MOLON LABE - Asshats on Parade

GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is in favor of using federal troops and the FBI to stop women from having abortions.

"I will not pretend there is nothing we can do to stop this," Huckabee said Thursday at a campaign stop in Jefferson, Iowa.

Women who remember the bad old days before safe legal medical contraception and abortion are still alive and we vote, Hucksterbee.

Those were deadly days for women. My Mother and my Sister had illegal abortions. Hucksterbee would send federal troops to do what to my Mother and Sister? Incarcerate them? Enslave them? Just slut shame them? What, you asswipe?

You think real men who love and respect women will allow anyone to do such to their Mothers, Sisters, Wives and Daughters?

Art by Favianna Rodriguez.

Monkey Business

This is worth watching. Never underestimate the humanity of animals. Or vice versa.

Bernie is going to be POTUS and this is the reason. - OMG GOP WTF?

You do not even have to listen to the words. Just watch the faces. Watch Greenspan sneer. Watch the legislative assistant laugh. Watch Greenspan's weasel words when he is made to confront his abject failure.

Oh Mr. Greenspan, what a surprise it is that people steal. Who woulda thunk it? Anybody with common sense would have known people steal. My Dad would have been better than you at handling the economy.

Get it that Republicans are still peddling 'trickle down' economics and 'deregulation.' Republicans are still bankrupting states. Bernie told them off in 2003. Go, Bernie, go!

Art Deco and More at the New York Public Library

I found the New York Public Library Digital Collections. What a great resource for everyone. 

"The site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more."

The images come from the Collections for Designers - Ornament and Pattern: Pre Victorian to Art Deco. 

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. "1. Foliage; 2. Foliage; 3. Flowers and foliage" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

The material in the collections is a treasure chest of graphic and abstract design. I spent a long time just poking about and I have not exhausted the resource yet.

The provenance of the abstract Tulips.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. "[Multicolor tulip shapes; on purple field.]" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1930.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Cretonne imprimée." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1926. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-ae3e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

SCOTUS COMES OUT FOR MARRIAGE!

I always cry tears of joy at weddings. Clears and purifies the heart and the sinuses. Go Hillary!

Richard and Mildred Loving 1967

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival... - Chief Justice Earl Warren

I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry... I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about. - Mildred Loving

Brock Davis Plays with His Food.

My favorite part of catering was creating beautiful tablescapes with flowers, drapery and artistic whimsey. I loved making the food look beautiful on the plate. That work has given me an appreciation of Food Art wherever I find it, on the canvas or on the plate.

You want to go to Brock Davis website, if only to see the Banana Peel Trucker Hat.  

OMG GOP WTF? - And what rough beast, its hour come round at last...

George P. Bush looks like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush had a baby, because they knew neither one of them would win the election, but their offspring might. Badda Bing. 



Hat tip to Yeats. 

The Gay Banditos Prevent Abortion

Hat tip to Lewis Black.

Art from the WPA

The Library of Congress possesses a treasure trove of the finest examples of American graphic art ever silk screened and printed.

I selected a few of the posters created by WPA artists for your enjoyment. Then as now, the government is not shy about giving us good advice. You can see more of these incredible posters HERE:












You can purchase prints of many of these posters. There is more than one Zoo poster. You want to see them all. I had a hard time selecting which one to use here.



The Federal Art Project (FAP) was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created posters, murals and paintings. Some works still stand among the most-significant pieces of public art in the country. - Wikipedia





Did you know that Philadelphia once had a municipal acquarium? 

Tailgating for Jesus - Sign of the Month - June 2015

This sign comes from Every Saturday Morning Blog.  This is their Mission Statement:

Louisville Clinic Escort volunteers offer to accompany people seeking abortions to the door of EMW Women’s Surgical Center while practicing de-escalation and promoting normalization of abortion access.

Helluva sign. Death, Religion and Politics on one stick. Bet that woman is a multi-tasker of the first water. The sign below was the runner up this month. What is it with trucks used as billboards? Way to maximize exposure for sure.

These are not the first truck signs I have published. I like them. Begs the question: do liberals drive trucks? Yes, they do. Look at truck sign #3 below.

