Did NYC's Neo-Pagan Teabagger Councilman Make Up Story About Union Plot To Stop Plowing Snow During Dec. 26 Storm?

Evidence Elusive On Charge Of Blizzard Slowdown

Russ Buettner and William Rashbaum report in the New York Times:
The story rocketed around New York City when streets went uncleared after the Dec. 26 blizzard: Sanitation workers, angry about job reductions, had deliberately staged a work slowdown.

It resulted in wisecracks on “Saturday Night Live,” fiery denunciations of unions on cable news and four criminal investigations.

And it occurred because one man, Councilman Daniel J. Halloran, Republican of Queens, said five city workers had come to his office during the storm and told him they had been explicitly ordered to take part in a slowdown to embarrass Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

But the more that investigators look into Mr. Halloran’s story, the more mystifying it becomes.

Mr. Halloran said he had been visited by two supervisors in the Transportation Department and three workers in the Sanitation Department. But the two transportation supervisors did not back up his story in interviews with investigators, according to two people briefed on the inquiries. And Mr. Halloran has steadfastly refused to reveal the names of the sanitation workers. ...>more

Second Amendment Solutions Dept.

Probably Bad News: Putting Out Your House Fire FAIL

Utah to Honor Browning M1911 Semi-Automatic

Official State Gun has "defended American values"
Lester Haines reports at The Register:

Utah is poised to adopt the classic Browning M1911 semi-automatic as its official "state gun", in honour of native John Browning who invented the weapon in 1911.

The proposal to add the M1911 to Utah's roster of approved symbols, including state cooking pot and state folk dance*, "breezed" through a House Political Subdivisions Committee hearing this week, and will now go before the full Utah House for a final vote.

Speaking to the committee, Republican Carl Wimmer said of Browning: "He invented a firearm that has defended American values and the traditions of this country for 100 years."

Inevitably, the recent shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, who was hit by a round from a Glock 19, has prompted doubts that honouring a semi-automatic is a very tasteful idea.

Steve Gunn, a board member of the Gun Violence Prevention Center, told AP: "It's an embarrassment to the state to have as a symbol that was used only a few weeks ago to kill innocent people."

Wimmer responded: "There is nothing about the actions of a madman to change the fact that firearms have been used throughout our history to defend American values and traditions."

Fellow Republican Stephen Sandstrom had already addressed the matter when he told the committee: "Tragic events happen because of bad people in this world. But handguns, and firearms in general, do not kill people. We need to stop demonizing firearms."

So, Timmy... How'd That Siege Thing Work Out?

Wannabe Right-Wing Populist Uprising Leader Disappointed In Turnout At January 21 "Siege Of DC"

Fantastically unpublished Western writer and failed revolutionary Timothy Davis writes at the Guardians Of Liberty blog:

Tomorrow is the 24th and if the lack of participation is anywhere near the same as on the 21st, which I highly expect it will be, then the idea of a siege, or holding our representative's feet to the fire and making them battle through the trials of ripping Obamacare out of the lawbooks will largely have been for nothing. I know, I know, we accomplished something, yes, I agree. No effort is without result, either good or ill.

The 24th will not be the end of anything, or indeed the start, but a necessary stop along the winding path of justice and liberty. On the long, rising grades of a steam engine in the mountains, a good dose of water is needed. While maintaining the momentum would seem to be the wisest choice, going up the hill without sufficient water for steam is insane. There can be no good outcome of that. So, like the locomotive, I have stopped here in DC as a moment of necessary taking on water for the grade ahead...

Translation (by our comrades at The Liberty Lamp):

"you're all a bunch of stinky butts because no one wanted to support my confrontational and thinly veiled attempt to threaten members of congress to listen to my half-baked and functionally retarded demands (buy my book) so I'm going to be the ULTRA SUPER PATRIOT and write some rambling quasi-jeffersonian (buy my book) screed about how I've got more patriot points than all of you FALSE patriots, because I ACTUALLY WENT TO (buy my book) WASHINGTON DC when it's COMMON KNOWLEDGE that BARAK HUSSEIN OBAMA has NEGRO DEATH SQUADS of KENYAN ACORN MARXISTS roaming the streets and scanning everyone's precious bodily (buy my book) fluids to find out who the TRUE PATRIOTS ARE so they will be MARKED FOR EXECUTION!"

What Else Haven't They Told Us?

Justice Thomas fails to disclose spouse’s income at Heritage Foundation and Liberty Central

Clarence and Ginny, living in perfect harmony

CommonDreams reports:

WASHINGTON - January 21 - Today’s acknowledgement by Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas that they attended functions sponsored by Koch Industries in 2007 and 2008 is helpful, but does not resolve questions about their possible conflicts of interest in the Citizens United case. In addition, Common Cause research around this issue has revealed a further problem involving Justice Thomas – a repeated failure to disclose his wife’s income in his annual financial disclosure forms.

