Maybe I Should Get THIS Kitty!

Smush Kitteh!

Look at that smushy face!

What’s happening out there?

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Tidbits

The Dow Has Hit 9000: Recession is Over! Or, Is It? 

NEW YORK – — The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 9000 Thursday for the first time since early January as favorable home sales data combined with another round of encouraging earnings reports to boost optimism about the economy.

Investors were buoyed by news that sales of previously owned homes rose 3.6 percent in June, more than expected and the third consecutive monthly improvement. Signs of a thaw in the housing market helped to relieve worries about debt-strapped consumers not being able to keep up their spending.

Several positive earnings reports from companies, including Ford Motor Co. and eBay Inc., also cemented the view that the recession is lifting and that corporate profits could improve the rest of the year.

Headlined by companies such as Goldman Sachs Group, second-quarter corporate profits have been stronger than expected, fueling a strong rally in the major averages over the last week and a half that has tacked more than 900 points onto the Dow.

(snip)

The willingness to buy a stock even amid a downbeat company forecast worries market watchers such as newsletter writer Tom O’Brien.

“UPS is basically saying, ‘We’re not getting goods that are transported around,’ and that’s a big indication that things aren’t getting better,” O’Brien said.

Other analysts warn that stocks won’t be able to hold their gains if companies can’t increase earnings by boosting revenue rather than slashing costs.

“It’s like going on a diet. You can only starve yourself for so long,” said Lawrence Creatura, portfolio manager at Federated Investors. “You cannot cost-cut your way to prosperity.”

Hillary to go on Meet The Press this Weekend

Hillary Rodham Clinton will appear on David Gregory’s Meet the Press this Sunday — for the full hour.

I guess I have to watch David Gregory now. Sigh.

Now THIS Oughta Be Good

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said on Thursday afternoon that Republicans will have an alternative healthcare reform bill to offer but did not say when it would be ready.

He told reporters that Republicans will “make decisions at the appropriate time for how we’ll proceed,” but that they are “putting the final touches on [their] bill, just as Democrats” are doing.

The leader made the statement on a conference call Thursday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, House GOP leaders were peppered with questions after The Hill reported that Boehner’s healthcare point man, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), said his party may not even need to put forward a plan.

Blunt, who is running for Senate, heads the House GOP Health Care Solutions Group. That body met weekly for months to produce an alternative healthcare reform plan acceptable to members of the GOP conference.

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Morning Widdershins UPDATED: Best. “Abortion is Murder.” Rebuttal. EVER!

PWNED!

UPDATED: It has been pointed out by Gary that Erich Schulte is an Obot sexist pig with a heinous case of CDS. Obviously, I was not aware of this when I linked to his article.

I still think this point is valid, though: That if you carry the “Abortion is Murder” rhetoric to its extreme, it would indeed justify murder, like the killing of Dr. Tiller. Thus, using the term “Abortion is Murder” is hypocritical and ridiculous.

Just sayin’.

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You know how the fundiegelicals claim that the reason they hate abortion is that it’s murder? Well, this guy on the Internets named Erich Schulte says they don’t really think that. In fact, no one does.

And he has some pretty darn compelling arguments to prove it, too.

Take the horrible murder of Dr. Tiller, the doctor who performed late-term abortions. Because of his work, Dr. Tiller was deemed a mass murderer by the pro-life community; yet almost all of the “pro-life” organizations roundly condemned Dr. Tiller’s murder. Well, if you are a pro-lifer, then supposedly you think all zygotes, embryos, fetii and viable babies are people. In that case, there is a veritable Holocaust going on right here in America, all day, every day. So, why don’t more abortion doctors get killed by fundiegelical true believers? In fact, why are there any abortion doctors left? Why haven’t these nasty, villainous murderers all died at the hands of anti-abortion activists? Wouldn’t stopping such a Holocaust be an act of real, indisputable heroism?

Schulte expands on this argument.

We might start by putting the ball in the pro-life court. If abortion is actually murder, then legalized abortion is indeed in the same ballpark as the Holocaust. Maybe it’s The Holocaust with less torture and suffering, but the deliberate murder and body count are right there. What analogous situation has there ever been, or might one imagine in which 1) A holocaust is underway and 2) it is not morally permissible to use violence against the executioners to stop or slow the holocaust?

Then, he really starts letting the fur fly.

The first point a pro-lifer will make here is that we live in a society of laws and “give unto Caesar” and blah blah blah, which is what O’Reilly said in response to the shooting. This is obvious bullshit. One could certainly call into question the basic legitimacy of a government that sanctioned the murder of millions of its own people. Roeder himself did just that as a Montana Freeman. But you don’t have to go that far. Even if you like the basic structure of your government, you clearly don’t need to adhere to the specific laws that allow for mass murder of the people. If you have a fanatical reverence for the letter of the law, you can even break the law to stop the murders, acknowledge your guilt and accept your punishment. No matter how you slice it, it’s stupid to argue that, “yes, millions of civilians are being systematically murdered, but the law’s the law, so I guess my hands are tied.” By this logic, Rosa Parks and Gandhi were both in the wrong. And not only were the people who hid Anne Frank wrong, the Franks were wrong for hiding. So it cannot be the case that attacking abortionists is wrong simply because it is illegal.