” faced by “job creators”? Try this in response, you worthless hack!

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia gets an uncomplimentary mention for their supposed “Live Fearless” ad campaign, prominently featuring billboard pictures, videos, and radio and TV voices of children, who, as far as I’m concerned, should ONLY be used to sell products for kids (and the fact that the supposed adults in charge of this ad campaign somehow don’t know that turns my stomach).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Duncan Hunter (Jr., I believe), who advocated using nuclear weapons if the U.S. ever went to war with Iran here (looks like the crazy train just made another stop)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Georgia’s Republican insurance commissioner Ralph Hudgens for this…

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Rev. James McCloskey of Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Pa. for firing longtime teacher Michael Griffin because Griffin had informed the school that he intended to marry his partner, as noted here (Griffin, of course, is gay, otherwise no one would care)…

As McCloskey put it…

“At a meeting in my office yesterday, teacher Michael Griffin made clear that he obtained a license to marry his same sex partner,” the school’s headmaster Fr. James McCloskey wrote in a statement.

“Unfortunately, this decision contradicts the terms of his teaching contract at our school, which requires all faculty and staff to follow the teachings of the Church as a condition of their employment.

I don’t recall reading anything in the Bible about gay marriage. And it sounds like Griffin was as committed to his job at Holy Ghost Prep as he was about fulfilling his commitment to his partner.

Actually, I DO recall reading this from the Acts of the Apostles, though…

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Maybe Fr. McCloskey could read up on it.

More later (not sure if the next one will be it, but maybe)…

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 10)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 9

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

There are all kinds of reasons to consider PA’s ever-more infamous guv Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett, but as noted here, he chose to spend $1 million in taxpayer funds to advertise PA’s thoroughly unnecessary “voter ID” law (a “solution” in search of a problem) – he should be ridiculed because of this also (my sympathies to family and friends)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

David “Fluffyhead” Gregory, king of false equivalency (though ABC’s Jonathan Karl is right on his heels), for this (and a shocking citation to Admiral Joe Sestak for something like that here…I’ll remember this the next time you ask for a campaign donation)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

I’ll probably find myself disagreeing with Repug U.S. House Rep Scott Rigell on a wide range of issues, but for now, I give him credit here for repudiating that idiot Larry Klayman, who held some Teahadist rally in October in front of the White House, during which he yelled out that President Obama should “put down the Quran” and surrender, or something (also attended by Palin and “Calgary” Cruz, of course).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

It’s bad enough that the wingnuts did their very best to crash our entire government, along with our economy, though that was seemingly averted on October 16th, but as noted here, even one of the ringleaders of this farce, Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham, believed that he wouldn’t succeed at this stunt.

So why did he do it anyway?

Because SCARY MUSLIM SCARY MUSLIM SCARY MUSLIM SCARY MUSLIM FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!!!!!, that’s why.

Dregs of the Year Nominees

“No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey and Pancake Joe Pitts, in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House respectively (from our PA congressional contingent), for voting against the re-opening of our government after the shutdown and near-default in October, which, as it was, cost us $24 billion in economic productivity…heckuva job

Dregs of the Year Nominees

The Associate Press, for firing reporters Bob Lewis, Dena Potter, and a third individual over an erroneous report on Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe; don’t understand why an apology from all concerned wasn’t good enough, and the AP may have violated the contractual terms of Lewis (at the very least) with the News Media Guild (Potter wasn’t a member because she was in management, apparently…here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Texas County Criminal Court Judge Carlo Key, who finally reached the breaking point and renounced his membership in the Republican Party here (and going into quite the rant over why he decided to run for re-election as a Democrat) – welcome to the fight, Your Honor

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Matthew McCall, a professed supporter of ObamaCare and a computer programmer, launched a petition “asking the federal government to release the code for HealthCare.gov. That would allow outside programmers to take a look and see if they can help figure out what’s wrong” (and at last check, he’d received 1,500 signatures – here).

As I’ve said, as far as I’m concerned, you can’t have a rollout of a web application of this size without some “glitches,” particularly when you’re dealing with people in state who want to see health care reform fail. Could the Obama people have done a better job? I’m sure, but let’s “chill” and give them some more time, OK? And kudos to McCall for his on-the-right-track suggestion.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Former “Price Is Right” host Bob Barker, who donated $1 million to move three African elephants from the Toronto Zoo to a 2,000-acre preserve in California (hopefully they’ll adapt to their new environment…Barker has donated millions on behalf of rescuing animals – I know there was some stuff going on with that show that was legally actionable, and some of it involved Barker, but I think he should get some credit for doing the right thing here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

PA Department of Public Welfare secretary Beverly Mackereth, who said here that she is “rethinking” an asset test her “waste, fraud, and abuse”-obsessed predecessor imposed on food stamp applicants, a test that ended up eliminating about 110,000 of them from receiving food stamps (Do I smell a lawsuit? And hopefully it will be heard after, God willing, Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett is returned to private life next year).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

This citation goes out to corporate media news model (and financial industry mouthpiece) Maria Bartiromo of CNBC for the claim that “Obamacare” has created a glut of temporary/part-time jobs, but it really goes out also to anyone else repeating this patently wrong talking point (here).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

The Florida policewoman responsible for this wonderful gesture…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Pete Sessions, who, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said that he “cannot even stand to look at you“ here; the quote was directed towards President Obama (if Sessions really said it, then he should be man enough to admit it – I’ll take this down if this turns out to be wrong, but I have a feeling it isn’t; never did hear a response from Sessions…please inform me of a time when a Democrat was so patently offensive to Former President Numbskull)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Texas Federal District Judge Lee Yeakel for this…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

The woman in New Mexico who handed out graphic anti-abortion material to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, as noted here; apparently she didn’t want to be identified (coward)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Kentucky Sen. Rand “Fake Ophthalmologist” Paul for suggestion a duel with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow over the latter’s entirely correct reporting on Paul’s plagiarism in some speeches towards the end of the year (here…suggesting a duel is stupid enough, but – and I apologize if this isn’t PC – for an alleged man to suggest dueling with a woman…well, that’s lower than I ever imagined a Repug would sink, though they manage to clear that bar more and more every day; that being said, I have a feeling that plenty of women shooters out there could take out Paul PDQ).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

As is his thoroughly odious habit, Simon Campbell of the Pennsbury School Board published a list of the salaries of all school district personnel, along with the calculation of what we at Le Manse Doomsy pay in school taxes (and he alleged that, if he wasn’t returned to the board, we would see about a 23 percent increase), the weekend before the November 5th election (oh, and he also published our property assessment, which, even though it’s public information I know, is still none of his goddamn business…happily, though, he LOST the election – woo-hoo!).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Bus driver Darnell Barton for this (as John Cole said, more or less, over at Balloon Juice, there goes another slacking, dead beat public sector worker again – removing my tongue from my cheek).

Dregs of the Year Nominee (Commemorative “Visiting My Fist Unto His Face” Citation)

Matthew von Siegel of Clifton Heights, Pa., who apparently got mad at the mother of a crying baby at Saint Charles Borromeo Church Church in Drexel Hill, Pa. and said something to her, then another man stepped in to defend the mother, and then von Siegel allegedly punched the man in the face, to the point where the man had to be treated for facial injuries – I think we have another Darwin Award candidate here – ugh

Dregs of the Year Nominee (“World Class Spoil Sport” Citation)

Apparently, Ken (“Trans-Vaginal Ultrasound”) Cuccinelli never called Terry McAuliffe to congratulate him for winning the VA governor’s race – figures

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Country music hics Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood earn a dishonorable mention for mocking “Obamacare” at the Country Music Awards, as noted here.

