LIMBAUGH == SEVERE EPISTEMIC CLOSURE OR NIHILISM?

I thought he was a nihilist because of all the major institutions he thinks are fraudulent and here he is again in a minor key:

"It's All Fake": Limbaugh Rants That Rape On College Campuses, Discrimination In Indiana, Disparate Treatment By Police Are All "Made Up"
Video ››› April 2, 2015 1:51 PM EDT ››› MEDIA MATTERS STAFF

NPR JUST DOESN'T LEARN

Today I heard an NPR interview with the infamous Danielle Pletka about Iran even though NPR should know Pletka is NOT a foreign policy expert.  Unfortunately, NPR is not alone in giving Pletka attention.

SOMETIMES I HAVE A LITTLE SYMPATHY FOR SPEAKER BOEHNER

At other times, I'm enraged that he spouts the same kind of hysteria that Ted Cruz and the other crazies promote:

John Boehner in Israel: ‘The world is on fire’

In an exclusive interview, the House speaker offers a blistering critique of U.S. policy in the Mideast.
By Jake Sherman
4/2/15 5:36 AM EDT
Updated 4/2/15 2:35 PM EDT
POLITICO

U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE DEFENSE OF ISRAEL

Despite all the conservative hysteria about the framework for a nuclear agreement with Iran, there really doesn't seem to be much of a threat to Israel considering all the money we've pumped into defensive systems.

Israel tests U.S.-backed missile shield as Iran nuclear talks churn
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON | By Dan Williams and Andrea Shalal
Wed Apr 1, 2015 4:10pm EDT

(Reuters) - A new Israeli air defense system being developed in partnership with the United States met all its objectives in a series of recent live interception tests, U.S. and Israeli officials said Wednesday, putting it on course for deployment by next year.

The system, David's Sling, shot down targets simulating longer-range missiles like Scuds that could be fired at Israel from Syria and by Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas.

Designed to shoot down rockets with ranges of 100 km to 200 km (63 miles to 125 miles), aircraft or low-flying cruise missiles, David's Sling will fill the operational gap between Israel's Iron Dome short-range rocket interceptor and the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, both already in service.

Israeli officials last month asked Congress for an additional $317 million for David's Sling and other Israeli missile defense programs, on top of $158 million already requested by the Obama administration in its fiscal 2016 budget.

I GET IT NOW...

(h/t Dave Weigel)

Gov. Pence was making an April Fool's joke and the GOP clown car didn't realize it:

EVERY 2016 GOP CANDIDATE: I stand with Mike Pence and his awesome new law!
PENCE: Uh actually I am asking the legislature to fix up the law because it has problems.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT TUCSON ISN'T LAST

(h/t Tucson Sentinel)

The National Association of Realtors has released a report on rents & income over the past 5 years and Tucson is merely 4th from the bottom in income change for 25-44 year olds:

Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Metro Area	32.6
Dayton, OH Metro Area	32.22
Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area	32.03
Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area	25.80
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metro Area	20.79
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metro Area	19.63
Knoxville, TN Metro Area	19.59
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area	19.53
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area	19.09
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area	19.00
Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metro Area	18.89
Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area	17.97
Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area	17.94
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area	17.41
Wichita, KS Metro Area	17.08
Tulsa, OK Metro Area	17.05
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area	15.39
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area	15.30
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY Metro Area	15.26
Baltimore-Towson, MD Metro Area	14.92
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metro Area	14.75
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area	14.75
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area	14.24
Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area	14.13
Trenton-Ewing, NJ Metro Area	14.09
Columbia, SC Metro Area	13.79
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area	13.30
Columbus, OH Metro Area	12.78
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area	12.62
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH Metro Area	12.59
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metro Area	12.20
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area	11.81
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN Metro Area	11.56
Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area	11.27
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area	10.74
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area	10.56
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metro Area	10.16
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area	10.05
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area	9.97
St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area	9.58
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area	9.48
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metro Area	8.89
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Metro Area	8.51
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area	8.36
Jacksonville, FL Metro Area	8.11
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area	8.02
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area	7.61
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC Metro Area	7.37
Richmond, VA Metro Area	7.23
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metro Area	6.25
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area	6.14
Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area	5.26
Virginia Beach -Norfolk -Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area	5.06
Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area	4.88
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area	4.77
New Haven-Milford, CT Metro Area	4.68
Rochester, NY Metro Area	4.66
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metro Area	4.17
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Metro Area	2.00
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metro Area	2.00
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC Metro Area	2.00
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area	0.71
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metro Area	-0.32
Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area	-0.68
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA Metro Area	-1.50
Tucson, AZ Metro Area	-3.47
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area	-6.74
Syracuse, NY Metro Area	-7.27
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA Metro Area	-7.51
Albuquerque, NM Metro Area	-12.28

