Every time I stop in at Staples — although I didn’t know until recently — I have Mitt Romney to thank for its existence. I don’t know what I’d do without Staples in the small town where I live – from the array of printer cartridges to the choice of mice. My neighbor takes her computer in for a regular cleaning. The staff answer our questions, capably and politely.

Mitt Romney did far more than finance Staples. That multi-millionaire pitched in to stock shelves at the flagship store and for years worked hard on its board of directors, so intensely involved he’d soak through dress shirts.

IIt’d be hard to put the Staples story in a stump speech, although it exemplifies the executive qualities we need in a president. If every voter knew about these qualities, they’d know who to vote for.

• Mitt didn’t let others’ uneasiness deter him from taking his own look at the Staples concept
• He had the ability to see possibilities others missed
• He sold the concept to his own doubtful partners
• He conducted due diligence
• He personally followed through — at every step — to ensure the first Staples store lived up to his concept of a “supermarket” for office supplies

Read the rest

* Bumped up *

Op-ed today (Friday) by Max Boot illustrates why the neocons are an amazing group of dangerous buffoons. Not a one of these clowns have ever served in the military and none actually understand the process of assessing risk and military planning. Boot presents his madness in the Washington Post and makes his case of why we ought to be on the ground in Syria:

Today, in the case of Syria, any military action needs to be carefully thought through, but we should not refuse to act simply because of the worst-case scenarios being raised by the Pentagon.

Start with Syria’s supposedly formidable air defense. Given the ease with which Israel penetrated those defenses in 1982, during the Lebanon War, and in 2007, to take out the al-Kibar nuclear reactor, it is unlikely that the systems would pose that much of a challenge to the world’s most sophisticated and powerful air force.

The U.S. Air Force had no trouble taking out Saddam Hussein’s air defenses on two occasions, and those, like Syria’s, were constructed largely on the Russian model. Read the rest

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day everyone.

I thought I’d share a little Irish music, some personal info and a little history of the day. There are so many things including jokes and traditions that this day brings to my mind. Do you have traditions for St. Patricks day?

To begin with I don’t actually believe that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. However anyone, Saint or Sinner that could drive snakes away (((shudder))) would be a hero to me.

To me St. Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without hearing “Galway Bay.”  It was my Grandfather Milligan’s favorite song. So here it is in his memory.

Just FYI I am 1/2 Irish and was raised to think that  St. Patrick’s Day was the most important holiday of the year. Read the rest

I’m not fair, I’m not even-handed, I don’t give the benefit of the doubt, I don’t suffer fools gladly any longer – I’m way past that these days. I’m angry and outraged at the cowardice, venality and stupidity I see in the political sphere, I’m frustrated that bog-obvious solutions to our problems are gathering dust while the clown circus magic pony ride goes on and on and I’m especially furious when ignorant, self-righteous twits attempt to foist their narrow-minded bigotries on me (or anybody else), case in point:
Read the rest

Larry Johnson wrote a description of Afghan men that I can’t get out of my head: They wipe their asses with a rock. Talk about living in the Stone Age! Sometimes I feel the same way about Republican men — or, more particularly, the battles that they choose to wage, which mostly center on controlling what women can and cannot do.

The GOP’s war against Planned Parenthood never ends, but now it’s on the front burner again. Astoundingly and stupidly, Republicans (thanks in large part to Rush Limbaugh and Rick SaIntorum) are picking this fight at the very time that the GOP has a RARE opportunity to seize the White House from an unpopular president who could be EASY to beat in November. Just in case the GOP has forgotten: To defeat Obama, they must smartly avoid alienating women and Independents, whose votes make or break an election.

As much as we want Obama out of the White House, it’s shocking how many GOP candidates have turned into bad jokes. Is the GOP base so rabid that these hard-headed ideologues are incapable of seeing the big picture — that they need a nominee who has appeal for women, Reagan Democrats and Independents? The sole remaining candidate with cross-over appeal is Mitt Romney, a hopelessly geeky brainiac with exceptional skills as a “fixer” of large businesses in crisis, which sounds exactly like what we need to fix our economy.