You want to know why, with notable exceptions (Patsy Cline, George Jones, Hank Williams – the original one), I hate country music? This is a good example; these people, as far as I’m concerned, are Republican Party stooges (oh, but the phrase “Shut up and sing” is only applicable to The Dixie Chicks, let’s not forget…still waiting for that apology from Toby Keith, by the way, who is probably number one on this shit list).

Any trace of guilt for acting as enablers of Republican presidents from Dubya to The Sainted Ronnie R? Not a chance in hell.

Oh, and by the way, I think this is a good response to these two morons (this also).

Dregs of the Year Nominees

CBS, for excluding Dan Rather from the network’s observance of the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination on 11/22 (here); sure, just blow off one of the people chiefly responsible for bringing us such a cataclysmic story – are they still holding a grudge over the “Dubya and the National Guard” thing? And by the way, even though Rather and his team on the story were attacked by the Bushies, of course, I never saw contrary evidence produced proving Rather and producer Mary Mapes were wrong (there was a third person involved whose name escapes me for now – another shining moment for “the Tiffany Network”)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

I really do try to defer to my “A” list “betters” on a lot of these items that they may come across first, but allow me to pile onto Richard “Fools and Frenchmen” Cohen for a piece of trash he wrote here in November in which he criticized recently elected NYC mayor Bill de Blasio for apparently having the bad taste (as Cohen sees it) to be married to an African American woman, with the couple having two biracial children (with Cohen providing some typically mealy-mouthed language about folks with “conventional views” having to “suppress a gag reflex,” or something – gee, blow that dog whistle a little louder, why dontcha?)

And a Dregs-within-a-Dregs citation goes out to Cohen’s publisher Katharine Weymouth, who called Cohen’s column “brilliant.” Also, am I the only one who thinks it’s typically gratuitous and stupid for Cohen to point out that de Blasio’s ex-wife is a lesbian?

(And once again, Think Progress does “God’s work” on this here.)

More later (getting near the end)…

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 9)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Wisconsin state senator Leah Vukmir (and once again, guess which party?) earns a dubious mention; she was asked here by the Center for Media and Democracy for records pertaining to her participation in a meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) last spring in Oklahoma City. After saying no, the Center for Media and Democracy sued her for the information in June.

So Vukmir responded with a defense that, as the story tells us, basically would gut that state’s open records law.

I realize that, if I said something about every single legislator who does ALEC’s bidding, I probably wouldn’t have time to live very much of the rest of my life doing other stuff, but on this occasion, I’m going to call out Vukmir, who could save everybody a lot of aggravation, to say nothing of taxpayer dollars, by doing the right thing, particularly since that state’s Republican attorney general is defending Vukmir (such is life in Scott Walker-istan – and by the way, the Center has successfully sued 6 other Repug politicians for the same info).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Minnesota parochial school teacher Kristen Ostendorf, who came out here, announcing that she was living with a woman (and a Dregs citation to the school, which fired her as a result – I don’t know about you, but I smell a lawsuit)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder put an “emergency manager” in charge of Detroit to oversee the city’s finances, a guy named Kevyn Orr (of course, Orr isn’t responsible to any actual constituents, only Snyder – this is the stuff that happens when people don’t bother to vote and Repugs win elections).

Well, a guy named Gary Brown was appointed under Orr as chief compliance officer, or something, and apparently he was responsible for a power outage in that city on September 11th. And during 90-degree weather. What could go wrong?

Oh, and he thought it was funny too, explaining that he wanted to teach the city a lesson, or something.

Um, did you want to communicate to everyone that you’re a heartless dick? Well then, I would say that the message was received loud and clear, and you’ve earned your citation (here).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

L.Z. Granderson of CNN for writing, hours after the gun massacre at the Washington. D.C. navy yard, that “gun control isn’t the answer” here. How the hell does he know?

Oh, and get a load of this…

This is why gun-control advocates need to abandon the routine of using mass shootings to turn law-abiding citizens into social pariahs and instead focus on something that could work.

How many goddamn times do we have to point out that the vast majority of NRA members are indeed law-abiding citizens who favor common-sense gun control measures opposed by the rabid NRA “leadership”? Hell, Wayne LaPierre even opposed Toomey-Manchin, which would have made a federal gun registry illegal!

Granderson’s bio tells us that he’s a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, so I guess he’s a de facto liberal (if I’m wrong, I’ll stand corrected). So what, is this more faux “equivalency” to offset the quite-righteous indignation of Piers Morgan?

This is CNN?

Update 12/13/13: Actually, Granderson would do well to read this by Fareed Zakaria, his CNN co-worker (I’m sure Zakaria’s program will be interesting).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Chuck Todd(ler), for basically saying here that it’s not his job to call BS on the Repugs when they start spouting their garbage, in this case concerning health care reform (yep, rip and read from Drudge/RNC talking points, belly up to the bar at happy hour and make sure to pass the sweet and sour shrimp – does that about cover it?).

…and with that in mind…

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

CREDO Mobile, which launched a petition in response that was sent to NBC News, telling Todd to do his job here (oh, but Todd said he was “misquoted,” the second-to-the-last refuge of a scoundrel)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Adrian Moore of the Koch-funded (and therefore absurdly titled) Reason Magazine, for saying here that “when you’re unskilled, you should not expect to be able to make a living off of your ordinary day’s labor,” even though that standard was once perfectly acceptable in this country when we used to have a thriving middle class…

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

As a Roman Catholic, I realize that I am obligated to pretty much go along with whatever Pope Francis pronounces even though I may disagree with it, but that being said, I have to say that I think he’s getting off to a promising start based on this, in which he called for more balance within the church and not treating the “culture wars” stuff as the be-all and end-all, talking more about social justice also and embracing liberation theology in his home continent, among other positions that I think are pretty darned enlightened (and I think I read somewhere that he was even looking at priestly celibacy, believe it or not – have to double-check that…and also, good stuff here too of course)

…but let’s not forget about stuff like this too (Update 12/26/13: But kudos once more for this.)

Dregs of the Year Nominee (“Certain Kind of Fool” Citation)

Vernett Bader, 54, of North Charleston, South Carolina was arrested by police here for allegedly stabbing her roommate when he wouldn’t turn down the music he was listening to, by the group The Eagles (luckily it wasn’t Michael Bolton, or she might have used a thermonuclear warhead)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Duquesne University gets a dishonorable nod for claiming it doesn’t have to allow unions in its university, citing a 1979 Supreme Court decision exempting “church-operated schools” from parts of federal labor law. As Ian Millhiser of TP points out here, though…

Catholic canon law calls upon employers to “observe meticulously also the civil laws concerning labor and social policy, according to the principles handed on by the Church” and to “pay a just and decent wage to employees so that they are able to provide fittingly for their own needs and those of their dependents.” Similarly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops proclaimed last year that “[o]ur Church has long taught that unions are ‘an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies’ . . . and are examples of the traditional Catholic principles of solidarity and subsidiarity in action.”

And on that subject, university officials might do well to read this also.

