No… Noooo… NOOOOOO!!!

Instead of creating a whole new state like most aspiring secessionists, one disgruntled resident is looking for support in joining eastern Oregon and Washington with Idaho.

The separation movement comes from Oregon native, Ken Parsons — a 72-year-old farmer from La Grande, Ore.— who wants rural residents of the two states to jump ship to more conservative-leaning Idaho.

Parsons has contacted state legislators in all three states, newspapers and created a Yahoo group called “Oregon and Washington Joining Idaho.”

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Parsons told the East Oregonian.

Growing up in Eastern Washington, I could always had one thing to hang my hat on… “Well… at least it’s not Idaho.”  And so, with that bit of Washingonian self identity, I could root for sports teams from across the Cascades, and fuzz the matter outside of the state.  This guy wants to do with all that.  Take away this from the disaffected youth of his area…

Interesting line, though, in one of the write-ups.  A college professor telling him “don’t bother”, beyond improbable… and the movement is best to “get involved in politics”… Curious, as — their quixotic actions are, definitional, politics… and probably to them about as likely to stem the tide of the damned liberals as the parliamentarian moves the professor is thinking as the definition of “getting involved in politics”.

One observation.

The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be an elected House Representative, though every Speaker so far has been an elected Member of Congress.

If the Republicans really and truly want Eric Cantor, who was next in line before being ousted in a surprise Tea Party winning primary, they can go ahead and get him.

Then again, the “tail biting the dog” effect that ousted Boehner and now Kevin McCarthy started with that election…

So maybe they can all rally behind Dave Brat?

… No… we need someone in there who’s pursuing Mark Levin’s so called “Liberty Amendments”.  Everyone else, including Dave Brat, would be a “RINO”.

(and note, yes, the “Newt Gingrich for Speaker” clarion call is a hell of a lot like the “Michael Dukakis for Interim Senator” clarion call, where at the time it was a matter of concern, it became a “thing” because it just kind of sounded cool.)

Easy explanation for a bit of this…

Lincoln Chafee supporters may be small in number, but they came out on top of the grammar charts, making an average of just 3.1 errors per 100 words. Trump supporters, on the other hand, made more than four times as many mistakes, with 12.6 per 100 words.

Hillary Clinton supporters came in at the bottom for Democrats, tying with those of Republican candidate Carly Fiorina, who was at the top of the list for the Republicans — supporters for each averaged 6.3 errors per 100 words.
You have to really, really commit yourself to be a “Lincoln Chafee supporter”.  Hillary Clinton… is sort of the default setting for the Democratic Party support (even as there’s a pretty good shift from the default to “Bernie Sanders”… at least in terms of that classic “Year before the election” situation, but it is still a “deviate from script”.)

On the Republican side, and Donald Trump “winning”… well…  I’d be curious to see how the Spanish language comments supporting Donald Trump come out.
For Marco Rubio, we can probably just skip everyone and zero in on the grammer of the Brothers Koch, the oppositional subject for Larence Lessig’s first campaign ad buy.

… and, no, there is no easy way to deal with the “overview of sad news” against the routine rustlings of broadcasting…

“And we leave tonight with scenes from the day’s tragedy.  Take care.”

One last shot of the local news desk, somber faces on everyone, sad music plays over a handful of screen shots from the community college shooting in Roseburg, Oregon… students with hands over head in parking lot, ambulances, and…

… The newscast hits a hard and fast break.  Commercial comes on.  Carl’s Junior.  One in the long running ad campaign that started, I believe, with Paris Hilton — the premise being “hot (famous, presumably) scantily clad chick takes a bite out of a greasy burger.”  This is a “Ultimate Fighting Champion”, marketed with sex appeal, biting into a greasy breakfast sandwich.

