Would a person who — as a result of his or her blind adherence to an ideology — sets off an explosion that registers as the equivalent of a 2.1 earthquake, killing at least 15 people, injuring more than 200 people, and incinerating more than 50 homes and businesses, be considered a terrorist?

If corporations are people, my friend, then why are we not terrified by the thought of a lightly-regulated individual (biz-ness) that is focused on the ideology of maximizing profits actually handling dangerous chemicals?

Records kept by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration show that the last time the agency inspected the plant was 28 years ago. In that inspection, dated Feb. 13, 1985, the agency found five “serious” violations, including ones involving improper storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia and improper respiratory protection for workers. The agency imposed a $30 penalty on the company.

Last June, the company was fined $5,250 by the federal Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for violations involving anhydrous ammonia. An investigator reported the violations following an inspection of the plant in September 2011, and the agency later determined that the company had corrected the violations.

Something to ponder on 4/20 — no not for that 4/20 reason — I mean the 3rd anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 people and fucked up the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the largest environmental disaster in American history.

[NYT: Plant Explosion Tears at the Heart of a Texas Town]

[Austin American-Statesman: Death Toll in West Rises to 14]

[TPM]

[Guardian]

Oh man, so many memories of Braniff Airways from a childhood in Texas.  When the big news came out about the DFW-Dulles Concorde service, I begged my parents that we save our nickles to do the flight. Sad to read that they would have only 15 passengers on the flights.

This trip down memory lane was prompted by the blog of a friend’s family member, which linked to another blog that highlighted those crazy-awesome Braniff ads. Sonny Liston and Andy Warhol? Check. Whitey Ford and Salvador Dali? Yes, that too.

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It does explain why Romney didn’t pick him as the running mate.

[New Yorker: Rob Portman and His Brave, Gay Son]

Snap! Go DiFi, tell that little punk where to stick it. From the Ess Eff Chronicle:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a 20-year veteran Democrat, clashed fiercely with Tea Party-backed newcomer Ted Cruz of Texas, when the freshman began lecturing the Californian about the Constitution during a debate over Feinstein’s assault weapons ban. … The clash was reminiscent of an exchange Feinstein had nearly two decades ago with the since disgraced Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, who lectured the “gentle lady from California” on firearms during debate over Feinstein’s successful 1994 ban that expired in 2004.

No issue is more emotional for Feinstein. She became mayor of San Francisco as a result of the assassination of George Moscone, and was the first to discover supervisor Harvey Milk’s body, slipping her finger into the bullet hole as she sought a pulse. […]

Cruz asked Feinstein whether she would “deem it consistent with the Bill of Rights” if Congress did the same thing to the First Amendment that she contemplates with the Second Amendment. Her assault weapons bill bans certain weapons, so Cruz asked whether Congress could ban certain books.

The Stanford-educated Feinstein replied, “I am not a sixth-grader,” and said her bill specifically exempts 2,271 weapons. “Is this not enough for the people of the United States?” she asked? “Do they need a bazooka?”

Clip of DiFi and Cruz after the jump.

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Christian girl goes in the woods to record her anti-gay rap/poetry slam. This is what came out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-p98umv1gg

To paraphrase David St. Hubbins, there’s a fine line between stupid and dumb as shit.

[Happy Place: Christian Teen’s Anti-Gay Rap in the Woods]