Saturday, August 18, 2012

PA Voter ID: Cockblocking the election

Title thanks to John Stewart, brought to you by PoliticsPA.  The day the judge issued the ruling upholding the law?  Corbett abandoned plans for an online initiative that would let voters w/o ID request absentee ballots (Inquirer) Penn DOT, the agency that issues photo ID, is spending its time with some propaganda about "Cheese Steaks" which is also not how you write cheesesteak, and also, may I gently inquire why the fuck it is doing this?  I mean, when you think SEPTA, do you think, "meat and cheese resembling dog food on a bun?" NOT COOL. Taking up the slack is an 80-year old woman who is going door-to-door in the lovely Philly August, singing her little song about the importance of getting ID (NBC).  I mean it's lovely, but don't you want to sit that lady in front of an AC and get her something cool to drink?  I also want the punk rock version of that song SCREAMED IN PAUL RYAN'S FACE.  N.J. is taking steps to block any voter I.D. laws being passed there, kind of like dosing your child with anti-louse shampoo when you find out the friend has lice (Inquirer).

Friday, August 17, 2012

Stupid PA Voter ID Law probably to stay

The judge upheld the law even though there were zero established cases of election fraud. Uhhhh that's the drag of making a prima facie challenge to a law.  Especially when you have a Republican judge (Gort 42). Follow @PAVoterID Coalition on twitter for news about the PA Voter ID coalition.   There's a facebook page too (2 Political Junkies).  Who you may or may not want to follow?  Pennsylvania Commonwealth twitter account and facebook page that is intended to distribute information about the ID Law -- these things designed by a Romney fundraiser person (Gort 42)  PoliticsPA has a run-down on politico reactions to the ruling: more or less GOP is all, "This promotes FREEDOM from the pernicious HORROR of voter fraud while the Dems are all, "There is no voter fraud you impossible clowns" (PoliticsPA)

More on this later, as it is so ridiculous it is perhaps to pass it in small stages, like a bad burrito.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

PA Gov Corbett: "Poor people, they're using our sidewalks, breathing our air -- STOP THEM"

You just know Corbett is angling for a position in a Romney Cabinet, which, as per the Ryan budget plan, would cost Pennsylvania over 1 billion dollars in lost federal money, including money for education and highway repair (Third and State).  Ah ha ha look at this looney socialist plan to help low-income tax filers obtain the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit?  BOOM goes the dynamite as Corbett gets rid of that nonsense (Third and State).  But wait, there's also the cutting (getting rid of?) the state's general assistance welfare plan, so, the best thing to do if your unemployment benefits ran out or if you're disabled and waiting for benefits from Social Security, I mean, really, you can just die, I guess.  Sorry about that.

Yo, that was all a major buzz-kill, so to top things off let's all laugh at this cat falling out of a classroom ceiling.   Also, a man believed to be dead woke up! So, the next time you see a seemingly dead person, instead of assuming that they meekly complied with Gov Corbett and slunk off to die in some humiliating way, SHAKE THEM.  They may not be dead.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Pennsylvania Voter ID Law : God Himself shakes His head at the stupidity

Although one can get around this stupid law by filling out an absentee ballot (instructions and link to download a ballot) the law is still expected to depress voting (Metropolis). It is estimated that only one in three PA residents know about the law and its requirements (2 Political Junkies). As many as nine counties lack the photo equipment necessary to issue the IDs (The Pennsylvania Progressive). A plaintiff in the ACLU case against the law, a lawyer and former prosecutor, is unable to get the required I.D. because of a childhood nickname and resulting bureaucratic nonsense (Inquirer) The state court is expected to issue its decision on challenge to the ID law this week, and then appeals will follow (The Pennsylvania Progressive). And given a recent study finding that there have been oh about zero cases of in-person fraud, ever, we have absolutely no need for any of this nonsense (Inquirer).

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

We hate you, third-hottest summer of Philadelphia

Living in the Philly area now is akin to the life of a bug trapped between two dirty grey blankets, stained and made especially humid by the secretions of two dirty people having a sex marathon.  Actually, while it was the hottest summer on record U.S. wide, it has only been the third-warmest Philly summer. (Philebrity) So -- we're used to it?  Seriously, fuck this weather.  But wait, more WEATHER DRAMA AWAITS.  Two very pretty NBC people tell us that we have a four-day weekend of hail, lightning, and sixty-mile per hour winds ahead of us, as well as frogs and possibly Death Eaters (NBC). NBC also has a primer on what to do when God is extremely pissed and raining lightning upon you; one helpful hint: get in your car but don't touch any metal part of it because then you will die (NBC).  No word on whether pooping one's pants adds or detracts from one's conductivity.  Maybe it could insulate you, like a mud pack.

Monday, August 6, 2012

PA Voter ID Law sucks ass, natch

So, it's one thing to know that the ID Law is sorta Corbett's message to drop dead if you support Obama, but it's another to look at Technically Philly's breakdown of a map that shows that in North and West Philly, less than 50% of the residents have DOT ID.  The AFL-CIO estimates the number of Pennsylvania residents without ID to be at 1.6 million (The Pennsylvania Progressive). Of course, this law affects low-income elderly and minorities the most (Inquirer).  The Pennsylvania Policy and Budget Center conducted surveys that found that the DOT is understaffed and otherwise ill-equipped to provide people with the ID needed to vote (Inquirer). The Department of Justice is investigating this effort to be just a fucking hick state on the grounds that the various fees involved in getting the ID amount to a poll tax (The Pennsylvania Progressive). The Inquirer addresses some of the legal questions involved in ongoing and potential legal challenges to the law, including the fact that the DOJ has a harder job if it brings suit against PA than it would challenging something in the more more typically racist states that are covered by the Voting Rights Act.  Some nice news is that absentee ballots may be an end-run around the law (Inquirer).

Sorry for the anger.  I need to go camping.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Weird Philadelphia area animal news

Hello, Gentle Readers, Angrycat had angry things to attend to, and now we are back.

Let's have a gentle start with strange animals within striking distance of Philadelphia, shall we?  We might start with news of this plane that was infested with bees, God no bees, at the airport in Pittsburgh.    There was also a bat found that caused excitement, but given this is described as Roberto Clemente's bat, we must assume that it some sort of baseball thing and not our friend Mr. Flappy Mammalian Bat.  In further proof that our world is increasingly theirs, bed bugs took over a town hall in New Jersey and that town hall is now shut down because Jesus disgusting.  Also not very nice is the rabid beaver that bit somebody who just wanted to have a day at the Delaware Water Gap recreational area.  On the other hand, that beaver had rabies so we can feel sorry for him or her as well, because we have God in our hearts or something.  But some people do not when it comes to geese and a bunch of geese were slaughtered in Camden County and boy some people are mad and other are not, because look, if you are a goose you are an asshole and we at top of the food chain get to kill you underlings if you are assholes.  Or if your flesh is tasty.