While tax cuts for the rich are in play, and racist "guy" sitting in the white house, fumes

there are at least two month left in the Hurricane season, so guess what!

?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0


Story Highlights
NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters have grounded the Gulfstream IV aircraft that flies over storms at high altitude to gather data.

The plane, nicknamed Gonzo, has suffered a series of three malfunctions in a period of eight days.

The Gulfstream is the only high-altitude aircraft in NOAA’s hurricane hunter fleet; there is no backup.

The recently passed Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act requires a second aircraft be available to "prevent a single point of failure."

With more than two months of the Atlantic hurricane season left, NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters have grounded the Gulfstream IV aircraft that flies over storms at high altitudes to gather data.

"Unbelievably, there is no backup," Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) told the Palm Beach Post. "I’ve sounded the alarm on this until I’m blue in the face. The administration simply must act."

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/noaa-hurricane-hunter-aircraft-inoperable-with-two-months-of-hurricane-season

So we have right wing cabinet members gallivanting around on the taxpayer dollars while this plane sits grounded and there is no back-up

The Chaos President Cold Open - SNL

Gill v. Whitford, the case that can determine "gerrymendering"

Gill v. Whitford
Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
16-1161 W.D. Wis. Oct 3, 2017
TBD TBD TBD OT 2017
Issues: (1) Whether the district court violated Vieth v. Jubelirer when it held that it had the authority to entertain a statewide challenge to Wisconsin's redistricting plan, instead of requiring a district-by-district analysis; (2) whether the district court violated Vieth when it held that Wisconsin's redistricting plan was an impermissible partisan gerrymander, even though it was undisputed that the plan complies with traditional redistricting principles; (3) whether the district court violated Vieth by adopting a watered-down version of the partisan-gerrymandering test employed by the plurality in Davis v. Bandemer; (4) whether the defendants are entitled, at a minimum, to present additional evidence showing that they would have prevailed under the district court's test, which the court announced only after the record had closed; and (5) whether partisan-gerrymandering claims are justiciable.


http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/gill-v-whitford/


And the country is going to watch how political corruption in the U.S. Supreme Court plays out with Neil Gorsuch, and his placement on the bench by a corrupt right wing agenda led by the turtle.............


Crooks and Liars has a great back ground on this:

http://crooksandliars.com/2017/09/partisan-gerrymandering-illegal-supreme

NBA Reminds Players, Coaches Of Rule About Standing During National Anthem

By Brian Mahoney Published SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 9:53 AM

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA is recommending teams address fans or show videos expressing themes of unity before their first home games, while reminding them of the rule that players must stand for the national anthem.

A memo was sent to teams Friday, a day after Commissioner Adam Silver said he expected players would stand for the anthem .

In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum suggested teams use their opening games “to demonstrate your commitment to the NBA’s core values of equality, diversity, inclusion and serve as a unifying force in the community.”

He recommended an address by a player or coach to fans before the anthem, or a video featuring players or community leaders speaking about important issues and showing photos from past community events.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nba-reminds-rule-standing-national-anthem

This really is BS, your Constitutional rights do not end at the stadium door, f*ck your memo

Justice Gorsuch Under Fire For Trump Hotel Speech

Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch was under fire Thursday as he prepared to deliver a speech at a Washington hotel owned by US President Donald Trump, who appointed him to the bench.

Denouncing it as a conflict of interest and apparent display of political support, which is prohibited by the Constitution, activists, lawyers and academics have unsuccessfully sought the cancellation of Gorsuch's speech at a luncheon at the Trump International Hotel.

Justices at the US Supreme Court may participate in events organized by institutes with clear political stances -- such as the conservative Fund for American Studies which organized Thursday's lunch -- but for critics, the fact that Gorsuch is a featured speaker at Trump's hotel raises ethical issues.

Although the confirmation process for Supreme Court justices is extremely political, the court's members are required to follow a code of conduct that prohibits them from expressing their political preferences.


http://www.nationalmemo.com/justice-gorsuch-fire-trump-hotel-speech/

This jerk really has no business having on a black robe on any bench, especially in a court room

Things are getting tense as Kurdistan is between Iraq and a hard place

Source: Think Progress

The Kurdish Regional Government is getting squeezed from all sides after the September 25 referendum pursuing formalized independence from Iraq passed with overwhelming majority. On Friday, Baghdad blocked all international flights into the Kurdish region’s two international airports and is sending troops to the borders of the Kurdish region, which sits in northern Iraq.

Although the it found a powerful ally in the Kurdish Peshmerga forces the fight against ISIS in Iraq, the United States went from hoping Barzani would simply delay the referendum to flat-out saying “the results lack legitimacy.” In a statement released on Friday night, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said:

We urge calm and an end to vocal recriminations and threats of reciprocal actions. We urge Iraqi Kurdish authorities to respect the constitutionally-mandated role of the central government and we call upon the central government to reject threats or even allusion to possible use of force. The United States asks all parties, including Iraq’s neighbors, to reject unilateral actions and the use of force.

If Tillerson’s language seems blunt, it’s nothing compared to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who, speaking at a political rally on Saturday, accused the Kurds of “opening a wound in the region to twist the knife in.” He added the KRG would “pay the price” for going through with the referendum.

Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/kurdistan-between-iraq-hard-place-1c142449db1e/

Revealed: Johnson & Johnson's 'irresponsible' actions over vaginal mesh implant

A vaginal mesh implant made by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was launched without a clinical trial, and then marketed for five years after the company learned that it had a higher failure rate than their two earlier devices.

Internal company emails disclosed in a US court case, in which a 51-year-old woman was awarded a record $57m in damages this month, also show that senior executives even briefly considered suppressing unfavourable data that “could compromise the future” of the device.

J&J’s Ethicon unit was found by a US court to be liable for the serious injuries Ella Ebaugh suffered after receiving a mesh implant to treat urinary incontinence. The mother of five said she was left with a mangled urethra, bladder spasms and continual pelvic pain after an unsuccessful procedure that led to three revision surgeries to remove mesh that had cut into her urethra and migrated to her bladder.

But documents submitted to the court show J&J staff had raised concerns about the “spinning of data” in emails and male executives are seen bantering about a suggestion that sex with an earlier patient with mesh complications must be “like screwing a wire brush”.

When it emerged from initial data that the success rates for a new device looked to be “way below” those seen for previous products, Ethicon’s director of sales, Xavier Buchon, suggested in an email “stop[ping] for a while such publications that could compromise the future”.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/29/revealed-johnson-johnsons-irresponsible-actions-over-vaginal-mesh-implant

Conservatives keep watering down MLKs message for their own agendas

Conservatives — especially white conservatives — like to argue that there’s a right way and a wrong way to protest. The right way, they argue, is any quiet, silent demonstration in which activists mostly do nothing and disturb no one. The wrong way is everything else.

To explain what the “right” kind of protest looks like, white conservatives often co-opt the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr — whose method of nonviolence and peaceful boycott is, in their eyes, correct, wholesome, and majority-approved.

Most recently, a version of that message has been used to criticize the NFL players and other professional athletes who have taken a knee during the national anthem in support of justice for the black community.

“The civil rights protests led by Martin Luther King Jr. were a case study in disciplined political campaigning,” The Federalist’s Mark Hemingway wrote on Tuesday, bemoaning the ongoing racial justice protests, which were started last fall by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. “I regret to say that what’s going on in the NFL is destined to agitate rather than accomplish, because no one seems to have learned the lessons of civil rights protests.”

https://thinkprogress.org/conservatives-water-down-mlk-message-5bc06907f6ce/

Hey, Mark Hemingway, you and your right wing organization have no message, except one thing, racism makes you money, and you have no concept on the CONSTITUTION, have you read the Framers Coup, looked it up and you will see the difference in the Antifederalists and the Federalist positions on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Taxes etc.............. and learn, something, your organization is nothing more than an extension of right wing hate, you have no concept of the message of Dr. King............ none, we are not going to let your side co-opt the vision of Dr. King..............never

Fun Friday: Your "Alien" EDC Kit hosted by the NRA, oh boy paranoia at its finest

The “Alien” franchise of horror/sci-fi is one of the more iconic film series of the last few decades, and it’s also one of the reasons why I hate horror movies. Traditionally, horror-movie plots hinge pretty heavily on poor planning and decision-making, and that’s not what we’re about here at NRA Family.
So, let’s get our situational readiness on. Aliens are lurking on the surface of Earth, and facehuggers prowl the alleyways of Detroit and other major cities, looking to nab unwitting passersby. I, for one, am perfectly content to invest a sizeable amount of money into a kit that keeps my sternum from exploding on a dining room table à la the original Alien, so let’s get to it.

https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2017/9/8/fun-friday-your-alien-edc-kit/

And then we have their versions of all those favorite story book classics:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/us/the-nra-reimagines-classic-fairy-tales-with-guns.html




No wonder this country is turning into a third rate state, teaching KIDS to pack guns, and how to get survivalist gear, with your own body armor to protect yourself from Aliens


I hate the NRA...............

National GOP Groups Spent $81K To Defend Prices House Seat For Every Day In Cabinet

By CAMERON JOSEPH Published SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 5:24 PM

Well, that was worth it.

Former Rep. Tom Price’s (R-GA) move to President Trump’s cabinet opened up a seat that ended up costing national Republican groups $18.8 million to keep in their hands, part of the $60 million spent total on the most expensive House race in U.S. history. Now he’s been pushed out after spending hundreds of thousands of government money on unnecessary private jet travel.

Price was sworn into the cabinet as Health & Human Services secretary on February 10th — 231 days ago. That means the National Republican Congressional Committee, Congressional Leadership Fund, and other national Republican groups were forced to spend a whopping $81,490 for every day he was in the cabinet, burning through campaign cash like Price burned through jet fuel.

That’s $570,432 a week, $2.7 million a month.

Those groups aren’t exactly pleased with how things played out, and wouldn’t mind some payback.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/national-gop-groups-spent-81000-to-defend-tom-price-house-seat-for-every-day-in-cabinet

I hope these assholes burn through all of the cash. I don't appreciate someone or some organizations trying to kill me or my family for greed