What did the Pope say to Kim Davis?  A meeting in itself seems to have put a kibotz on the honeymoon with political (largely secular) liberals… as everyone jumps to the conclusion of what beggin her retain “courage” means — as well…

Father Benedettini from the Vatican Press office released a statement after reports emerged that Davis and the pope had met.
“The Holy See is aware of the reports of Kim Davis meeting with the Holy Father. The Vatican does not confirm the meeting, nor does it deny the meeting. There will be no further information given,“ the statement reads.

and whether maintaining “religious liberty” is assigned to her Republican Party political cause…

Needless of what the Pope wants to say, Kim Davis will use it to her full political advantage, so on that score it’s probably good and well that the honeymoon with political (largely secular) liberals is finished, and everyone can go back to agreeing and disagreeing with the Pope at will…

Linocln Chafee — an issue of concern in native Rhode Island resolved, apparently in his favor, and against noted Republican and baseball hall of famer Curt Schilling.  What’s it mean?

Bernie Sanders now leads Hillary Clinton by double digits in New Hampshire.  But how is he doing compared to Howard Dean against John Kerry circa September 2003?

If elected, Ted Cruz is going to kill the Ayatollah.  Or, maybe he will literally have him meet 72 virgins?

Bobby Jindal is upset because … According to a press release from the Louisiana Republican’s campaign, the presidential candidate thinks Obama lied when he told Francis that Americans are free to live and practice their religion. Specifically, Obama told the pope that America stands with him “in defense of religious liberty,” Jindal said — and then we jump over to the case of the Kentucky judge who won’t sanction secular marriage laws.

Ben Carson ‘s comments about not wanting a Muslim president gets the retort of “Okay, Mr. Seventh-Day Adventist”… and the relevant question… When Will America be Ready for A Scientologist President?

Jeb Bush has decided to dump the exclamation mark and go ahead and run with the Bush as his last name.

Chris Christie is excited about picking up the support that had been going to now outgoing presidential hopeful Scott Walker… which is, oh, 1 point something percent?

People Magazine has a neat little fluff piece about the “Carly Fiorina you don’t know”.  I can feel my brain rotting just glancing at it.

Huh.  Rand Paul‘s campaign has the ‘stench of death’ around it, one strategist with senior level experience on a presidential campaign said, and another questioned the depth of his war chest.  In the meantime, he’s apparently trying to shore up the “Liberty” voter, which reading this article seems to mean essentially “gun nut”.

Mike Huckabee versus Frito Lay over rainbow doritos, due to sponsorship of one time door licker Dan Savage.  Also, Jesse Ventura speaks out against Huckabee… because, why not?

Martin O’Malley is roughly right about Hillary Clinton. … “a specialist at vaguely saying things”… Good luck at topping her, though.

Why does Tom Brady support Donald Trump?

The kid’s 15 minutes of fame continues.  And if at first I’m thinking the acolydes are a bit much, the pettiness of the detractors strikes me as needing a ramp-up in response.

Ahmed Mohamed to Larry Wilmore: ‘It was kind of cool’ to be arrested ‘because I knew I was innocent’.

Charming kid all around.  (Though somewhere else in some other media appearance it’s reported by his detractors that he was being “coached” by his sister.)

His next invention will not involve any elements of time-keeping. As he told Wilmore, he’s looking into building a “side hoverboard” — that is, unlike the current models which move from back to front, Ahmed is interested in creating one that is able to move from side to side. He might not have too much trouble — Ahmed told Wilmore that building the clock that got him arrested was “really simple” because he’s already “built more stuff that’s very complicated.” 

Interesting, as Richard Dawkins and some youtube Internet user has exposed the fact that the kid’s “invention” is… technically speaking… not impressive in the slightest.  Which for them adds up to nefarious-ness.  See the comments section in this Huffington Post- published article on “I can relate”  (also note the bizarre facts of commenters getting hung up on the fact that the kid’s “clock” was not a school science project but purely extra-curricular).  To everyone else, the … unimpressiveness of the creation… means he’s not going to be a child prodigy up for early admission to MIT…. I suppose he now has a good support system to continue apace in that direction.  (And reminisces from Steve Wozniak.)

Note something: