Mobtown Shank

Another Installment Of When Republicans Govern...

Meet Alaskan Republican Representative Don Young.

Some of his greatest hits include:
- brandishing a walrus penis at the female head of the US Fish & Wildlife Service
-denouncing the National Endowment for the Arts at a high school by making an obscene gay sex reference
- calling the BP Gulf oil spill "not an environmental disaster."

And when you exclude the ill and those running for president, he has the lowest voting attendance record in the House of Representatives, which may actually be a good thing.

On Friday, at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing to discuss the possible effects of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, he insulted Rice University professor Doug Brinkley. And admirably, the professor was having none of it.

Here's a portion of the transcript.

YOUNG: Thank you, Chairman. And thanks for having this hearing. I -- I will tell you if you ever want to see an exercise in futility, it's this hearing. That side's already made up its mind. This side has already made up its mind. And I call it garbage, Dr. Rice, that comes from the mouth...

BRINKLEY: Dr. Brinkley. Rice is a university. I know you went to Yuba College and you couldn't graduate.

YOUNG: Well, OK...

(CROSSTALK)

BRINKLEY: (Inaudible)...

(CROSSTALK)

YOUNG: ... call anything I want while you sat in that chair.

BRINKLEY: Pardon?

YOUNG: You just be quiet.

BRINKLEY: Well...

YOUNG: You be quiet.

BRINKLEY: You don't own me. I pay your salary.

YOUNG: I'll tell you right now...

HASTINGS: The gentleman will suspend. And I'll remind -- I'll remind members and I'll remind...

BRINKLEY: I work for the private sector. You work for...

HASTINGS: Mr. Brinkley. You are -- you were invited here to testimony and we look forward to your testimony. You got the time to say what's at least...

(CROSSTALK)

BRINKLEY: (Inaudible) call me Mr. Rice. I needed to -- I needed to correct the record.

HASTINGS: Mr. Brinkley.

BRINKLEY: OK.

HASTINGS: We see a lot of people here, and from time-to-time we make faux pas. Nobody is perfect here. But to interrupt breaks the comity (ph) of what we're trying -- we're going to have disagreements here. You've already seen that.

BRINKLEY: He called me...

HASTINGS: We tried to do that...

BRINKLEY: ... Mr. Rice (inaudible)...

(CROSSTALK)

HASTINGS: ... in a way that is civil.

BRINKLEY: And the word Mr. Rice...

HASTINGS: Mr. Brinkley...

BRINKLEY: You would do that if someone said that to your name too.

HASTINGS: Mr. Brinkley, I've been called a lot of things...

BRINKLEY: I wouldn't call you that. You're a good congressman.

HASTINGS: Mr. Brinkley, do you want to continue to sit in this panel?

BRINKLEY: Yes.

HASTINGS: OK. Then please follow the rules.

And an extra douche award should go to Republican Rep. Doc Hastings (WA), chair of the committee for scolding Dr. Brinkley and not reprimanding his colleague Rep. Young.

This is what it looks like when we let Republicans run things.

Source.

Republicans On #Occupy: Joe Walsh

Republican Representative Joe Walsh (IL) (and child support deadbeat of distinction) told constituents at a town hall:

"[Occupy is] an anti-American, well-funded left wing effort. ... I don't know how many veterans are part of the Occupy protest, I can't imagine it's many. But anyone who would advocate socialist solutions to certain problems in this country ... they don't understand this country."

Source.

Madam 8-Ball's Horoscope: The Trigger

by Madam 8-Ball

WILL YOUR INABILILTY TO ACT TRIGGER A MORE DESIRED OUTCOME THAN IF YOU DID ACT?

AQUARIUS: Concentrate and ask again.
PISCES: Better not tell you now.
ARIES: Most likely.
TAURUS: Very doubtful.
GEMINI: Outlook not so good.
CANCER: Outlook good.
LEO: Yes - definitely.
VIRGO: Signs point to yes.
LIBRA: My sources say no.
SCORPIO: Very doubtful.
SAGITTARIUS: Yes.
CAPRICORN: Don't count on it.

Specialty Bonus Sign
OPHIUCHUS: Concentrate and ask again.

More #Occupy Protesters Have Been Arrested Than Wall Streeteers

Let's take a look at some numbers.

To date, there have been 4,062 protesters arrested since the Occupy Movement began on September 17, 2011. [Source.]

Surely, those responsible for destroying the national and even global economy must at the very least be facing a similar rate of prosecution, right? Even despite the fact that protesters are largely peacably exercising their right to protest and the Wall Street crowd have been indulging in economic fraud? Eh. Not so much.

According to a new  report from Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University, the number of prosecutions for financial instutition fraud is on record to be down 28.6% from 5 years ago. This means there were more prosecutions BEFORE Wall Street destroyed our economy than after.

Federal criminal prosecutions for financial institution fraud have continued their downward slide despite the financial troubles reported in this sector. TRAC's analysis of timely Justice Department data show that during the first eleven months of FY 2011 the government reported 1,251 new prosecutions were filed. If this activity continues at the same pace, the annual total of prosecutions will be 1,365 for this fiscal year, down 28.6 percent from their numbers of just five years ago and less than half the level prevalent a decade ago. [Source.]

So, for those keeping track at home:

Occupy Arrests: 4,062
Walls Street Prosecutions: 1,365

These numbers should, at the very least, be reversed. Institutions need to begin to apply their enforcement of the rule of law equally, across the entire spectrum of the American socio-economic spectrum. And so far, the instutions (police, government) seem to be serving to defend corporations (and willingly turning a blind eye from the people instead of serving the people.