Obama was a great campaigner but a lousy manager; Romney may be the opposite, a lousy campaigner but a great manager in the Oval Office. But the GOP hard-heads suspect he’s not conservative enough. So they vote as if the presidential election is ALL about what THEY want, not what is best for the country.

Here’s an example of what the rightwing “base” has in mind for women. And, before you point fingers at the federal government, be sure to keep in mind that “federal government pays for nearly 90 percent of Texas’ $40 billion Women’s Health Program, and nearly half of the program’s providers in Texas are Planned Parenthood clinics. Read the rest

Just spotted this in a Tweet. Below the video is a short commentary by the videographer:

First, Santorum wanted to raise the retirement age. Then, in 2005 he said it had to be an option. In 2006, he came out against raising the retirement age. Read the rest

Groundhog Day for Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, in which Santorum scores best in Alabama and Mississippi but the other candidates gain delegates at the same pace as the winner.

Adding American Samoa and Hawaii, am told by Salena Zito that Romney will likely lead the evening in delegates. Romney started with 444, and needs 700 for success. In sum, this is an arranged marriage, and the party and the candidate will get together in Tampa.

Rick Santorum’s conduct is worthy of Frank Capra — the man who overstayed his fairy tale.

Newt Gingrich is pure dogged “All the King’s Men.” Ron Paul is a musical interlude. The puzzle is what this all comes to by October. Read the rest

The Obama team, especially his aloof, detached Secretary of Energy, are dropping the ball and failing to act decisively to produce more oil, improve oil refinery and lower the price of gas. Nope. The Obama policies are driving the price of gas up. What proof do we need? I’ve got the video:

Okay, so maybe that isn’t the Obama Administration. Actually, we shouldn’t insult the chimps. They are damned talented and able to do the “Irish” thing. The Obama gang? Not so much.

Check out the little brain on Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, (we’ve got the before and after): Read the rest

Congratulations are due Santorum for his surprising wins in Mississippi and Alabama. Waking up this morning, this victory is surely disappointing Santorum, and his erstwhile supporters, as he is now even further behind in delegates than he started out yesterday. Yes, one step forward and two backward.

Delegates are what count and, depending on whose scorecard you follow, Santorum lost ground by at least six delegates and now trails Romney by over 260 delegates. Romney increased his clear majority of delegates.

Read the rest

Santorum is welcome to celebrate his moral victory in Alabama and Mississippi but, in the long run, these wins don’t change the trajectory of the march to the Republican nomination. It is all about the delegates and, despite Saint Rick’s wishful thinking, Romney wrapped up more delegates that moves him closer to the final prize.

Two key stories out of this. First story line, which the cable media will beat to death over the next week, is the blood feud between Santorum and Newt. Newt got clobbered today. He needed to prove he could win in other parts of the South. Instead, he continued to come short of getting a validating victory in another Southern state. Newt only has South Carolina and Georgia notched on his prodigious belly belt. But don’t count on Newt to bow out or run up the white flag. Like all good bipolar maniacs, he still believes he’s the one.

The second story, which is more troubling for the Republicans, is the lousy turnout. Read the rest

There are four primaries today. Alabama and Mississippi, with 90 delegates between them as well as Hawaii and American Samoa.

At this point in time the polls show a tight race. Gingrich is slightly ahead in Mississippi with Romney close behind and Santorum close on their heels. At stake are Mississippi’s 40 delegates as well as the 50 delegates that are up for grabs in Alabama. Hawaii has 20 delegates and American Samoa has 9. There is little information available about polling in Hawaii but many believe that Romney is set to win there. 

I haven’t been able to find much about who is up, or down, in American Samoa. Still those 9 delegates can be important as Romney proved when Santorum  won Kansas and gained 33 delegates to Romney’s seven.  Romney then gained four delegates by winning the Virgin Islands, and took nine by winning Guam, nine by winning the Northern Mariana Islands, and seven from Wyoming with three going to Santorum. That’s Romney 36, Santorum 33. Read the rest

* Bumped Up (the post for today’s primary/caucus results goes up next) *

At this point, by most accounts, Romney will secure the Republican nomination by continuing to win a plurality and occasional majority of votes in the remaining contents. Santorum, on the other hand, needs to win two-thirds and Gingrich nearly three-quarters of the remaining delegates.