Dregs of the Year Nominees

This goes to the Melissa Goodwin and David Gaultney, two judges of the three on the panel of the Texas Court of Appeals in Austin who overturned the conviction of Tom “Bugman” DeLay, formerly of the U.S. House of Representatives, for allegedly scheming to influence Texas state elections with corporate money (here).

Oh, and did I mention that they’re both Republicans, and the third judge on the panel who voted to uphold the conviction was a Democrat? And that the trial judge said during the punishment phase that DeLay was guilty? And that the two Republican judges substituted their assessment of the facts for that of 12 jurors who personally heard the testimony of over 40 witnesses over the course of several weeks of Delay’s trial and found that the evidence was sufficient and proved DeLay’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg asked that this travesty be reviewed by the Texas Court of Appeals. As well it should be.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

The Starbucks coffee house chain, for telling customers that guns are no longer welcome in their cafes, though they stopped short of an outright ban, probably because, quite rightly, it’s a bit much to expect a lot of thin and slightly built teenage and twenty-something (at least at the one near me) employees (probably because they barely have enough dough to scrape by with a minimum of food) to enforce it by going up against some of these burly and often overweight elderly male gun nuts who insist on showing “their external penises,” as Atrios puts it (here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

In September, AIG CEO Bob Benmosche compared public outrage over AIG’s bonuses to the Deep South lynching African-Americans (here).

As Think Progress tells us…

It’s been five years since AIG was rescued with a $85 billion loan from the government after the mega-insurer mismanaged itself to near collapse, and it’s hard to see how they were victimized, let alone “lynched.” Since then, AIG has expressed its gratitude by paying executives $165 million in bonuses, briefly considering suing the government for more, and expressing disappointment AIG never received a “thank you” from government officials.

And it’s not the first arrogant remark AIG’s defenders have made regarding criticism over outlandish bonuses. Wall Street and its allies have likened similar criticism to sexual abuse and Nazi Germany.

I can’t think of another country besides this one where someone like Benmosche could do what he did, along with the rest of his “bankster” pals, and still remain a free man and not be in prison instead, or dealing with some type of harm to his bodily person (don’t wish to encourage that…I realize that another country probably would let him “skate” like this one has – just saying I can’t think of one right now…more here).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

NRA lobbyist Tony Makris, a particularly vile individual, apparently is famous (in a way) for helping Charlton (“Cold, Dead Hands”) Heston’s rise through the organization – the Crooks and Liars post tells us that he shot an elephant in Botswana numerous times in the face until it died, and then celebrated with a glass of champagne.

Oh, and by the way…

Botswana announced in 2012 that an all-out ban on commercial elephant hunting would go into effect in January of 2014 over concerns of sharp declines in wildlife species.

The outrage over the NBC Sports broadcast comes as authorities in Zimbabwe this week said that poachers seeking ivory had used cyanide to poison at least 81 elephants.

Tony Makris, a real “man’s man,” huh?

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, for ordering here that same-sex partners of service members in the Oklahoma National Guard not receive the spousal benefits that their partners earned and that their heterosexual counterparts enjoy (always wondered about the bit with her and that state trooper awhile back – that disappeared from the headlines right quick)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Florida prosecutor Angela Corey said here that “I think social media is going to be the destruction of this country” in response to the news that Marissa Alexander will get a new trial; she fired a gun in the air to fend off her husband, who she feared because of past violence – Alexander used that state’s “stand your ground” law in her defense, the same law that ultimately acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin.

Actually, Corey is dead wrong – social media was responsible for the outcry that highlighted this miscarriage of justice and played a role in winning a new trial for Alexander (or is she just itching for a conviction and doesn’t care how she gets it?).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

John Culberson for this (that horrible day remains as nothing but a political abstraction for lowlifes like him)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

CNN news model Dana Bash, for effectively echoing yet another stupid Republican Party talking point when she asked Majority Leader Harry Reid of the Senate, during the government shutdown that started in September, why he didn’t care about kids with cancer, or something – as the Think Progress post tells us, the Repugs supported the infamous sequester and other budgets that cut funding for scientific research (of course, Heaven forbid that Dana trouble herself by doing dumb stuff like, y’know, some actual fact-checking and research…by the way, the “cancer” charge against Reid is particularly disgusting in light of this)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Randy Neugebauer, who chewed out a park ranger at the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. for not allowing tourists to enter during that ridiculous shut down in September – as Dan Amira of nymag put it here…

Anyone want to see something truly disgusting? Here’s Texas congressman Randy Neugebauer, a Republican who supports the shutdown, telling a park ranger, as news cameras roll, that she should be “ashamed” for keeping tourists out of the World War II memorial. As if it were her call. As if she was responsible for shutting down the government. Bravo for speaking truth to power, Randy Neugebauer. You’re a big man.

Based on this account, though, it looks like Neugebauer got a taste of what he deserved from at least one bystander.

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Earl Conlon and his group of “right-wing truckers” planned a demonstration on October 11th, called the “Truckers Ride for the Constitution,” because, as Think Progress told us here, they “are fed up with a variety of headaches caused by the government: Fuel efficiency standards enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency, Obamacare, state and local laws over idling their trucks, and “insurance companies purportedly requiring technological updates,” according to US News and World Report.

Oh, and who exactly do they plan to “arrest”? Why, Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein, of course, two female Democrats who have supposedly “violated their oath of office.” Of course, Conlon and his fellow idiots don’t provide actual proof.

So, because they want to have a hissy fit, they decided to use their surrogate body part appendages (I’ll let you, dear reader, “fill in the blank” there…see Atrios above), in this case tractor-trailers, to snarl traffic on the D.C. Beltway (and believe me when I tell you that the Beltway is one of the most heavily congested roads I’ve ever driven in my life, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s rush hour or not).

To me, this is the Teahadist mindset writ large. These overgrown six-year-olds are unhappy about the Democrats in our government (many of whom were re-elected last year, including President Obama), so they’re going to stage an illegal action to make life miserable for the majority of people who disagree with them.

And I wished the cops had thrown all of their sorry asses in jail (though, based on this, it turned out to be much ado about nothing, as usual…tee hee).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for this (despicable)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

George Will, for comparing the Affordable Care Law to the Fugitive Slave Act here (yep, blow that dog whistle a little louder, Mr. “I Avoided The Vietnam War By Running Away To Divinity School”…that cushy gig at Fix Noise awaits)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer gets a dubious mention for parroting the GOP talking point that health care reform should be delayed because there have been computer “glitches” with the rollout in October (to set up the exchanges).

There are a lot of ways to “unpackage the stupid” here, but I’ll point out probably the most obvious fact for starters; as John Amato points out here, nobody has to register for health insurance until next January 1st (if they’re not already covered by their employer, and those so covered include a huge majority of this country, though that probably will change over time), so there’s ample time to work out the “glitches” until then.

Also, speaking only for myself here, I should point out that I’ve worked in computer software development for a long time, and I’ve never known of a major release of software that didn’t have “glitches.” The real news would be if the initial rollout of the online exchanges had taken place with no problems whatsoever.

I’ve asked it before and I’ll ask it again – this is CNN?

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears for this (and a Dregs citation to the oh-so-august-in-their-imaginations National Football League for punishing him)

More later…

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 8)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

CNN (Ted Turner should slap somebody silly for this)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Boxer Bernard Hopkins earns a note here; as the Bucks County Courier Times reported in August, he joined the “Bucks Knocks Out Hunger” campaign…

Hopkins said he planned to join the nearly 500 registered volunteers during a food packaging event scheduled for noon Friday (8/9) at Ann’s Choice (a senior living community) in Warminster.