“Common Cause is concerned about omissions in Justice Thomas’s annual financial disclosures,” said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. “While researching potential conflicts of interest in Citizens United, we discovered apparent gaps over seven years in Justice Thomas’s disclosures of his wife’s earnings.”

According to records filed with the IRS, Virginia “Ginny” Thomas was paid $686,589 by the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, for her work there from 2003-07. Published reports indicate that Ms. Thomas also drew a salary from Liberty Central, a political education and action group she co-founded in 2009.

None of his wife’s earnings are disclosed on Justice Thomas’ annual financial disclosure forms, however. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires federal officials, including Supreme Court justices, to disclose their spouse’s income. On the appropriate section of his 2003 to 2009 disclosure forms, Justice Thomas checked the box for “none.” Click here to view a chart Common Cause compiled on Thomas’s financial disclosures forms reporting no spousal income. ...>more

Also at the TW: Three Reasons Why It's OK That Clarence Thomas' Wife Is A Teabagger

Tennessee Teabaggers Want All This Talk About Slavery Stricken From The History Books

No, seriously; this isn't from The Onion

Daryle Lamont Jenkins writes at One People's Project:

You know, we had to check and make sure this wasn't some joke article coming from the Onion or something. We checked and rechecked, just so we were sure we weren't going to get pranked posting this. But damnit, this is a real story, and we should have known simply from the fact that it was conservatives from Tennesseee. For some reason that particular crowd pulls something racist and downright stupid out of their collective behinds without fail every few months. So we are just assuming that the teabaggers there felt they were past due their latest racist WTF. To that end they give us this: They come up with a list of demands to the state legislature, among them to educate students about the "truth" about America and her history - which to them means leaving out that pesky "minority experience", particularly slavery, because it obscures the contributions of the Founding Fathers or the majority of citizens! Yes, they actually wrote this, and they held a press conference to announce it! We have to be honest and say this is too damned bold a statement for people to make without being associated with some WP group or whatever. Were one to look at those who have stepped forward, one would more than likely find some connection in paleoconservative circles that would prompt your average political insider to keep their distance from them. But even if there isn't that connection, you can pretty much add these folks to the People Who Aren't Helping file for teabaggers who are having a devil of a time trying to shake the racist charge. Sucks to be them. ...>more

SHE BE DA' MAN! Michele Bachmann Considering '12 Presidential Run

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves


Kevin Diaz and Jeremy Herb report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

WASHINGTON - Fresh off winning reelection and proving she can raise massive amounts of campaign cash, Rep. Michele Bachmann is beginning to consider a presidential run, according to close congressional aides.

As part of that effort, the Minnesota Republican will travel to the early caucus state of Iowa on Jan. 21 to confer with state GOP leaders and address a group of conservative tax activists.

That puts Bachmann in Iowa more than a week before former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who will appear there later this month as part of a book tour that starts in New York on Tuesday. Pawlenty has spent nearly two years laying the groundwork and building credentials for a possible presidential campaign. A Bachmann presidential run could complicate that.

Bachmann has made no firm decision about a White House bid in 2012, but "nothing is off the table," press aide Sergio Gor told the Star Tribune Wednesday, confirming an earlier ABC News report that quoted Bachmann chief of staff Andy Parrish.

Asked about presidential aspirations shortly after she was sworn in for a third term on Wednesday, Bachmann answered indirectly. "I'm continuing speaking out on the issues just as I have for the last few years," she told the Star Tribune. "Part of that will include going to Iowa and some of the caucus states. My commitment level remains the same, and that's to making sure that President Obama doesn't have a second term." ...>more

WANTED, TROLLED OR ALIVE: Bank Of America CEO Brian Moynihan

If your house has been foreclosed on by Bank Of America, meet the criminal asshole who did it

Once again, that's:
26 Wachusett Rd
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
(781) 235-1004
Email: brian.t.moynihan@bankofamerica.com

While Moynihan's been stealing your house, he's been living in this one. (red arrow, left)

Wife’s name: Susan.E.Moynihan

Dr. Susan E. Moynihan is a physician based in Marblehead.

She is associated with the Marblehead North Shore Physicians Group. Dr. Moynihan specializes in Internal Medicine and provides adult primary care services.
Fax: 781-631-5175
Hours: Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm (by appointment)
Affiliations: NSMC Salem Hospital, NSMC Union Hospital
Specialties: Internal medicine

UPDATE:
Interesting facts about scumbag Moynihan and his antics on The Grumpy Lion.