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* The non-partisan congressional Budget Office estimates that not raising the debt ceiling will kill 10% of the August US GDP. That's only the short term damage of course. Cantor is still demanding it happen. After all, it's a small price to pay to get rid of Obama, right?

* Y'all have heard me complaining about the right many hospitals reserve to deny emergency medical care for trans folk. I've just heard some disturbing things about catholic hospitals turning away Rom. I can't verify it, being a first hand account, but it wouldn't surprise me, given both catholic hospitals' uneven record with providing medical care to LGBT folk, and the pervasive anti-Rom bias in our culture. I think this is something to keep one's eyes out for.

* S & P has joined Moody's in saying they may downgrade the US credit rating if we raise the debt ceiling, basically because of the huge amount of delusional thinking by Republican Congress folk.

* To be clear, I am against the hacking of celebrity phones as well. It is illegal and unethical. I also believe that even famous people deserve some privacy.

Meanwhile, Rudolph "noun, verb, 9/11" Giuliani has leapt to Rupert Murdoch's defense, even as Rupert Murdoch is turning his character assassination skills against Gordon Brown, on the grounds that he couldn't possibly really be upset that Murdoch's machine exposed the private medical details of his young child. i mean, what sort of person would be angry about having phones hacked to get access to a child's medical records. Instead, Murdoch is claiming that Brown's out rage is really a partisan political issue.

* The newest poll says 25% of Americans want only spending cuts, which FOX and the republicans are calling a majority. 67% want higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations, which FOX isn't reporting at all.

* Sparkindarkness spots something pretty Orwellian going on: http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2011/07/equality-and-human-rights-commission.html

"GBLT people “We want the rights to be treated as any other member of society”

Christians: “We want the right to treat you as subhuman non-members of society.”

ECHR: “Well, both are equally valid and we need to find a balance!”"

* Mitch McConnell has just repeated (in case we forgot) that his top political goal is to get rid of Obama. I know this sounds like conspiracy theory, but Republican leadership keeps saying this stuff out loud on videotape. After all, getting the black man out of the White house is way more important to republicans than jobs, fixing the economy, the general welfare of us citizens to them, and I don't think they have the self awareness to understand how ******** up that is as a priority.

* Walid Shoebat appears to have been defrauding homeland security and spreading anti-Muslim hate speech for money by claiming he is an ex-terrorist converted to Christianity, while he is a huckster instead. Props to CNN for exposing him. Now to get homeland security to stop paying him.

* crotalus_atrox, found, Nerd Tattoos: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/92188

* Grown man in public on purpose: http://cdn03.cdn.gofugyourself.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/118987943-419x590.jpg

* Snerk: http://thedevilspanties.com/archives/5237

* Bwahahahahahaha! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#43763890