A Philadelphia native, Hopkins held the middleweight championship through more than 20 matches from 1994 to 2005. Hopkins said he was impressed by the size and scope of the United Way’s project, and he wanted to personally thank the volunteers.

Yep, I would call that “giving back” big time – kudos.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Our own Senator “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey, for saying “I told you we’d kill it” here in response to the news that a $44 billion transportation, housing and infrastructure bill had failed to pass the Senate (I guess Toomey and his Teahadist pals doesn’t have to worry about driving over bridges or don’t depend on reasonably safe and reliable mass transit, and I don’t have to say anything about public housing either, do I? – how lucky can a guy be?)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Filmmaker Werner Herzog – as noted here, he has made a film about texting while driving that must be pretty harrowing (I can’t count all of the times that I’ve seen that stuff on the road, often while drivers are travelling waay below the speed limit, which, to me, is at least as dangerous as the other extreme…if making a movie like this saves so much as one person from being badly hurt or killed, then it will be worth it)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Dr. Farid Fata, a Michigan oncologist charged for allegedly submitting false claims to Medicare for services that were medically unnecessary, including chemotherapy treatments, Positron Emission Tomograph (PET) scans and a variety of cancer and hematology treatments for patients who did not need them, to the tune of about $35 million (he’s looking at 20 years in the “big house,” which probably isn’t nearly enough – here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

The people responsible for the Missouri State Fair in the town (“deeply red,” apparently) of Sedalia, about 100 miles from Kansas City, who whooped the crowd into a frenzy by bringing a clown in an Obama mask into a ring and goading a bull into chasing him around the enclosure (and a Dregs citation to the crowd also, who apparently thought this was hilarious) – to their credit, Repug Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder as well as Dem Governor Jay Nixon and Dem U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill all apologized (still waiting to hear from a fair official or any of the other numbskulls in attendance – here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, who ruled in August here that the New York Police Department deliberately violated the civil rights of tens of thousands of New Yorkers with its contentious stop-and-frisk policy, and an independent monitor is needed to oversee major changes – according to Judge Scheindlin…

“The city’s highest officials have turned a blind eye to the evidence that officers are conducting stops in a racially discriminatory manner,” she wrote. “In their zeal to defend a policy that they believe to be effective, they have willfully ignored overwhelming proof that the policy of targeting ‘the right people’ is racially discriminatory.”

Judge Scheindlin did not put an end of the policy, but said it needed to be “reformed,” giving few specifics. She also named an independent monitor who would develop reforms to policies, training, supervision, monitoring and discipline, also ordering that officers test out body-worn cameras in the police precinct where most stops occurred – well done.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Dana Rohrabacher, who claimed here that global warming is “a total fraud” employed by liberals to “create global government.”

Sure it is, you tool (here and here)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

AOL (I didn’t know they still existed!) CEO Tim Armstrong apparently fired an employee named Abel Lenz in the middle of a conference call with 1,000 employees of AOL’s news network called Patch.

What was it that Lenz had supposedly done wrong? Well, Armstrong told him to put down a camera, or something, because Lenz was taking pictures of people who were on the call.

As the story notes…

Armstrong picked an odd reason to fire him.

We hear that Lenz, based in New York, would always take pictures of people talking on company-wide conference calls so that he could post them on Patch’s internal news site.

Here’s my rule of thumb; as much as you may despise a manager (and I’ve had my share, and may yet again – we’ll see), they have the right to take you into their office and do just about anything except lay hands on you or make disparaging remarks about your family (don’t like it, but just acknowledging the reality).

However, getting “ranked,” to say nothing of getting canned outright, in front of your peers like that is a whole other level of awful (wonder if they ever moved beyond those state-of-the-art-in-about-1989 dial-up modems? Like others I’m sure, I spent many a night getting booted out of my session while I was in the middle of a paragraphs-long Email that, of course, wasn’t saved).

So yeah, all of this makes Armstrong a total dick (here).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

American distance runner Nick Symmonds, who won a silver medal at the track and field World Championships in Moscow and dedicated it to all of his LBGT friends (here)…

“As much as I can speak out about it, I believe that all humans deserve equality as however God made them,” Symmonds told Russia’s R-Sport. “Whether you’re gay, straight, black, white, we all deserve the same rights. If there’s anything I can do to champion the cause and further it, I will, shy of getting arrested.”

“I respect Russians’ ability to govern their people,” he added. “I disagree with their laws. I do have respect for this nation. I disagree with their rules.”

The background on this is that Russia is greatly intolerant of LGBT individuals, as noted here; kudos to Symmonds for his courage in speaking out (once again, the world of sports steps forward in an honorable way to further the cause of human rights).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

This goes to whoever the unnamed life form (s) was (were) who somehow hacked into the web camera of the baby monitor used by Marc Gilbert of Houston, TX and called his sleeping daughter a “little slut” and an “effing moron,” before using the camera to follow Gilbert around the room after they took control (here).

As Gilbert tells us…

“Allyson was born deaf, so she has cochlear implants. Thankfully we had them off and she didn’t hear any of it and she slept right through it,” Gilbert said.

And by the way, as we learn from the story, the router and the IP camera were password protected, and the firewall was enabled (particularly pathetic that anyone smart enough to figure this out would still be enough of a low life to harass a disabled child and her father).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

PA’s own guv Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett (again) who, using the very real possibility of a late opening of Philadelphia’s public schools (they ended up opening on time), tried yet again to demand concessions from the teacher’s union; the school district is currently facing a deficit of about $50 million (oh, but Tommy’s $400 million prison is right on schedule)…Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter later said that the school district would get the funds…somehow (here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Wingnut, former governor, failed presidential candidate and media numbskull Mike Huckabee for making a joke here about supposedly turning his hunting dog “loose on some Democrats” with fellow lower life form Ted Nugent (yep, I’m sure that will win over moderates…uh huh)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Eric Alva was the first soldier to be seriously injured in Iraq, losing his leg when he stepped on a land mine. After retiring from the military (he was a Marine staff sergeant), he started speaking out against the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy; Alva said that losing his leg forced him out of the closet (here)…

“It made me realize everything that I had to actually speak up for,” Alva said to ABC News in an exclusive TV interview, “basically the rights and privileges of what I as an individual have earned in this country.”

As the Daily Kos post notes, Alva spoke out before the San Antonio City Council (his home town) to voice his support for a non-discrimination ordinance.

And of course, he was booed – however, he also added the following…

“To all you people that preach the word of God, shame on you because God loves me, like the day I laid bleeding on the sands of Iraq and that’s why he saved me,” Alva said before he left the podium.

Well done, Sgt. Alva.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

The Seattle, WA police department handed out bags of Doritos at an annual hemp and marijuana festival, as opposed to a pointless ass-kicking for engaging in behavior that should be decriminalized at the very least – as Think Progress tells us here…

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Seattle police have partnered with Doritos to distribute bags of the snacks emblazoned with descriptions of the new law (a more creative approach to policing Hempfest, a long-running pro-cannabis extravaganza). Revelers will be able to learn about their rights while enjoying a tasty treat.

