Blast From the Past: Satanists Rally For Rick Scott

This is a 26 minute comedy classic Satanists hold a rally in Tallahassee to praise Gov. Rick Scott for signing a bill allowing freedom of religion on school grounds. An unintended side effect is Satanists being allowed to pray to the Dark One on school grounds. Satanists praising Scott strangely seems logical.

Money quote.

"We feel confident that Rick Scott has helped initiate the inevitable: opening the gates of hell to unleash a new Luciferian age that will last one thousand years and beyond. Hail Rick Scott. Hail Satan."

This is a must see video. A hysterical part of the video is when a protester tells a Satanist to go to Hell. The Satanist took it as a compliment.

Friday Cat Blogging

Unlike domestic cats, wild cats love playing in the water. One cougar enjoys biting the kiddie pool more than swimming.

Funny Quote of the Day

Pat Robertson isn't going to do that. I wonder why the very conservative Robertson has so many Facebook friends posting gay kissing photos. Makes you wonder.

Quote of the Day

"It's almost 2015 and we're still teaching science in our public schools. How do we know science even exists? It's not in the Bible."

Sarah Palin, on Twitter.

The pure unintentional comedy of this tweet almost makes me want to follow Palin again on Twitter.

Correction: the tweet is from a parody Twitter account.

Lindsey Graham Cries Wolf

The Daily Show
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Jon Stewart lampoons Sen. Lindsey Graham's hysterical panic attack on ISIS. Graham yells that ISIS will come over here and kill everyone.

How stupid is Graham? The Senator wants to arm and train the Free Syrian Army to fight ISIS. One problem with that is that the Free Syrian Army is working with ISIS and both groups have made a peace agreement.

According to Agence France-Presse, ISIS and a number of moderate and hard-line rebel groups have agreed not to fight each other so that they can focus on taking down the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Other sources say the signatories include a major U.S. ally linked to the Free Syrian Army. Moreover, the leader of the Free Syrian Army said Saturday that the group would not take part in U.S. plans for destroying the Islamic State until it got assurances on toppling Assad.

The deal between ISIS and the moderate Syrian groups casts doubt over President Barack Obama's freshly announced strategy to arm and train the groups against ISIS.

Lindsey Graham is a stupid man.

Why Bob Buckhorn Isn't Endorsing Charlie Crist

I wish Tampa Mayor would get off the sidelines and endorse Charlie Crist. I'm sorry Mr. Mayor but the current batch of Republicans aren't interested in bipartisanship. From TBO.com.

"I've told everyone both Rick Scott and the Democratic potential nominees that I'm on the sidelines," he said. "I'm not endorsing. I'm not getting involved."

Buckhorn stressed the need for bipartisanship.

"I have to work with Democrats and Republicans," Buckhorn said. "I've been working with the governor for the past three years. I've been working with the Republican legislature for the last three years."

Translation: Buckhorn is afraid that Republicans will provide no funding in the budget for Tampa if he endorses Crist. Buckhorn is probably right. Endorsements have been a routine thing for members of both parties. Now Democrats like Buckhorn are afraid Republicans are willing to making residents in Tampa suffer over a single endorsement. The Florida legislature is willing to let millions go without health care because they don't want to provide President Barack Obama with a political victory by expanding Medicaid. They would certainly have no problem shafting Buckhorn.

Rick Scott's Dirty Deeds

Too bad I missed this.

Gov. Rick Scott held a fundraiser today in downtown Tampa. The progressive group Florida for All handed out "Shady Rick Scott Hand Sanitizers."

Florida For All has a list of Scott's "Ten Dirtiest Deeds." Scott's records on ethics is atrocious. Scott's was the CEO of Columbia/HCA. The company paid the largest Medicare/Medicaid fraud fine in U.S. history.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - HCA Inc. (formerly known as Columbia/HCA and HCA - The Healthcare Company) has agreed to pay the United States $631 million in civil penalties and damages arising from false claims the government alleged it submitted to Medicare and other federal health programs, the Justice Department announced today.

This settlement marks the conclusion of the most comprehensive health care fraud investigation ever undertaken by the Justice Department, working with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Defense, the Office of Personnel Management and the states. The settlement announced today resolves HCA's civil liability for false claims resulting from a variety of allegedly unlawful practices, including cost report fraud and the payment of kickbacks to physicians.

Previously, on December 14, 2000, HCA subsidiaries pled guilty to substantial criminal conduct and paid more than $840 million in criminal fines, civil restitution and penalties. Combined with today's separate administrative settlement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under which HCA will pay an additional $250 million to resolve overpayment claims arising from certain of its cost reporting practices, the government will have recovered $1.7 billion from HCA, by far the largest recovery ever reached by the government in a health care fraud investigation.

"Health care providers and professionals hold a public trust, and when that trust is violated by fraud and abuse of program funds, and by the payment of kickbacks to the physicians on whom patients and the programs rely for uncompromised medical judgment, health care for all Americans suffers," Robert D. McCallum, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division said. "This settlement brings to a close the largest multi-agency investigation of a health care provider that the United States government has ever undertaken and demonstrates the Department of Justice's ongoing resolve and commitment to pursue all types of fraud on American taxpayers, and health care program beneficiaries."

"Let this case be a continuing reminder to all that in the fight against health care fraud this office will not be deterred," said Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General Dara Corrigan. “Medicare dollars paid to provide ever more expensive health care services to the country's taxpayers should never be fraudulently diverted. This is our job and our trust and we take these duties very seriously," Corrigan concluded.

Scott has no business running a lemonade stand. Let alone a state the size of Florida.

Online Game: Find An Ethnic Person Working At Vox

Ezra Klein's terrible site Vox has a noticeable lack of diversity. Let's see if you can find an ethnic person working at Vox on the masthead.

