4) Toddlers. Oh, they think they’re so cute. They think they’re so important, what with claiming to be… what was it again? Right. “The future.” I mean, please.

Enough of them. Look at it this way: If it wasn’t for toddlers, we wouldn’t have to worry about the environment, the water supply, the economy, oil, anything at all. We could run riot, pwn this meager planet and abuse it to smithereens, just like the GOP intended. Here, little ones. Try a dose of harsh reality, courtesy of the police department. Psshhht. See you in college!

8) Hipster cyclists. Oh right, like you’ve never been driving along all calm and happy, when suddenly a skinny hipster whips in front of you and flips you off with one hand while toking on his American Spirit with the other, even as he chugs his Four Barrel triple latte with his giant beard before pedaling his fixie all the way to the Piercing Emporium to punch holes in your unsuspecting kids. Heathens! I pepper spray your nicely converted Schwinn and/or cool Chrome messenger bag!

read more: mark morford. sfgate, 30.11.11.

I love Mark Morford.

also read the reviews on amazon for this item (pepper spray).

climateadaptation:

I’ve tried horse once — pretty tasty. But, I think they’re better as pets…

“In a bipartisan effort, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate approved the Conference Committee report on spending bill H2112, which among other things, funds the United States Department of Agriculture.  On November 18th, as the country was celebrating Thanksgiving, President Obama signed a law, allowing Americans to kill and eat horses. Essentially, one turkey was pardoned in the presence of worldwide media while in the shadows, buried under pages of fiscal regulation, millions of horses were sentenced to death.

Horse slaughter has been prohibited in the United States as funding for inspections of horses in transit and at slaughter houses was non-existent. This worked because the horse meat cannot be sold for human consumption without such inspections. The House version of the bill retained the de-funding language and the Senate version did not. The conference committee charged with reconciling the two opted to not include it. The result is that it is now legal to slaughter horses for humans to eat.

Notwithstanding that 70% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, that President Obama made a campaign promise to permanently ban horse slaughter and exports of horses for human consumption (horses can be sent to Mexico and Canada), that documentation of animal cruelty, slaughterhouse stench, fluid runoff and negative community impact exists, it is taxpayers that will bear the costs!

Wyoming state representative Sue Wallis and her pro-slaughter group estimate that between 120,000 and 200,000 horses will be killed for human consumption per year and that Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Georgia and Missouri, are considering opening slaughter plants.

During these trying times, is the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Americans need to eat horses?”

technorati, 28.11.11.

Introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, this bill (H.R. 1581) would eliminate protection for wilderness study areas and Forest Service roadless areas — exactly the kind of healthy, undisturbed lands that provide and safeguard clean air and water resources, supply habitat for plants and animals, and offer Americans a place to get outdoors and kayak, camp, fish, or hike. That’s one reason why people in the outdoor recreation industry — which, by the way, supports nearly 6.5 million jobs and contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy —are among the biggest opponents of this public lands giveaway. 

Send an email (through the Sierra Club) to your Representative to keep this land our land.

(Source: speakerforthetrees, via climateadaptation)

Dear _____, 

Last week, despite an outcry from concerned citizens like you, the House Armed Services Committee moved one frightening step closer to passing a new law for a worldwide war without end. 

Outrageously, there have been no hearings on this new legislation, nor has its necessity been explained by Rep. Buck McKeon or anyone else in Congress. 

You and more than 25,000 ACLU supporters took action to oppose this dangerous stealth provision in the huge Defense authorization bill. The worldwide war legislation was drafted by President George Bush’s team back in 2008, but now is being jammed through Congress with no debate. 

The bill will move to the full House for a vote as early as next week. But right now, members of Congress are at home in their districts. 

That’s why we must ramp up the pressure, making sure they know we won’t tolerate Congress giving any president a blank check for declaring war. You wrote your representative. Now, take the next critical steps.

1. Alert your FB friends.
2. Write a letter to the editor.
3. Call your representative’s district office.
   Rep. Barbara Lee (510) 763-0370 (California)

This worldwide war bill could end up being the single biggest ceding of unchecked war authority to the executive branch in modern American history. And they’re trying to sneak it through without a single hearing. 

That’s why we must swing into action while House members are in their home districts. You can help by alerting your friends about this issue, writing a letter to the editor, or calling your representative’s district office to express alarm about this dangerous measure sneaking through the House. 

It’s outrageous that, just as the majority of Americans eagerly await the ramping down of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress is acting under the cover of darkness to pass a new law for a worldwide war. 

We’re going to have to keep working to make sure this stealth provision never becomes the law of the land. Please do as much as you can this week and remain alert in the days ahead. 

Sincerely,


Laura W. Murphy
Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004

1984, anyone?