If it had been my choice, I would have selected Pop Tarts, but kudos to the Seattle police for coming up with a creative packaging and messaging idea.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Governor Bully, for vetoing a bill that would have banned .50 caliber rifles from New Jersey here (unless the NJ “lege” can override, who knows how many people will be sacrificed now on the altar of Christie’s political ambition?)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Bob Kuechenberg, Jim Langer, and Manny Fernandez of the 1972 Miami Dolphins football team (the last to go undefeated through a season and win a Super Bowl) who decided here that it was more important to try and make President Obama look bad than it was to attend a White House ceremony in their honor (if you disagree with Obama, fine, but to use football parlance a bit, suck it up and take one for the team instead of sulking like little babies)

…and while I’m on the subject…

Dregs of the Year Nominees

The National Football League gets a dishonorable nod for supposedly pressuring ESPN from partnering with PBS on a “Frontline” program about concussions suffered by NFL players (no problem running those “NFL Films” clips of guys beating the crap out of each other, but Heaven forbid that we learn the aftermath of all of that years later – here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

As noted here, Ike Boutwell, a military flight instructor during the Vietnam War (thank you for your service), is the owner of Movie Palace and Showtime Cinemas in Kentucky (no word on a city or town). And he made the apparently unilateral decision not to show the movie “The Butler” because one of the stars of the movie is Jane Fonda (“Hanoi Jane,” and all that, for which Fonda has apologized and also endured being spat upon by a Vietnam vet at a book signing, as noted here).

If Boutwell chooses to spend the rest of his life hating Jane Fonda, that is his privilege. However, it’s stupid for him to decide not to air the film for at least two reasons 1) he’s exercising his own brand of censorship on what people may choose to watch, which kind of defeats an important principle that he defended during his service, and 2) the film “The Butler” has a cast of about 150 people, including Alan Rickman as The Sainted Ronnie R (which may be worth the price of admission right there) and Fonda as Nancy Reagan (who asked for a copy of the film for her viewing); the film also features the somewhat mystifying casting of Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, though John Cusack as Nixon could be fun too.

Besides, Boutwell is doing nothing really but garnering publicity for the pic, so his actions are self-defeating for that reason also.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

I really go back and forth (mostly back) on former PA State House Rep Dennis O’Brien, primarily because he had a real opportunity to try and stand up to the NRA when he was in the state house but chose not to do so (he ended up landing on his feet, as it were, when his district was eliminated and he was elected to Philadelphia city council…not a criticism, just an observation), but I have to give him credit for going after PA Guv Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett on the latter’s efforts to try and destroy Philadelphia’s public schools (and if you think that’s too dramatic of a description, try reading this)…admittedly, Corbett is an easier target since his approval ratings stink, but credit where it’s due all the same.

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

As noted here…

The dung beetle isn’t the most glamorous sounding insect on the planet, but it’s possible this one little creature could share some major responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the globe.

According to a new study from researches at the University of Helsinki, manure-eating dung beetles aerate “cow pats” — or cattle manure. This aeration process reduces the anaerobic conditions — places with essentially no oxygen — that cause methane to seep from the manure piles. As one of the study’s researches explains in a press release, this is good news for climate change…

Hey, I never said that these citations have to be limited to people!

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson (yet again, do I really need to mention the party?) gets a citation not just because he has advocated for arming teachers in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook carnage last year, but because, as noted here, he accidentally wounded a teacher with a rubber bullet while supposedly educating this person in using a firearm (a whole new level of duuuh!, if I do say so myself).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Federal Judge Consuelo B. Marshall of California, who (as noted here) overturned Title 38 of the U.S. Code, which prevented veterans from receiving the same benefits for their same-sex spouses as straight veterans received (well done, Your Honor)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

You would think that, after his infamous “You Lie!” moment when Obama spoke to Congress on health care reform, Repug U.S. House Rep Joe Wilson would know to keep his pie hole shut just about for perpetuity at this point.

But noooooooo – as noted here, he wondered if the Obama Administration’s actions on Syria in September were meant as a “distraction” in the wake of the IRS and Benghazi “scandals.”

Now you can either agree with the Obama Administration’s actions on Syria or disagree (I understand that, as president, we elected him to make hard decisions, and I believe he has given the decision the proper amount of thought, unlike his predecessor might have, but I’m sorry…put me down in the “disagree” column). However, to try and compare a couple of Beltway-centric dustups with what appears to be a chemical weapons attack that killed almost 1,500 people, many of them children, reflects a callousness and hubris that I hope I will never be able to comprehend.

No line for the Repugs when it comes to this stuff – no line at all.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Steve Womack of Arkansas; here, he responded to a constituent at a town hall event who asked Womack about immigration by making fun of that constituent’s T-shirt, which apparently bore the flag of Mexico (yep, that “minority outreach” program by the Repugs sure is paying dividends, isn’t it?)

Stupidest Corporate Media Attempt To Generate A New Revenue Stream

The Bucks County Courier Times started accepting pet obituaries in September.

…and while I’m on the subject…

Dregs of the Year Nominees

I know these year-end posts really wouldn’t be the same without including at least one citation for the Bucks County Courier Times, in particular their Op-Ed page which is the responsibility of Editor Guy Petroziello, and this year is no exception.

As I’ve mentioned before, the paper decided to include a “Vent” section on the Op-Ed page a couple of years ago where readers could crank off in 25 words or less about just about anything, though just about everyone exceeds the limit (including yours truly). To me, this has always been a joke, given the fact that the paper basically pretends to be an almost-daily (except for Saturday), and something like their “Vent” section would be appropriate if the paper were a tabloid, which it isn’t, though it makes journalistic decisions like a tabloid (putting news about Obama and Syria in the “Local” section, for example).

So why am I pointing this out now? Because I just want to note somewhere my strong objection to the paper’s vile decision to print “Vent” bits, letters, and Guest Opinions where conservative writers say, either directly or in so many words, that Democrats/liberals/progressives/ whatever don’t believe in God or aren’t religious merely because they are Democrats/liberals/progressives/ whatever. Two things: 1) In my case, I can assure you that that’s not true, and 2) Such remarks are highly insulting (which, in the case of conservatives, merely means that they’ll keep repeating them more often). Even though conservatives represent virtually nothing that I believe in, I would never say that I think they’re not religious or don’t believe in God because of it.

I’m saying this because, in September, a chronic conservative offender on the Op-Ed page managed to get a Vent published where he basically claimed that there was much rejoicing, as it goes, when God was removed from the “Democrat” platform. I’m not going to point out this idiot’s name because, stupid and untruthful as that remark is, he is entitled to his opinion, no matter how backward or uninformed it may be. I’m also noting this because I know for a fact that a Vent was submitted in response pointing out that that was wrong, but it was never published (as far as I’m concerned, the buck stops with Petroziello on this stuff – if he doesn’t actually agree with these sentiments, then he is at least sympathetic to them, particularly if he doesn’t allow a response that makes a point in a professional manner). And of course, you can also add the “Godless Democrat” stuff to the whole pantheon of “code language” and other garbage including “tax-and-spend liberal,” “welfare queen,” and “tree-hugging environmentalist.”

And newspapers actually wonder why they’re losing circulation.

More later…

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 7)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Dem Texas State Senator Wendy Davis earns a mention; her 11-hour filibuster killed anti-abortion legislation that would have effectively closed every abortion clinic in the state.

As noted here…

The crowd of demonstrators in the capitol cried “Shame! Shame!” when Davis’ filibuster was halted by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who ruled that her discussion of mandatory ultrasound testing was off-topic. Then the protesters roared after state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte asked, “At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues?”

