Another rapid-fire burst of stuff

Possibly of no interest to anyone outside of Australia, the House Speaker resigned today to return to his native Labor Party. While Speaker, the rep is not involved in party politics. In the interim, the Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper has become House Speaker. Slipper's from the Coalition. Slipper seems to have been on the outer with his party. If he accepts the job permanently, his party have threatened to kick him out. If he is offered the job (traditionally Government offers the job to a member of their party), and he accepts, the Lubs and Nats kick him out, and the ALP can stop being a precarious minority government, ending Tony Abbott's ploy to call an election everytime someone farts or sneezes. More on ABC News here.

One of Australia's favourite media douchebags - and perennial Arseholes of Australia contender - 2GB's Alan Jones recently got a good pwning from The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). While I have no idea of the controversy that got him that slapping, I'm glad to see he's also under investigation for his continuous stream of climate denialist horseshit. Check out more here. If you don't know Alan Jones, he's the radio 'personality' largely responsible for starting the Cronulla race riots.

Live in NSW or Queensland? Want to know if there are planned fracking operations near you? Then check out this beauty.

Can Bernie Sanders run for President. Please?

A lot happening today

So here are some snippets;

A dissection of the real Climategate over at The Conversation.

A new candidate for Arseholes of Australia. Not political, but he's still a big fucking tool regardless.

Anti-marriage equality spookshow release a survey... which supports marriage equality. Facepalm.

White supremacists infiltrating and taking over a town in Montana, USA.

According to Fox News, pepper spray is now - like pizza - a vegetable.

Russia set to make talking about anything to do with homosexuality or gay rights illegal. This foul bit of fucking dirty fascist legislation has gone through one reading with a second reading due next week. Get involved to stop this loathsome act of totalitarianism here.

Lastly, Australia has been embroiled in the aimless farrago of war in Afghanistan for a good while now. While Australian soldiers fight and die to end the reign of the Taliban, what are we leaving in its place? Well, the answer is evil shit like this. Given that the nation is still not safe, even more so if you have the bad fortune to be born with ovaries or happen to be a Hazara, Australia also recently signed a deal to turn back Afghan asylum seekers. Well yay us. What? We're supposed to be the good guys you say? Well, fuck me.

Say you want a revolution

Are we looking at the start of a revolution in the US to match revolutions and mass populist uprisings that have characterised, shit just about fucking everywhere in the past year or three?

Update on the 53%

This piece, over at the Daily Kos caught my eye and is a very patient and reasoned counter to the duped and intentionally misleading goons of the 53% cadre. Read it here.

99%, 53%, 47%, 1% WTF?!?

Recently, in response to the 99% movement and the OWS protests, a right-wing pundit named Erick Erickson has launched his own counter-protest. His #firstworldproblems 'movement' is called 'We are the 53%' which is something to do with the amount of people who pay tax in the US. You know, not all taxes, like various state and federal taxes, just the important taxes that make Rush Limbaugh bloat with self importance (as well as a large number of cakes).

Erick Erickson has a gig on CNN, a publishing contract with a conservative publisher linked to his blog and a radio show. And he got where he is today by good, honest, god-damned hard work. And presumably also by having the sort of right-wing opinions that make him more amenable to being hired in American media.

I don't feel that, being Australian, I can truly understand the nuances of this rich, right-wing man's whining, nor the possible charlatanry that has led to many people being duped by this person, and joining his crusade of 'I'm okay, screw you.'

So to that end, here is a blank Erick Erickson meme. Please feel free to fill it in with whatever you think he's about. Some examples, furnished by volunteers, are after the jump.

Snippets

A few quick notes: RINJ about to make a major announcement, $16 trillion mystery dollars, Bloomberg and the Occupiers, and Slavery in Australia.

Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street

From America's Progressive Voice on Facebook (regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement);

Andrea Mollett:
 "How come the riot police never went after the tea party protests?"

Don Roberts: 
"They have guns - we got bongo drums."

Which sums it up beautifully really.

O GOP, whither art thou?

The confessions of an ex-Republican. Probably THE most damning, yet well thought-out and eloquent diatribe I've ever seen on this topic.

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult | Truthout

Tony in fairyland

US politics is bananas and full of loonies with no grip on reality. We have Tony Abbott. Compare, contrast and discuss.

Hey Americans! Better not let Rick Perry become President!

US Presidential hopeful Rick Perry: climate denialist, water waster, in bed with fracking, praying for more rain, while letting his industry paymasters suck Texas dry.

Why Rick Perry Would Put the World on a Fast Track to Total Meltdown | | AlterNet

Dear Wall Street, you owe the US a future

In US news, 16 states so far have authorised a shift toward 4 day school weeks, because there just isn't the money to keep schools open. Check out this link, then check out the one I'm about to post. Makes for an interesting compare and contrast really.

Schools Nationwide Cutting Down to 4 Days a Week, Because Wealthy Refuse to Pay Fair Share | | AlterNet

Where does the money go? It doesn't arrive in the first place. It stays in the pockets of these thieves.

Bernie Sanders: "Guess Which 10 Companies Aren't Paying Their Share" | AlterNet

The sad thing, is this isn't about right vs left, or about capitalism vs socialism. It is simply about everyone paying their fair share, merely so the next generation chas a future.

Them wacky yanks!

Some news of the day, via Alternet, Republican hopefuls Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas gov. Rick Perry, and what these PRESIDENTIAL candidates stand for.

Rampant Denial About the Threat Posed By Christian Dominionists, Perry and Bachmann | Tea Party and the Right | AlterNet

So is anyone else now scared of Dominionists?