Let's check out the whiteness of the senior staff members.

Ezra Klein - Editor-in-Chief

Melissa Bell - Executive Editor

Matthew Yglesias - Executive Editor

Allison Rockey - Engagement Editor

Max Fisher - Content Director

Kyle Keller - Analytics Editor

Eleanor Barkhorn - Features Editor

Sarah Kliff - Senior Editor

Brad Plumer - Senior Editor

Timothy B. Lee - Senior Editor

Dylan Matthews - Special Projects Editor

Todd VanDerWerff - Culture Editor

As you can see Ezra Klein has hired a diverse group of white, whiter and super white people. Now let's see if you can find an person who isn't white working at Vox. Happy hunting.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane - Round Midnight

The 58th anniversary of the recording of Round Midnight is being celebrated. This classic recording was made in 1956.

Nirvana with J Mascis - School

This is from a secret gig Nirvana did after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance.

Image of the Day

FSU Faculty Senate Rejects John Thrasher

The Florida State University’s Faculty Senate voted 2 to 1 against John Thrasher's candidacy for presidency.

“Be it resolved that we, the members of the Florida State University Faculty Senate, call upon the Presidential Search Advisory Committee not to recommend Senator Thrasher as a candidate for President of FSU. We further call upon the Board of Trustees not to hire Senator Thrasher as the next President of FSU. Senator Thrasher lacks the stated qualifications required for the position, whereas the other three finalists meet those qualifications. We encourage all faculty members to participate fully in the interview process and to submit comments.”

Thrasher's history of bringing pork to Florida State as a member of the legislature made it appear the job was his to lose. Other potential candidates didn't bother applying.

Search consultant Bill Funk told advisory committee members to give Thrasher a prompt “up or down” vote. Rumors that a powerhouse Republican lawmaker with deep ties to FSU is a shoo-in have deterred “premium potential candidates” from applying.

“We are not endorsing John for the role,” Funk said. “But we are saying that John is casting a long shadow. It’s limiting our opportunity to put together the kind of pool that this committee and that this university deserves.”

Thrasher is ethically challenged. Thrasher was reprimanded by the Florida House for lobbying on the floor for the Florida Board of Medicine. Thrasher had a clear conflict of interest as an elected representative and as a lobbyist.

This old post of mine details how Thrasher puts profit above education.

John Thrasher fought against the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment at the behest of developers. In the Florida Senate, Thrasher sponsored an education bill that required year end assessment tests. Thrasher's lobbying firm Southern Strategy was paid by testing firms to get more testing in k-12 education.

Thrasher is the wrong choice for FSU.

The Chess Master is Really the Pawn

Obama's 3D chess strategy. When in doubt take the GOP position on immigration and piss off the Hispanic and labor base of the Democratic Party. Obama is the Bobby Fischer of midterm election strategy. Obama did so well during the 2010 midterms that RNC chair Michael Steele won.

The Corin Tucker Band - Riley (Live on KEXP)

Sleater-Kinney is sadly a thing of the past. Corin Tucker took time off from music to be a mother. She now has her own band.

Disturbing Police Treatment of Tampa Homeless Woman

FOX 13 News

This a horrible video of Tampa police officer Scott Van Treese hogtying and dragging Sonya Mimminger into the Orient Road Jail. FOX 13 reports the woman dragged, Sonya Mimminger, was later taken to Tampa General Hospital. The article doesn't make clear if it was for treatment from injuries related to her arrest.

Mimminger is a homeless woman. She was arrested on a drug charge. Fox 13 reports she was scared to talk to them.

The 36-year-old woman is homeless, but FOX 13 found her on the streets of Tampa.

Initially, she was hesitant to talk -- "There's nothing I can do about it," she offered. But she then agreed to look at the video and answer some questions.

"He did me like a little rag muffin," she offered. "I wonder why he'd drag me like that?"

What is distubing is that Mimminger feels that there is "nothing" she can do about her treatment at the hands of Officer Van Treese. Mimminger is poor and homeless. Many like her have no voice in the community.

Officer Van Treese has been received a written reprimand. I'm actually surprised he got a slap on the wrist.

Phil Robertson Meets Sarah Palin

"We. Need. Moose-Cooking. Women. In the White House."

Phil Robertson, reality star on the requirements needed to be President.

Robertson was impressed with Robertson's cooking and inability to put together incoherent sentences together.

Robertson talked about God promising an after life. Palin then chimed in that she is "simlple-minded." No argument from me.

And for simple-minded people like me, that’s what I crave. That’s what I want to know. That’s what I’m supposed to know.

Robertson and Palin both want a government run by a Christian Right worldview. That will be interesting when Palin and Robertson have to deal with infrastructure or foreign policy. Robertson wants to start a second crusade in the Middle East with ISIS. Unsurprisingly, Robertson admits he was only a "C+ man" in school. I'm shocked.

Robertson comments about ISIS to Sean Hannity.

“I think you either have to convert them … or kill them. One or the other,” Robertson said.

Don't expect Robertson or Palin to lead the new Christian Right government. Both of them are hucksters trying to make a buck off of the gullible followers.

Portlandia: Eddie Vedder Tattoo

Guys, never get a bad Eddie Vedder tattoo.

Quote of Day: Racist Fox News Edition

"How long do you think Sean Hannity’s show would last if four times in one sentence, he made a comment about, say, the President of the United States, and said that he looked like a skinny, ghetto crackhead? Which, by the way, you might want to say that Barack Obama does."

Brent Bozell, on Fox News.

Note to Bozell: you can't spend your career crying about liberal media bias and then say the first Black President looks like a crackhead. That just shows your hypocrisy ans the fact that you aren't even smart enough to hide your racist contempt of Barack Obama. Well played, dumbass.