And a Do-Gooder citation also goes out to Van De Putte for speaking out as she did above (as I and others have said, if men gave birth, there would be so many “morning after” and contraception pills on the market, and probably advertised on Spike TV and ESPN, that you wouldn’t be able to keep track of them, and all abortions would be guaranteed to be safe and legal after about 10 minutes).

And within all of this, a Dregs citation to “Goodhair” Perry for this (a typically cheap reply).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Tennessee U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander for his call to abolish the federal minimum wage here (and do I really need to identify the political party?)

Commemorative “How About An Order Of ‘Himmler Helpings’ On The Side Too? With ‘Albert Speer Special Sauce,’ Maybe?” Citation

KFC threatened legal action here against a fast-food-chicken-to-go restaurant in Thailand that bore an image of “Der Fuhrer” superimposed over the more traditional logo of Colonel Sanders (no word if a settlement was reached over a tub of an Extra Crispy Breast and Wing combo with a side of potato wedges)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Judge Michael McConnell, former judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and currently residing at the legal academy of Stanford’s law school (and a potential Supreme Court nominee under Dubya) – he gets a mention because he correctly said here that the so-called reasoning behind the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by Hangin’ Judge JR and his pals was “made up” (so basically, if McConnell had been on the High Court instead of Roberts or “Strip Search Sammy,” we’d still have a VRA…more on this later)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Walmart (of course) gets a dubious mention for threatening to walk away here from three proposed stores in the District of Columbia if they pass a bill guaranteeing a minimum wage of $12.50 an hour (of course, these are the same creatures responsible for this).

Worker harder. For Less. Go Broke. Die Quicker. Walmart.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

New Hampshire State Senator Andy Sanborn (and once more, do I really need to identify the political party?) who compared the rollout of the “Obamacare” web site to the deadly plane crash in San Francisco that killed 2 people and sent about 180 to the hospital here (of course, as noted here, the wingnuts now will have to try and find some other way to propagandize over health care reform, and I’m sure they’ll do their best at that, as opposed to actual governance of course – perish the thought)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Every U.S. House Republican, including Mikey the Beloved of course, who voted to separate food stamp funding from the farm bill (here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Dem U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren for introducing what appears to be a 21st-century version of the Glass-Steagall act, separating commercial banking from investment banking once more (here)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominees

Dem U.S. House Reps Mark Pocan and Keith Ellison for introducing “right to vote” legislation here (thereby shifting the burden of proof of “voting fraud” to the states, among other positive attributes of this proposal)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Richard (“I Am A Racist”) Cohen, for his July column in response to the Trayvon Martin verdict that was, at best, concern trolling by an alleged liberal and, at worst, a perpetuation of the very worst African American stereotypes (here – what an utterly pathetic attempt to ensure that he would be “talked about” in Beltway pundit land…we would hear from “Poor Richard” again later)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Stevie Wonder, for his promise here to stop performing in states where “stand your ground” legislation has been passed (kudos – more like this)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Texas State Rep. Harold Dutton, Jr., who introduced a bill that would prevent Texas from enforcing any of the abortion restrictions passed during this year’s special session until 60 days after Texas abolishes the death penalty – it’s called “walking the walk” and not just “talking the talk” (here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep (and former No. 1 selection here – nothing to be proud of) Steve “Comparing Immigrants To Dogs Is A Compliment” King here

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Investor’s Business Daily and cartoonist Michael Ramirez are merely appalling on a good day, but in the wake of the Trayvon Martin verdict, they truly outdid themselves, with Ramirez concocting a cartoon with a tree called “Sharpton” from which the following “lynching” victims hung: Tawana Brawley Hoax, Crown Heights, Freddie’s Fashion Mart, and Zimmerman Trial (here).

There’s all kinds of ways to communicate displeasure with Al Sharpton (who I personally think has done a good job of remaking himself into a legitimate media commentator who just about always is on-target), but invoking our history’s sordid past of lynching African Americans is definitely not the way to do it (try looking at some real lynching photos and then ask yourself why a life form like Ramirez would want to remind people of that to try and score cheap political points).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Republican Missouri State Senator Brian Nieves gets a dubious mention; he wondered here if liberalism was a “mental disorder” – this coming from a guy who accused a constituent who asked to be removed from Nieves’ Email list of being “in love with him,” and who also accused three constituents who complained about his behavior in a meeting of being “subhuman and evil,” and who was also accused of assault by Shawn Bell, the campaign manager for the candidate whom Nieves defeated in the Republican primary…pot, meet kettle (and here is another choice item from “a matter of convenience” Nieves – wonder how nut jobs like Nieves get elected? Most people don’t vote except for the right-wing crazies, that’s how.)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

GHWB, Number 41, for shaving his head in support of the son of a member of his Secret Service detail…the boy has leukemia – disagreed with the former prez on a lot of other political stuff all right, but that was a nice gesture (here)

Of course, I found out later that Number 41 lost a young son to leukemia – doesn’t make GHWB’s gesture any less classy, but why is it that the Repugs decide to act like human beings only when it comes to issues that touch them personally? And yes, I know the answer (and all the best to the little boy, of course).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner – what a sad excuse for a human being (here)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Gilberton, Pa police chief Mark Kessler, who posted the following garbage online (here)…

“I’m calling on all true Americans, all militia members, all true oath keepers to assemble, be ready to march on a tyrannical county government right here in Schuylkill county Pennsylvania, democrats are the true enemy of our country, our freedoms, our constitution, along with liberal news agency’s , liberal news reporters, much like hitlers nazis , time we clean these antiamerican thugs from office,” he wrote.

And a Do-Gooder citation within this to former Scranton police chief Dan Duffy, who said the following in response…

“This is exactly what a law enforcement officer should not be doing out there publicly, especially identifying himself as a law enforcement officer. It`s an embarrassment to us,” said Duffy.

Uh, yep.

Dregs of the Year Nominees

As far as I’m concerned, you have to be a stone-cold moron not to realize by now that Fix Noise is not a legitimate news network, but instead, the media wing of the Republican Party.

And in that role, they earn a dubious mention here for cutting away from an Obama speech on the economy in July after a whopping eight minutes to announce that the child of Prince William and Kate Middleton (she’s the duchess of something-or-other, I think) had received the name of George (for the record, CNN and MSNBC carried all of Obama’s speech and announced the name afterwards).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said here that he would prefer hell over a homophobic heaven (good)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Golfer Hunter Mahan, who withdrew from a match he was leading so he could be with his wife who was about to deliver the couple’s first child, enabling another golfer to win instead here (a terrific lesson in priorities that your child should remember for all of his or her life – nice work)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Sam Simon, a co-originator of “The Simpsons,” who is now terminally ill from colon cancer and said here that he will donate his fortune to various charities (Godspeed)…

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory gets another “raspberry” here for signing voter ID into law, which is bad enough. What’s worse is that he didn’t even bother to read the bill (yeah, I’m sure ALEC dotted all the “I’s” and crossed all the “T’s,” so why bother, right?)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Willard Mitt Romney, for STILL saying here that he really didn’t make that remark about the “47 percent” (Yeah, just blame that gol-danged “liburuul media” again, OK? The problem is that he’s been recorded using that very language – it takes a truly special kind of a tool to keep hanging onto something like this)

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Montgomery County Register of Wills Bruce Hanes, who basically told the administration of PA Gov Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett here to pound sand, as it were, and issued same-sex marriage licenses in opposition to the state’s idiotic Defense of Marriage Act (and a Dregs citation to those in the government of our glorious commonwealth by responding with a lawsuit to stop Hanes, of course…looks like a trial date has been set, as noted here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Rudolph Randa gets a dishonorable mention; he’s a federal judge who handed down an opinion in July (here) granting the Catholic Church — and indeed, potentially all religious institutions — such sweeping immunity from federal bankruptcy law that it is not clear that it would permit any plaintiff to successfully sue any church in any court (he’s an appointee from Poppy Bush who apparently has a history of having his goofball rulings overturned by a higher court – let’s hope that happens again in this case).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Terrence Jones of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, who was arrested for allegedly kicking a homeless man, as noted here (considering that most NBA players end up bankrupt after their careers are over, it’s entirely conceivable that this dirt bag could be joining their ranks one day; it would be richly deserved)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep Reid Ribble earns a dubious mention here, and I need to set this up.