Nick and the Meaning of Life

"Some say life is too complex,
When you boil it down, it's food and sex."
- Nick Vanocur 

It is official. Ireland has passed equal marriage rights by vote.

God bless the Irish.
I know S/he does.

Right on Time Barbecue Sauce

I am blessed with seriously foody friends. Only a friend will give you their prize recipe for Barbecue Sauce.

Iron Pyrite's Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

1 stick of Butter
1 chopped white Onion
1 minced Garlic clove
4 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce (more of less to suit taste)
1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons of Chili Powder (more or less to suit taste)
2 cups of apple cider Vinegar (rice vinegar will give a more “sour” finish)
1 32-ounce bottle of Ketchup (more or less to suit taste)
1-1/2 cups of Brown Sugar (more sugar will tend to thicken the mixture, and make more of a glaze on the meat)
4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrin’s is good)
Fine ground Black Pepper (add to suit taste while cooking)

Melt butter in a large frying pan, and sauté the onions and garlic until light brown. I like to sauté the onions and garlic starting with a low heat, then gradually increase the heat up to a “medium” level, until the onions and garlic start to “liquefy” in the butter. If you choose to do this, you will have to ensure that the onions and garlic are finely chopped/minced.

Bring the heat down to a high simmer, and add the remaining ingredients, starting with the ketchup; thoroughly stir the ketchup into the mix, then add the brown sugar a few small scoops at a time, so that it will not “clump”, and continue to stir consistently.

Once all the ingredients have been added, bring the heat down to a low simmer, and stir frequently for about 45 minutes to an hour. This is time to add the “suit to taste” ingredients that you like. Keep refrigerated - will keep well in the refrigerator.

Make Mother's Day

The Gay Banditos Preserve and Protect the Family

Hat tip to Lewis Black.

The Gay Banditos Fix the Economy

Hat tip to Lewis Black. 

Sign of the Month - May 2015

What the Teacher Saw: Baltimore Cops Created the Riot. Pass it on.

"Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery."– Malcolm X

The only questions I have are:

Did they do what the Teacher describes below because they are stupid, paranoid and cowardly?

Or did they do this to make noise loud enugh to obscure and cover up their torture and murder of Freddie Gray?

I say "they" because the cops are a gang of thugs. The many act as one. The good cops cover for the bad cops. Therefore there are no good cops.

Meghann Victoria Harris

A clear narration of what my students and I just saw (and please SHARE this so people know the story): we drove into Mondawmin, knowing it was going to be a mess. I was trying to get them home before anything insane happened. The students were JUST getting out of Douglas, but before that could even happen, the police were forcing busses to stop and unload all their passengers. Then, Douglas students, in huge herds, were trying to leave on various busses but couldn't catch any because they were all shut down. No kids were yet around except about 20, who looked like they were waiting for police to do something. The cops, on the other hand, were in full riot gear marching toward any small social clique of students who looked as if they were just milling about. It looked as if there were hundreds of cops. So, me, personally, if I were a Douglas student that just got trapped in the middle of a minefield BY cops without any way to get home and completely in harm's way, I'd be ready to pop off, too.

I hope everyone's kids are getting home to them safely tonight.

Democrat Dom Costa wants to make yelling at the police a crime. Dumbass.

Wherein I sing Dom Costa a SONG.

PA Lawmaker Wants to Make it a Crime to Taunt Police Officers Because Feelings May Get Hurt

"Also taking part in today’s meathead intellectualism de jour, was former Pittsburgh Police Officer and current House member Dom Costa, who proposed that taunting cops should be a crime because feelings may be hurt and egos may be bruised. At the press conference, Costa said:

This nonsense that is going today on where police officers are being taunted by people and being provoked, lets face it we’re all human beings, and eventually that emotion will break. And that’s what they’re trying to do. So, what I’ve talked to some of my colleagues and the senator [Senator Rafferty] is that we have a bill about taunting a police dog. It’s illegal. There should be out that you can’t taunt a police officer because you’re going to get those emotions up. I myself and Representative Vereb are looking at that bill to put it forward in the House, and I am sure the Senate will follow. Or at least support that bill. - Rep. Dom Costa"

Read more about it at Raging Chicken Press - a first class Pennsylvania politics blog. 

Oink oink at you from Philly, Dom Baby. 

You know, where the cops were investigated by the FBI for not pursuing rapists.

Where the cops grab your tit while invading your home on a bogus drug bust and tell you "Too bad Lady, nobody is going to believe you." 

Where the police assaulted Rev. Clarice Harris for asking for a badge number while they were beating someone.

The Pennsylvania State Police are no better. Some of their handiwork ------------>.

Dom Costa is an Oinker. Come onna my house, Costa. Soooo Eeeee Pig Pig Pig.

Now come and get this Old Lady. Arrest me. I hope you put aside the money it is going to cost the State of PA when the ACLU comes for your ass. I am a cute Old Lady. We will make you famous.

Dumbass. I could care less you are a Democrat. I am a nonpartisan scoffer. You are a dumbass. Dumb is you, Dom.

Warm and Tender Love

The great Percy Sledge has died. Rest in Love and Music. 

Donald Trump Redux at Nick's Place

There once was a blowhard named Trump
Who had a skull as thick as his rump.
But that thing on his head
That we weren't sure was dead
May've been the brains of the bunch.

by Nick Vanocur

Caricature of The Donald from FreakingNews.com. You want to go there for superb photoshop Art. 

Okay, Scotty. Show us on the doll where the big nasty Koch brothers touched you.

BuckeyeB says "The thumb marks the spot."

You think this Walker guy is juiced? Look at his eyes. Look at his puffy face. He looks higher than the birds to me. And trust me, I know about get high. Cocaine maybe? He looks anesthetized.

Guy looks higher than Steve Cantaloupe Calves King. And that is saying something.

Sydney suggests that if we listen quietly, we can hear the marbles rolling around in Walker's head. I have seriously funny friends.

I take this occasion to present a petition to the White House. Past time to regularly and randomly drug test Congress - House and Senate. And a few Governors as well. What is sauce for the Working Man must be sauce for The Suits.

Please GO HERE to sign the petition.

Arrange to randomly and regularly drug test Congress - both House and Senate.

We can see drug and alcohol impairment of several members of Congress - both House and Senate. This petition is an intervention.

Published Date: Apr 09, 2015

Issues: Government Reform

Sign of the Month - April 2015 - STFU David Brooks

David Brooks wants Gay Rights Advocates to "Go Gently"with their opposition

Remember Matthew Shepherd?
When was the last time LGBTQ activists tied a fundy Xtian to fence, beat the Xtian bloody and left him to die?

Remember the Upstairs Lounge arson?
When was the last time a LGBTQ activist set fire to a Xtian Purity Ball and murdered 30 people.

Remember Eric Rudolph?
When was the last time a gay activist was responsible for a series of anti-Xtian motivated bombings which killed two people and injured 111 others.

Who is David Brooks and why should we care? You think he is married? 

David Brooks needs to STFU. He is a bigot and a paid professional liar and obfuscator. No LGBTQ activist is killing and maiming and torturing Xtians for shitz and giggles. No LGBTQ activist is calling for the execution of Christians. The same cannot be said of fundamentalist Christians.

Tom Wolf wants to liberate LGBTQ folks in PA. We can help.

I love my new Governor. I am so glad I cast my vote for Tom Wolf. First, he starts to work on the death penalty and now he is working on civil rights for sexual minorities.

I feel like singing Dayenu and I am not Jewish. If Tom Wolf only rid us of the death penalty and created peace for LGBT, it would be enough.

As we sit around our feast day tables, we give thanks and we remember that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, TransGender and Queer folks are our Family, Friends and Colleagues and we love them.

Everything else Wolf might do is lagniappe. Way to go, Governor. What an excellent gift to all of us in Pennsylvania for Passover and Easter.

Now claim the gift, fellow Pennsylvanians, and sign the Governor's petition HERE.

