Good to know.
Is this t-shirt too offensive to wear on a plane? American Airlines thought so, and told a woman wearing it that she had to change her clothes. What say you, Tumblr?
From the article:
American Airlines media relations representative Tim Smith told Mother Jones via email that it was the language on the shirt, not the message, that prompted the response.
I’m thinking about wearing this shirt the next time I fly. Thoughts?
NPR:
Sophomoric? Members Of Congress Talk Like 10th Graders, Analysis Shows
Members of Congress are often criticized for what they do — or rather, what they don’t do.
But what about what they say and, more specifically, how they say it? It turns out that the sophistication of congressional speech-making is on the decline, according to the open government group the Sunlight Foundation. Since 2005, the average grade-level at which members of Congress speak has fallen by almost a full grade.
Every word members of Congress say on the floor of the House or Senate is documented in the Congressional Record. The Sunlight Foundation took the entire Congressional Record dating back to the 1990s and plugged it into a searchable database.
Lee Drutman, a political scientist at Sunlight, took all those speeches and ran them through an algorithm to determine the grade level of congressional discourse.
“We just kind of did it for fun, and I was kind of shocked when I plotted that data and I saw that, oh my God, there’s been a real drop-off in the last several years,” he says.
In 2005, Congress spoke at an 11.5 grade level on the Flesch-Kincaid scale. Now, it’s 10.6. In other words, Congress dropped from talking like juniors to talking like sophomores.
Flesch-Kinkaid equates higher grade levels with longer sentences and words with more syllables.
For example, just one sentence from the member of Congress with the highest grade ranking, Rep. Dan Lungren, a Republican from California, goes on for 62 words. (That sentence: “This Justice Department, in my judgment, based on the experience I’ve had here in this Congress, 18 years, my years as the chief legal officer of the state of California and 35 or 40 years as a practicing attorney tells me that this administration has fundamentally failed in its obligation to attempt to faithfully carry out the laws of the United States.”)
Lungren’s grade level during this session of Congress: 20. Overall since 1996: 16.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Georgia Republican Rep. Rob Woodall registers the second-lowest grade level: 8.01.
An example of Woodall’s speech: “What do they say about socialism, Mr. Speaker? It’s a great plan until you run out of other people’s money. Guess what? We’ve run out of other people’s money. I just want to show you a chart.”
That’s five sentences, an average of about 7.5 words per sentence.
“My mother will probably be embarrassed to hear this news,” Woodall says, “but I’m glad to know I’m not obfuscating our challenges with words that are too complicated.”
I feel like this says more about the American public than it does about our representatives.
"I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight."
— Malcolm X
The GOP presidential candidates’ popularity over time—as determined by Gallup—illustrated in a series of butt plugs.
Fitting for Santorum.
QED.
Michele Bachmann’s mentor is even nuttier than Michele Bachmann. And he’s running for Congress.
Clearly.
"Leadership starts at the top. All of the alleged violations that are outlined in the complaint are the product of a culture of disregard for basic rights within the culture of MCSO that starts at the top and pervades the organization."
— Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez • Commenting on the Department of Justice’s decision to sue infamous Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, alleging a pattern of abuse towards Latino inmates. The decision follows the conclusion of a three year investigation, and is the second time that the Department of Justice has filed suit against Arpaio for his conduct as sheriff. In 1997, the DOJ accused Arpaio and his employees of using excessive force on inmates, though the case was ultimately settled outside of court. When asked about the 1997 lawsuit, Perez said that the settlement in that case lacked oversight, and as a result the demanded reforms ”proved not to be sustainable.” source (via • follow)
"That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous."
— Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper • In a statement released late Wednesday afternoon, condemning President Obama for what they perceived as manipulation of the LGBT community. “Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue,” said Cooper, adding, “this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch.” source (via • follow)
An important point from Adam Serwer: President Obama endorsed marriage federalism, not equality for all.
An important point from me: It is unconscionable to accept the legislation of discrimination and bigotry as valid, whether legally or morally.
- not all people who live in the South are bigots
- not all people who live in North Carolina are bigots
- people who live in “Blue” states can be bigots too
- North Carolina was one of those “Blue” states in 2008
- North Carolina also managed to elect a pretty decent lady Democrat to be…
Also, the national gay marriage groups did jack shit to fight the ban, so they can cry me a river now that they’re complaining about the ban passing.
This cartoon ran in yesterday’s Charlotte Observer, as well as 9 years ago; here is their piece on Amendment 1’s passage.
Also, the Democratic National Convention is in Charlotte this year.