Sister Simone Campbell (what a difference one little “e” makes!) testified before those jackals in the U.S. House here about the effectiveness of government subsidized welfare programs and public-private partnerships with faith-based charities. She highlighted the foundational nature of charity and economic justice to the Catholic Church and heralded the difference that federal assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Head Start initiatives have made in the lives of America’s most vulnerable.

I’m sure you know what’s coming next…

Instead of focusing on how the government can assist the millions of Americans who struggle to put food on the table, Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) indicted Campbell and the Catholic Church for not doing enough to fix poverty on their own, asking, “What is the church doing wrong that they have to come to the government to get so much help?”

To her credit, Campbell shot back at Ribble, saying “Justice comes before charity… Everyone has a right to eat, and therefore there is a governmental responsibility to ensure everyone’s capacity to eat.”

Of course, Ribble, being a thoroughly heartless and utterly selfish bastard, doesn’t have the first clue about any of that (he is obviously someone who deserves more pity than rage, but I’ll settle for equal helpings of both at the moment…and a Do-Gooder citation to Sister Simone, of course).

Dregs of the Year Nominee (Commemorative “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing, Before I Blow It To Smithereens” Citation)

Kendra Gill, the 18-year-old Miss Utah beauty pageant queen, was arrested with three friends, John Reagh, Shanna Smith and Bryce Stone, on charges of helping to make explosive devices and throwing them at houses and residents of her Salt Lake City suburb here (oopsie!).

More later…

Doomsy’s Do-Gooders and Dregs (2013 – Pt. 6)

Prior related posts appear below:

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1 (with setup)

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

The students and professors at Millersville State University in PA who turned their chairs around to face in the opposite direction from PA Governor Tom (“Space Cadet”) Corbett when the PA guv gave his commencement address (here); the chair-turners were protesting Corbett’s cuts to the budget for public education in our beloved commonwealth (nicely done, on the part of the protestors)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Virginia nominee for Attorney General (and do I really need to identify the party?) and State Senator Mark Obenshain, who introduced a bill here stating that, if a woman in Virginia has a miscarriage without a doctor present, she must report it within 24 hours to the police or risk going to jail for a full year (and keep telling me that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is fiction…apparently the bill was withdrawn, but it never should have been considered in the first place)

(And by the way, based on this, it looks like the race between Repug Obenshain and Dem Mark Herring is headed to a recount – why do I have a feeling that dirty work is afoot?)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Repug U.S. House Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN), who “agitated against food aid for poor Americans included in the Farm Bill (in May’s) House Agricultural Committee debate,” as Think Progress tells us here, even though…

While Fincher interprets food assistance for the needy as “stealing,” he has not similarly condemned the Farm Bill’s massive agricultural subsidies. In fact, he supported a proposal to expand crop insurance by $9 billion over the next 10 years. Fincher has a great personal stake in maintaining these particular government handouts, as the second most heavily subsidized farmer in Congress and one of the largest subsidy recipients in Tennessee history…

With most Repug politicians (and some Dems too), the misfortune of others doesn’t register unless, somehow, that same misfortune rears up and bites them in the ass. Otherwise, compassion is dead for these life forms.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

I could probably trot Oklahoma Senator James Mountain Inhofe out on this list for any one of a number of reasons, but as noted here, he tried to make it sound like his state, after suffering a horrific tornado disaster in May, would somehow manage its federal aid better than the states affected by Hurricane Sandy did (no line these life forms won’t cross…of course, no proof whatsoever from Inhofe to support his baseless allegation that funds for Hurricane Sandy, after the congressional Repugs FINALLY approved them, were mismanaged)

That being said, I am genuine sorry for Inhofe and his family concerning this tragedy – my deepest sympathies.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Former New York Times executive editor and now columnist Bill Keller for claiming here that, in response to all of the May dustups surrounding President Obama more or less (BENGHAZI!, the Teahadist IRS stuff and the AP reporter stuff), that Number 44 should bring back Ken Starr as an “independent investigator,” which may be the stupidest capitulation to the wingnuts that I’ve ever seen (oh great…let’s have Starr waste millions MORE dollars “investigating” all kinds of specious garbage, no doubt ending with the charge that President Obama received a blow job from an intern… heckuva job, Keller! – h/t Atrios)

Dregs of the Year Nominees

Western and Southern Insurance Group gets a dubious mention; in May, they bought up the 104-year-old Anna Louise Inn in Cincinnati, Ohio, which had long provided a refuge for women struggling to overcome drug addictions or prostitution, escape abusive husbands, or simply get back on their feet.

As the Cincinnati Union Bethel, the nonprofit that runs the Anna Louise, told the AP, they gave in to the sale because they couldn’t afford to sustain a legal fight with the insurance giant. One woman who took shelter at the house for two years after leaving an abusive relationship explained, “Western and Southern had the money to fight and the Anna Louise Inn didn’t. When you have that much money and you want something, eventually you’re going to get it.”

As Think Progress tells us here…

Western and Southern has already bought up a sizable portion of Cincinnati’s historic Lytle Park neighborhood, where the house is located. The company developed Cincinnati’s tallest building in 2011 and plans to turn the Anna Louise into a boutique hotel as it has done with other historic properties in the area.

Oh, so in the name of “gentrification,” the insurance behemoth will toss destitute women into the street so the “hoi polloi” can gather in exquisitely-adorned locales, accessorized appropriately while drinking the finest champagne from fluted crystal stem ware while they pass the sweet and sour shrimp to one another.

If Charles Dickens were still alive, I’m sure he’d write another book about this (can’t think of a word to describe how sad it is that such class inequality comparable to two centuries ago has devolved over the course of only about 30 years).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

Nine-year-old Hannah Robertson from British Columbia, Canada, who attended a McDonald’s stakeholders meeting in May with her mom, nutrition blogger and food activist Kia Robertson; Hannah told McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson “It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time,” and also asked “Mr. Thompson, don’t you want kids to be healthy so they can live a long and happy life?” And in response, Thompson apparently went all “humuna humuna humuna…”

Nicely done (here).

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

I know I give the Bucks County Courier Times a lot of static, and rightly so at times I believe (“fourth estate freak show” and all that…on one level, the full-on wingnut hilarity of their Op-Ed page is frequently something to behold), but also in May, they ran a series about families and young men and women in the country dealing with heroin addiction…what I saw of it was very well done (hey, if J.D. Mullane can win some phony-baloney journalistic bauble for his dreck, then the writers in this series should get an honorable mention for this also at the very least).