Here are the changes in rents over the last 5 years:

Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metro Area	6.16
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA Metro Area	9.11
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA Metro Area	9.33
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area	9.49
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metro Area	9.68
Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area	9.75
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Metro Area	9.84
Jacksonville, FL Metro Area	10.01
Albuquerque, NM Metro Area	10.03
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area	10.03
St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area	10.12
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area	10.16
Dayton, OH Metro Area	10.34
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metro Area	10.46
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Metro Area	10.83
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metro Area	10.83
Trenton-Ewing, NJ Metro Area	10.87
New Haven-Milford, CT Metro Area	10.96
Tulsa, OK Metro Area	11.03
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metro Area	11.08
Tucson, AZ Metro Area	11.09
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY Metro Area	11.24
Columbia, SC Metro Area	11.36
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA Metro Area	11.39
Virginia Beach -Norfolk -Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area	11.52
Wichita, KS Metro Area	11.73
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area	11.73
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metro Area	11.76
Richmond, VA Metro Area	11.79
Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area	11.84
Syracuse, NY Metro Area	11.87
Knoxville, TN Metro Area	11.92
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area	12.41
Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metro Area	12.43
Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area	12.62
Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area	12.71
Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area	12.88
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area	12.89
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metro Area	12.92
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area	12.99
Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area	13.15
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Metro Area	13.21
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area	13.31
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area	13.70
Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area	13.73
Rochester, NY Metro Area	13.80
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN Metro Area	14.13
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area	14.18
Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area	14.26
Columbus, OH Metro Area	15.03
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metro Area	15.58
Baltimore-Towson, MD Metro Area	15.82
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area	15.98
Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC Metro Area	16.21
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area	16.28
Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area	16.30
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area	16.47
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH Metro Area	16.51
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area	16.67
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area	17.85
Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC Metro Area	18.70
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area	19.28
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area	19.41
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area	19.97
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area	20.45
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area	22.26
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metro Area	24.14
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area	25.60
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area	32.38
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area	50.07

TWO APPROACHES TO THE INDIANA RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW

You could read the text of the law and discover that it does in fact encourage discrimination on religious grounds or you could infer from the prominent conservatives who support the law (Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum) that it does pander to the Fundies.

THE PRESS HAS GONE CLINTON-CRAZY

Peter Daou collected many examples from mainstream news outlets and makes this observation:

What is unique in Clinton’s case is that personal attacks which would normally be the province of political opponents and critics are promulgated by the mainstream news media.

Daou got some misguided pushback in the WaPo {"The 13 words you can’t write about Hillary Clinton anymore") and I noticed this absurd headline from the Christian Science Monitor:

Did Hillary Clinton destroy evidence in 'wiping clean' her email server?
Friday was the deadline for Hillary Clinton to respond to a congressional subpoena for emails and documents related to the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. She provided nothing since her email server had been wiped clean.
Christian Science Monitor
By Brad Knickerbocker March 28, 2015 4:43 PM
Christian Science Monitor

As I have noted before, even the GOP-controlled House has come to the conclusion that there is nothing to the Benghazi "scandal," so the Monitor's headline is more appropriate for World Nut Daily.