Once again, this is today’s only article, as I have much to do to prepare for tomorrow’s trip home. Color me in rush mode. Expect only a brief Personal Update tomorrow.
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: The billionaire Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States has sparked deep disappointment among his supporters, many of whom had hoped he was planning to ban a sizable number of other religions.
In conversations with likely Trump voters across the country, reactions ranged from disenchantment to a sharp sense of betrayal as supporters tried to make sense of his decision to ban members of only one faith.
“I heard him on TV talking about banning Muslims and I was kind of like, ‘Is that it?’ ” said Carol Foyler, a Trump supporter from South Florida. “I mean, banning Muslims is a good start, but I thought a smart businessman like him would be a lot more thorough.”
Harland Dorrinson, a Trump supporter from San Antonio, Texas, agreed. “Saying you’re only going to ban Muslims when there are so many other religious groups to ban just feels like politics as usual,” he said. “I’ll give him a chance to explain himself on this one, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel burned.”
Andy has it spot-on. Republicans would ban all beliefs, except Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity, with their gospel of hate, greed and violence.
From NY Times: President Obama’s address to the nation Sunday was intended to reassure anxious Americans that the United States will defeat the Islamic State, known as ISIS or ISIL, “by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless, and by drawing upon every aspect of American power.” But success, he noted, “won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving into fear. That’s what groups like ISIL are hoping for.”
If that’s true, ISIS must have been cheered by the presidential field, most of whom did their best to talk tough and stoke fear without advancing any workable ideas.
Donald Trump, a bigot without foreign policy experience, showed that there is nothing he won’t say or support to sow hatred. On Monday he outrageously proposed barring all Muslims from entering the country. There is no precedent for denying immigration based on religion, experts say, and any such test would surely be used as an excuse to attack Muslim Americans.
Ted Cruz, Twitter warrior, pledged after Mr. Obama’s speech to “direct the Department of Defense to destroy ISIS.” He played soldier all weekend in Iowa, spouting “We will carpet bomb them into oblivion,” to a tea-party crowd in Cedar Rapids, adding “I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we’re going to find out,” whatever that means.
Marco Rubio took to Fox News [Faux Noise delinked] to remind Americans that they are, or should be, “really scared and worried.” He also said that “people are scared not just because of these attacks but because of a growing sense that we have a president that’s completely overwhelmed by them,” as if he alone had his finger on the pulse of America…
That’s what I would expect from the Clown Car.
From Blue Oregon: Merkley calls it: The Worst Idea from a Presidential Candidate. Ever.
That’s my Senator. Oregon leads the way.
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “On the Edge–12/8/2015”
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Thanks TC–Merkeley is on target especially given Muslims being here before the Revolutionary War practicing their faith and also fought in that war and every one of our wars since.
The Supreme Court rejected a weapons ban challenge to a city ordinance passed in 2013. NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams reports on how this decision helps advocates of gun control.
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/79984
I've already quoted today from Shahriar Chowdhury, a Muslim veteran, who wrote these words in an email sponsored by VoteVets: "I never imagined I’d see the day a leading Republican candidate for President of the United States would call for banning all Muslims from coming to the United States, or that American Muslims overseas shouldn’t be allowed to return home. If I had the chance, I’d ask Mr. Trump if he wouldn’t have wanted me to return home after the 15 months I served in Iraq? Would he want to kick my cousin, Shaniyat, out of the Marine Corps? Would he ask my cousin Adil, an NYPD Officer to turn in his badge? How about my other first cousin, Arif, an Air Force veteran, would he tell him to leave the country after his service?" I might add, would he deport Congressmen Keith Ellison and André Carson?
Knowing Trump – maybe he would. But. My father died when I was three days old. My mother never remarried. It was actually after I was out of the Marine Corps that I started hearing a lot of people around me blaming everything that was wrong with the country on "single mothers." If I objected based on my own life, I would get a chorus of Oh, No, that isn't what we meant at all, yada, yada. But the rhetoric never changed. If someone had been out there with a gun to take out single mothers, my mother would have been just as vuknerable as anyone else. Just one reason why I take this personally.