PA-Gov: Wolf Denounces Indiana Bill, Calls for New Legislation

Governor Wolf is pushing for Pennsylvania to become a more inclusive place.In the wake of the controversy over Indiana’s anti-LGBT legislation, Wolf is asking the legislature to adopt a non-discrimination law in PA.

“I simply don’t understand what the Governor of Indiana was thinking when he signed a bill that allows discrimination against people based on who they love,” Wolf wrote in an email to his campaign subscribers. “It’s not only wrong on a human level, but also ill-advised for attracting businesses and creating jobs in today’s global economy.”

“But we have some work to do here in Pennsylvania as well,” the Governor continued. “Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast that doesn’t prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression — and that needs to end.”

Listen to the Philadelphia Biblical University Institute of Jewish Studies class of 2000 music team beautifully perform the popular Passover song Dayenu. Happy Pesach! Happy Easter! 

OMG GOP WTF? - Klingon Shit Happens - UPDATE

UPDATE: Rev. Klingenschmidt rides again!

I knew before he was elected that KlingonShit was going to be popcorn worthy. I love it when subsequent events prove my wisdom. KlingonShit has been removed from a committee by the Republican party. You voted for him Colorado. I iz laffing.

Last week, a pregnant woman in Colorado was attacked by a stranger who stabbed her in the stomach and cut her baby out of her womb, and Republican state legislator Gordon Klingenschmitt is attributing the attack to God's curse upon America for the sin of legal abortion. - Right Wing Watch

It's Colorado rocky mountain high.
I've seen it raining fire in the sky.
Friends around the campfire
And everybodys high.
Rocky mountain high ...
- John Denver

The Republican Party candidate for State Representative from El Paso County Colorado is Rev. Gordon James Klingenschmitt.  Rev. Klingenschmitt is an Evangelical Christian who has a daily religious program carried to a number of outlets by Direct TV.

Are Colorado Republicans insane? This is the guy who preaches that the FCC is allowing demonic spirits to "molest and visually rape your children." And preaches that Obamacare causes cancer. And homosexuality is a sin and a "foul cancer." 

I do not think insanity or Republicans are the reason this guy won his primary. "What is the reason?" I ask myself and I answer thus:

I think stoners are doing a takedown for shitz and giggles. Confess. How many stoners registered Republican just so you could vote for this guy? How many trekkies think I should apologize for the Klingon joke?

My evidence for a charge of stoner and trekkie hijinks? "Gordon does not speak on behalf of the Republican Party. To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and dishonest," said Ryan Call, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. The Navy did not want this guy either so they canned him.

Stoners and Trekkies look sharp. Caveat emptor! This twatwaffle is serious as a heart attack. And like the Tundra Twat, he sounds sane enough at first look to get elected. All this sanctimony is giving me serious agita.

Marijuana - The Devil's Flower

I thank The Execrable Bede and Mr. Sunshine for this moment of Moral Edification and Attitude Adjustment.

Rain and Gardens

Spring is here. I am ordering Herb Seeds and plotting Flowers. I am planting Milkweed for the Monarch Butterflies this year. I am getting that Happy Green Feeling in spite of the cold outside.

I have learned you can make that boggy place in your yard a thing of beauty and help clean and conserve water by planting a Rain Garden. 

Once planted, such a garden is maintained with little to no effort. And that is good news. Gardening can be hard work.

The woman in the photograph is teaching a class in Rain Gardens and you can see the perfect sort of location. Find out all the particulars at the link.

"To select a location for a rain garden, begin by observing your yard during a good rainfall. Notice where water is flowing. Rain gardens should ideally be located between the source of runoff (roofs and driveways) and the runoff destination (drains, streams, low spots, etc.)."

The photograph on the right is a rain garden in Philadelphia, designed by Edgar David.

"Rainwater that flows from the house roof to the stone cistern is used to irrigate an intimate collection of woodland plants."

You can read more about this interesting garden HERE. 

The Philadelphia Water Department has some excellent information about making Rain Gardens. The PWD also has a rain barrel program for those of us who do not have a boggy spot and still want to utilize and help manage rain water runoff. And now it is time for a Spring song by The Velvet Fog.