Commemorative “Does It Whistle ‘Sig Heil,’ I Wonder?” Citation of the Year (“Housewares In The Alleged Image of Infamous Historical Mass Murderers” Department)

As if big-box retailer J.C. Penney didn’t have enough going wrong this year, in May it came out that they made a teapot that resembled (to some) Adolf Hitler (I guess this means that, as far as kitchen accessories go, the “Pol Pot” – ba-dump! – can’t be far behind). And as luck would have it, the kettle turned out to be a hot seller online (I didn’t know skin heads drank Darjeeling…here).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

John Stossel of Fix Noise earns a dubious mention; as noted here, he claimed that “no one in the U.S. died of starvation before welfare,” which is a particularly outrageous lie among the others propagated by that network on a daily basis; as The Raw Story tells us…

During the Great Depression in 1933, then-President Herbert Hoover (R) had told reporters that “nobody is actually starving… The hoboes, for example, are better fed than they have ever been. One hobo in New York got ten meals in one day.”

But according to historians Steven Mintz and Sara McNeil, the number of cases of starvation in New York City alone had increased from 20 in 1931 to 110 in 1934.

And malnutrition was a much larger problem. One 1933 study of 514 children in New York found that more than one-third were in “poor” or “very poor” health.

And that’s in New York alone.

Which, among other things, basically tells us that some Republican Party talking points haven’t changed in at least 80 years (and Stossel also gets a dubious mention for this disgusting episode).

Do-Gooder of the Year Nominee

I definitely have issues with Repug Ohio Governor John Kasich, but this tells us how he has quite rightly been urging his Repug brethren in charge of various state houses to support Medicaid expansion; if making the argument that The Sainted Ronnie R supported it (which, shockingly, appears to be true) helps to get the job done, as well as making any spiritually related claims to that effect, then all the better (Wonder if Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett is listening? Probably not.)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Departing Repug U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, who blamed the epidemic of sexual violence in our military services on “the hormone level created by nature” here, thereby casting an incredibly insulting generalization on every single person who serves, and has served, this country (and in somewhat of a related story, I think this is too much even for Texas).

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Willard Mitt Romney, for basically claiming that he lost the presidential election last year because of Hurricane Sandy (I don’t know what’s more pathetic – the self-absorbed whining or his attempt to equate losing an election with the devastation and loss of life suffered by others less fortunate than himself…here)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Fix Noise news model Gregg Jarrett earns a dubious citation for saying that accused Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman “has already been punished” for Martin’s killing because Zimmerman “looks like he’s put on a hundred pounds.”

Oh, and as long as I’m noting the Roger Ailes BS Factory here, can we stop already with praising news humanoid Megyn Kelly for teeing off on Lou Dobbs and Erick Erickson over the latter two’s Neanderthal comments on working women? Soon after she did the right thing for a change, she was back to plying her evil craft against Dem U.S. House Rep Jim McDermott on the whole IRS/Tea Party/”Social Welfare” organization thing, as noted here.

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Maine State House Minority Leader Ken Fredette definitely gets a mention; in June, he said that his “man’s brain” can’t get behind Obamacare’s federal funding for Medicaid expansion because he is concerned about costs (here).

So much stoo-pid, so little time…

To begin, Medicaid expansion in states like Maine happen to be highly stimulative, and as Think Progress also tells us here, states that refuse to expand Medicaid could lose out on as much as $8 billion in funding…basically, the overwhelming majority of the money for the expansion will come from the Feds (and by the way, Medicaid expansion is definitely supported in public polling all over the country, including the South, which is so quick to rail against our “big gumint, socialist pre-dee-dint” at every opportunity).

Let’s see…sexist, fiscally idiotic, utterly flying in the face of public opinion; how many more ways can the Repugs go wrong here (and at some point, the lame brains who vote for these numbskulls should face the music too).

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

The 26 Democratic lawmakers in Congress who did their best to live off food stamps for a week in protest of Republican budget cuts to the program, as noted here (nothing like walking in someone else’s shoes, something a Repug would understand only by accident)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Every idiot who sent a racist “tweet” to 11-year-old Sebastien De La Cruz, who sang a great version of the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs here, earning him an encore for Game 4, where the crowd rightfully gave him a big hand

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

Yahoo, for, among search engines, actually not caving to NSA requests for data as part of PRISM, another surveillance program leaked by that supposedly unpatriotic Edward Snowden, as noted here (and by the way, I don’t know what will happen to Snowden at this point or whether or not his actions endangered our government, military or foreign service personnel or anyone working with us from other countries, but I have to give him props for taking a shot at “Deadeye Dick” like this)

Dregs of the Year Nominee

Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, for the following (here)…

Abortion has to be made funny, the thinking goes, because funny sells on social media, and that’s where one goes to court young people. “You can engage with sarcasm, it’s hard with the abortion issue, but you have to,” said Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins at a breakout panel at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington today on how to win millennial voters. “Unfortunately we have to, because this is the generation that we’ve been dealt.”

Oh, so somehow, to “engage” younger voters to become pro-life, you have to turn the abortion issue into an episode of “Seinfeld” or something? How about a “wager” on whether or not Elaine gets an abortion? Or George can argue with the front office of the New York Yankees on whether or not abortion exists. Or Kramer can present to Elaine’s publisher the idea of a coffee table book about abortions. Or Jerry can wear a “puffy shirt” with a picture of an aborted fetus.

To me, this whole sorry situation illustrates the near-total moral bankruptcy of most of the people who advocate for the unborn on this issue. Yes, I’ve encountered people who really do “walk the walk” on the issue of abortion and do good work, like taking in unwed mothers-to-be and giving them shelter and taking care of their needs, counseling them on adoption or whatever other meager options are available to them in the “age of sequestration.” These people really are doing God’s work as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately, just about all of the other people I hear of or read about on this issue are nothing but sanctimonious blowhards trying to cram their agenda down everyone’s throats, and part of that agenda is criminalizing abortion which, last I checked, was still the law of the land thanks to Roe v. Wade.

And by the way, what a ringing endorsement in that last sentence of the generation that Hawkins and her fellow travelers are trying to win over on this issue, as if the millennials are too vapid or emotionally immature to understand what abortion is really all about.

(And as long as I’m on this subject, I might as well point out the following. I noted a certain individual recently at this site and his preoccupation with this topic, which he does not hesitate to make public when he feels like it. And I am definitely picking up on some hostility for saying so. I expected that. I would only say in response that maybe the Catholic Church could be a little less monolithic in its approach towards sex education, and that might end up preventing a lot more unwanted pregnancies than a whole truckload of hail Marys, hallelujahs and Hosannas.)

Dregs of the Year Nominee (“Possibly The Most Oxymoronic Behavior Of The Year” Citation)

Patrick Johnston, head of Personhood Ohio, a far-right anti-abortion group, who tried to raise funds for his group in June by selling some of his assault rifles from his private collection here – oh, but he’s “pro-life,” let’s not forget (and by the way, see the above paragraph…haven’t heard a denunciation from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for tactics like this either.)

Do-Gooders of the Year Nominees

The courageous individuals noted here who protested social services cuts in North Carolina to the point of being arrested (same for those protesting cuts to public school education in Philadelphia due to “Space Cadet” Tom Corbett’s utterly wretched budget, as noted here…and I guess we have a theme all of a sudden, but paging the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops again – zzzzz; they used to be involved in this stuff)

More later…