Gingrich Blames The Secular, Adocates For Child Labor and Mocks #OccupyWallStreet

Current Republican Presidential Primary frontrunner ratcheted up his rhetoric this weekend to woo the Tea Party wing of his party.

So here he attacks and blames the godless for America's ills. Pushing the Tea Party's God Button: check.
“A country that has been now since 1963 relentlessly in the courts driving God out of public life shouldn’t be surprised at all the problems we have. Because we’ve in fact attempted to create a secular country, which I think is frankly a nightmare.” Source.

Here Newt attacks unions and actually advocates for exploitative child labor. Pushing the Libertarian Button: check.
“This is something that no liberal wants to deal with. Core policies of protecting unionization and bureaucratization against children in the poorest neighborhoods, crippling them by putting them in schools that fail has done more to create income inequality in the United States than any other single policy. It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid. [...] Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”  Source.

And here we have Gingrich attacking those who are frustarted with the injustice inherent in the current Ameican economic system. Pushing the Defend the Tea Party's Corporatist Financial Backers Button: check.
"Let me now take that and for a brief moment describe OccupyWallStreet. All the Occupy movements start witht the premise that we all owe them everything. They take over a public park they didn't pay for, to go nearby to use bathrooms they didn't pay for, to beg for food from places they don't want to pay for, to obstruct those who are going to work to pay the taxes that sustain the bathrooms and to sustain the park so they can self-righteously explain that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything. Now that is a pretty good sympton of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, 'Go get a job right after you take a bath.'" Source.

And, of course, to also push the petulant Tea Party Media Megaphone button, these quotes also contain ingornant and stupid attacks on liberals.

Given Republicans' distaste for consitent front/second runner, Mormon Mitt Romney, and the maginficent flameouts of other Republican candidates like Rick Perry and Herman Cain, it's not surprising that Gingrich is now getitng his turn. He's pushing all the right buttons. And Newt is an experienced and skilled politician. However, is also has a number of other interests and desires, and it's unlikely a man of appetites like Newt will be able to suppress them long enough to win the Republican primaries.

RadioShank Archives: Edith Massey

EDITH MASSEY

Punks, Get Off The Grass [wav]

This single is from 1982 and it came out on Egg Records.

Edie is better known for her  version of"Big Girls Don't Cry", but this b-side is every bit as good, if not better.

Featuring:
Frank Glicken - guitar
Steve Longo - bass
Nick Longo - bass
David Crockett - drums
Susan Lauer - keyboards
Pat Hodges - background vocals
Gloria Scott - background vocals

Tonight! Height, AK Slaughter, Mickey Free & more

Friday, November 18, 2011

HEIGHT WITH FRIENDS + GUESTS
$7. 1o:00pm. Golden West Cafe
1105 W. 36th St.
Hampden, Baltimore.

With...
AK Slaughter
Bookhouse feat. MCN Eye & Richard Benjamin
Mickey Free and Secret Weapon Dave

Facebook RSVP.

An Unregistered Nurse Production.

Said What?: Schedule Conflict

overheard by Benn Ray
drawn by Jordan Jeffries

(click on strip to see larger version)
Look for a new Said What? comic in Wednesday's B: The Paper. Available free around town.
You can also follow this strip and others at MutantFunnies.com.
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Overhear something amazing? Post them in the comments section (with your email address) or email your overheards (using this format) to: MobtownshankATatomicbooksDOTcom. It could end up as a comic strip.

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You Thought Banks Got The Message? Think Again

In recent weeks we saw public outcry and protests as thousands of Americans, angry with new bank fees (an anger compounded by the damage banks have done to our economy) started closing their bank accounts and moving their money to community banks and credit unions.

Banks like Bank of American backed off those fees and everything seemed to settle down.

But if anyone thought that was the end of it, they don't understand the predatory nature of the modern American corporate banking institution.

The New York Times reports: "Even as Bank of America and other major lenders back away from charging customers to use their debit cards, many banks have been quietly imposing other new fees."

According to Alex Matjanec, co-founder of MyBankTracker.com. “What most people don’t realize is that they have been adding new charges or taking fees that have always existed and increased them, or are making them harder to avoid.”

Richard K. Davis, U.S. Bancorp’s chief executive, when speaking to invsestors summed up the banks' strategy like this: “We’ll see if our customers complain and move, or just complain.”

Source.

Data Shows Regulations Don't Kill Jobs

Yes, yes, we know it's been a go-to Republican talking point.

"We gotta get rid of all that job-killin' regulation and let businesses be free to be businesses and create jobs." 

I call it the "Let A Playa Play" argument. And it should be coming to an end now.

While the lack of job creation during a massively deregulated Bush-era should be all the proof we need that such rhetoric holds no water, the apparent folksy common sense of such a statement has proven to be stickier than the reality - that regulation doesn't kill jobs.

Well maybe this will help.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that very few layoffs are caused principally by tougher rules.

Whenever a firm lays off workers, the bureau asks executives the biggest reason for the job cuts.

In 2010, 0.3 percent of the people who lost their jobs in layoffs were let go because of “government regulations/intervention.” By comparison, 25 percent were laid off because of a drop in business demand.

Lack of spending kills jobs. Not regulation. Okay, that's settled.

Source.