Ayn Rand. Sociopath.

Now that we have a real live Ayn Rand worshiper running for vice president of the United States, I'm excising this short Rand reading list from the Teaparty entry elsewhere on this blog, in anticipation of more Rand gems to add in the coming months.

What a sad, broken and destructive woman. Our curse that she has infected our political id so inextricably.

for an a good primer on Rand herself and a great listen--play the AUDIO ONLY youtube clip--it's just audio, press play and browse in another window while you listen.

The woman, her life/story and philosophy

• I, me, mine: the unholy trinity to ayn rand « Tomfoolery - (1/23/2011) http://bit.ly/PddnGb
• Slate Book Review: "The Perverse Allure of a Damaged Woman"(Nov 2009
• " thrilling psychological portraits of a horribly damaged woman who deserves the one thing she spent her life raging against: compassion."
• Stranded in New Mexico - AYN RAND: SOCIOPATH, ATHEIST, PHILOSOPHER OF SELFISHNESS (7/1/2012)  http://bit.ly/MRC9t8
• Ayn Rand was fascinated w/ a gruesome serial killer (AlterNet, 1/2011)

So much red tape!

Energy, Environment, Climate

See also the "Money" entry for important info/links on the Koch brothers and their takeover of Energy Committee.

Big Oil, and other Big Polluters

• Ending oil subsidies could save $40billion... Exxon had 52% increase in profit last quarter (2/2011, bloomberg) (Markey bill)
• Barton: Govt Subsidies Necessary To Keep Exxon From Going Out Of Business | TPMDC 3/10/2011
• Windfall tax lets Alaska rake in billions from Big Oil, Seattle Times, 2008
• Koch's petro-chemical division

Attack the EPA

• House Panel Votes to Strip E.P.A. of Power to Regulate Greenhouse Gases - NYT 3/10/2011
• Small Biz group sign letter supporting EPA standards (2/10/2011, Small Business Majority)
• GOP: proposes $1.6B cut to EPA, defends $4B in Oil Subsidies (2/10/2011) (propublica)
• Utility Execs take issue w/ WSJ ed slamming EPA: "We're OK w/ EPA" (2/2011)
• Why American people of faith support the EPA « Many faith communities have found a calling over the past few decades to become better stewards of God’s creation in both their houses of worship and broader communities. 

Regulations aren't Red Tape. See this post

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Because They Can

• Boehner's GOP House brings back Styrofoam, ends composting (Feb 2011)

Propaganda/Public Opinions/Polls/Views on Climate Change
Yes, Virginia, there is a vast right wing conspiracy, and they want you to think that fossil fuels do not contribute to pollution or global climate change.

• Koch-funded climate change skeptic reverses course - latimes.com (7/29/2012) http://goo.gl/3Kzjn
• The Kochs' Climate Change Denial Media Machine | Center for Media and Democracy, 2/2011 (also look for Rachel Maddow's piece, "Oil and Coal Climate Denial Machine"... used to have a clip here, but it was apparently removed from YouTube due to copyright violations)
• Boston Globe, April 2011:  A majority of Massachusetts residents say global warming is happening and is caused by human activity, but many remain relatively apathetic on addressing the issue (survey)

Tea Party

I am fascinated by the Tea Party, in micro and macro forms.
(when you have 4 minutes, definitely check this link out: Truth for tea baggers | Under the Mountain Bunker-- a collection of political cartoons, commentary)

Deregulation! Free Markets!

• Gingrich Admits Deregulation Of Wall Street In The '90s Was 'Probably A Mistake' | ThinkProgress  (Nov 2011)

Stateless in Somalia, and Loving It - Yumi Kim - Mises Daily (2/21/2006)

Liberty! Freedom! Limited Government

• "Teapartyers Don't Actually Care About Liberty", Salon, 1/2011
• "The Tea Partyers' fiery hatred of redistribution and resentment of societal "leeches" is certainly real, but it's apparent at this late date that most self-identified Tea Party supporters are libertarians in sound bite form only, and certainly no supporters of "liberty" as broadly defined by Reason magazine and the Cato Institute. The Tea Parties believe "liberty" means "not being governed by Democrats" -- a sentiment most libertarians would probably agree with -- but they don't seem to get the whole "live and let live" part of the deal."

Perceptions/Polls

• CNN Poll: Unfavorable view of tea party on the rise (3/2011)

Enemies from the Chalkboard

• See this post: so. blog.: Enemies from the Chalkboard

Birthers

• "Donald Trump, birther" - David Weigel, Slate (also: "Orthodox" vs. "reform Birtherism"  (3/2011)
• HI lawmakers intro bill to charge $100 for copies of birth certificate (1/28/2011)
• "HI's governor said the birth certificate doesn't exist!" -- No, he did not say that. (1/30/2011)
• MoJo: The Birthers have a Plan..And it May Not Be Crazy (1/30/2011)

The GOP 2012 Pres Campaign+Teaparty

• Mitt Romney will pretend Teaparty doesn't exist (1/2011)

Facts Have a Well-Known Liberal Bias

• Columbia Journal Review fact-checks the fact-checkers (post SOTU 1/2011)

Libertarians, Ayn Randism, The Market, and  Other Inconsistencies

Great listen--just audio, press play and browse in another window while you listen.

Racism in Progress: Rush Limbaugh, post-Tucson, and "The Chinese Threat" 

(1/21/2011)

Tea Party vs. Grand Ol' Party

• See separate posts: Tea Party vs. the Grand Old Party and Keeping Track of the GOP/Teaparty Leadership in 112th Congress 
• GOP Chair of CO quits: "Sick of the crazies" (TPM, 2/7/2011)

Tea Party Welfare Queens

• News Corpse » Palin’s Canceled Reality Show Gets Millions in Gov Subsidies (3/2011) 
• Yasha Levine: Michele Bachmann: Welfare Queen - Truthdig (12/2009) 
• Tea Party Hypocrisy? - ABC News (3/2011)  , at least 23 current members of congress or their families have received government money for their farms -- combining for more than $12 million since 1995

(3/2011, ABC)

Heavy handed, but fun/satisfying: Newsroom: American Taliban
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