TC, my wish for you is that everything about the move goes perfectly. Hugs.
TC: Don't forget the "ketched" nurses and pack them carefully for the trip to HOME. lol.
New Yorker: Not far from the truth that if Trump became President, he might, just might, start banning many other groups of people, religious or not.
NY Times: Isis cheering for armchair quarter-backers Trump and other GOP candidtes. None of them have any knowledge of what is really going on over there as they are not privy to foreign intelligence.
Blue Oregon: Merkley gave an excellent speech. Have a listen. 3 minutes.
Cartoon: Yep, cartoon epitomizes what the GOP/TP really are on Christmas.
Hope the deluge of rain you guys are getting doesn't impede your move too much.
In that same speech by Cruz, he MORE than hinted that he's ready & willing to use our nuclear arsenal in the Middle East:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/12/05/cruz-carpet-bomb-isis-into-oblivion/76796154/
Oh, GEEZ!! That was SCARY!!! If they get those idiots to vote, we GOTTA double down on DEMOCRATS ELECTED!!!
PLEASE, get your friends REGISTERED and make sure they go to the POLLS AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!!!
Lord help us of we don't!!!!
Did you see this in Alternet?
Ted Cruz Has Been Ridiculed for Years by His Former College Roommate Who Turned into a Successful Screenwriter
Craig Mazin wants you and anybody listening to know that Ted Cruz is as terrible as he seems.
He ought to know!
Man. HumptyTrump has gone on over the cliff!! He has taken a step that should have never even be thought of, let alone said!!! His feelings towards anyone other than his bunch of idiots is so horrible that he sure as hell doesn't belong in a presidential race for student council, let alone President of the United States!!! Ugh!!! Lord, please help us get a President that has NO feelings like HumptyTrump!!!
Andy
Oops. Andy was SPOT ON!!
Double OOPS!
TomCat, please be careful when you go home! We need you here to keep us sane!!!! Take it easy the first few days! You need to get used to being HOME. It's a lot different being home and being in the hospital. There are sharp corners and slippery floors. So he CAREFUL!!!
Say hello to George for me!!!
The New Yorker — "Republicans would ban all beliefs, except Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity, with their gospel of hate, greed and violence." Amen!!!
NY Times — These Republican presidential hopefuls are an apocalypse of true Republican values. Let's work to ensure none of them ever moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Apocalypse = (Ancient Greek: ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis, from ἀπό and καλύπτω meaning "uncovering"), translated literally from Greek, is a disclosure of knowledge, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation.
Blue Oregon — Good on Merkley! I was so impressed that I used your post, with full accreditation to you, in my OT.
Cartoon — I did not like this last year, and even less this year after all the mass shootings. A Nevada Representative has a similar Christmas card of her family this year and is taking heat for it.
Good luck with returning home, TomCat. It's a hassle, I know it is, but once you're settled in again, you'll feel so much better in your own surroundings.
The New Yorker: Andy's got that one right, Republicans won't stop at Muslims and Mexicans who have been banned earlier by Trump, they want everyone out who's not white and Christian. And given the way Donald, and Republicans think of women, they're next to go, along with the LGBT people of course. It's going to be a dark, cold and lonely country when the last one who doesn't want to make America great again closes the door behind him or her.
NY Times: It's getting really tiring that the Clown Car keeps battering Obama for being a pussy and not doing enough against Da'esh and then come up with the same approach (bombing) as Obama does, only with a lot of military tough talk added. The only real difference is that Obama tries to reassure that Americans are not in any real danger, and the Clowns do the exact opposite. They might be right though, Americans should be really scared of the consequences of their tough talk and the hatred they've kindled. Soon the number of violent attacks on Muslims (and anyone not mirroring themselves in their white, pseudo-Christianity) will increase, and before you know it, that will get completely out of hand, just as cops killing young African-Americans has.
Blue Oregon: Kudos to Merkley! Oregon can be really proud of this man, and proud of itself having elected him to represent them in the Senate. Could you teach other states how to do that?
Cartoon: Soon this will be the only type of Christmas card you're allowed to send in a red state.