MSM would have you believe that Saturday was Santorum’s day but a casual glance suggests otherwise with 80% of the contests going to Romney.

Read the rest

I live in Kansas, just barely.  Kansas City straddles the border with Missouri, but it was founded and flourished on the Missouri side.  Those of us in Kansas City, KS live in “KCK.”  On the Missouri side, they live in “Kansas City.”

But lately, I keep asking myself this same question over and over:

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MISSOURI???

Why?  Oh, let me count the ways…

You’re no doubt familiar with the Rush Limbaugh foot-in-mouth controversy this last week or two.  The big fat idiot managed to embroil himself in an ugly imbroglio of his own making, losing many sponsors and listeners in the process.  This ugly-minded, addle-brained buffoon uses the public airwaves of his radio show to blast an innocent woman, a woman who is not a public figure, because she had the audacity to testify before Congress about the needs of many low-income women to have contraceptives paid for by their health insurance, no matter where they worked.  This, of course, is part of the Catholic Church’s objections to paying for contraceptives through government-mandated insurance policies, i.e., Obamacare.

In the twisted mind of Rush Limbaugh, a son of the state of Missouri, this woman was fair game for his astounding insults at her expense.  He called her a “slut,” and a “prostitute.”  And to make the bizarre truly berserk, he goes on to say he’d support her position if he could watch her have sex!!!

WTF???? So with all this mind-boggling outrageousness from Limbaugh still burning in everyone’s brains, here comes … Read the rest

First, lest I forget, I have to share a couple prize comments from the quick wits at CNN’s Outfront. That’d be host Erin Burnett and her frequent guest John Avlon, a delightful guest and substitute host on The John Batchelor Show, and an avowed moderate active in “No Labels.” Avlon is married to Margaret Hoover, great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. On the March 12th show, Burnett and Avlon chatted about Tuesday’s southern primaries, and Newt Gingrich’s chances at, once again, rising from the dead. Avlon dubbed Gingrich’s possible feat “a triple Lazarus,” to which Burnett responded, “That’s a Biblical hat trick.”

Now, here’s Burnett on our wily neighbor to the north, and a photo from the U.S. base home to the soldier who murdered at least 16 Afghans: Read the rest

The frenzied Rush Limbaugh bash-fest that resulted from his disgusting description of Sandra Fluke – calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” – have led women on both sides of the aisle to demand that men on the left get held equally accountable for their misogynist rhetoric. It’s about time. While I have no doubt that Ms. Fluke’s statements on contraception are being co-opted by the White House to scare women back into the fold during an election year, and I wouldn’t be the first person to make that observation, it is also true that speaking about women in derogatory terms reminds us that neither side has any respect for 52% of the population, but continues to use us as a political football.

Those like Matt Taibbi, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Jack Cafferty, David Schuster, Dana Milbank, Chris Cilizza, to name a few, have long enjoyed deep cover because of their supposed stance on social issues. That does not nor never should have bought them a pass. These men purport to be journalists and serious commentators. Never was their vile behavior more evident than the sexist horror show of 2008 against Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Their vile, sniggering behavior continues unabated. In fact the only half-hearted apologies ever elicited from any one of these men has only come after a hand slap, a loss of ratings or advertisers…Is that the level of political discourse in this country when discussing women: She devil, bitch, Nurse Ratched, bubblehead?

Rush was forced into the same kind of apology last week. Was he sincere? Doubtful. Will he do it again? Very Likely. Has Bill Maher ever apologized for his endless litany of demeaning statements about women?

Rush Limbaugh is entitled to like or dislike whomever he wants, but if the best way he has to discredit Hillary Clinton is by saying she has “a testicle lockbox” or by calling her a “Femi-Nazi” – I’d say he’s lost the argument. And if Bill Maher likewise has to insult Hillary by saying “They fined CBS a million dollars for showing Janet Jackson’s nipple. Just think what they could get for Hillary Clinton’s c*nt,” and calls Sarah Palin a “c*nt” and a “twat” – it is pretty obvious that the cheap shot is all he is good for. It doesn’t say much for his mental capacity otherwise. Read the rest