Politics Plus

Today is another very busy day, as I have three articles to write, a week’s supply of pills to restock, and a menu and grocery list to plan for a week’s meals.  Courtney changed all my exercises, because the way the surgeons constructed Stumpy, the old exercises were putting too much pressure on the end of the bone.  Until I become accustomed to the new set, they will tire me more than usual, and I took a nap this morning after completing my research.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:53 (average 5:29).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Republicans on Friday expressed bafflement that President Obama had garnered a record-high second-term approval rating despite having turned the United States into an economically devastated, crime-ridden hellhole.

Appearing on “Fox & Friends,” the Trump surrogate Rudolph Giuliani said he was “dumbfounded” by the disconnect between Obama’s high approval rating and the President’s near-total dismemberment of a formerly strong nation.

“This country used to be a wonderful place to live,” the former New York mayor said. “Today, all you see is a hellscape of smoldering ruins.”

Giuliani blamed the mainstream media for not properly informing the American people about the destruction and havoc Obama has wrought since his first day in office.

Andy, where’s the humor? Hasn’t Rudy 911 (R-Dementia) said this very thing?

From YouTube: New Rule: America Rules, Trump Drools | Real Time with Bill Maher

We know America is rising. How? It’s the opposite of what Trump says. ChickenHawk Cheney being alive is the exception to that rule.

From Daily Kos:Libertarians, it’s time to get serious. Gary Johnson is not ready for prime time. Even if you forgive him for not knowing anything about Aleppo, the epicenter of the Syrian refugee crisis and you forgive him for being unable to name a single foreign leader he admires, you have to admit his latest faux pas is frightening: he failed to remember the name of one of the most dangerous people in the world:

He certainly puts the DUH back in dumb!

Cartoon:

Republicans would love to do that here!

Yesterday’s supper was delicious, and we sent a green cloud north in search of the Squatch.  Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Courtney, my Physical Terrorist, so I may have nothing more than a Personal Update.  If you are in Matthew’s path, please take care.  You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:54 (average 5:00).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From KOIN: The Republican candidate for Oregon governor drew boos at a Portland debate Friday when he suggested successful women aren’t susceptible to sexual violence.

Dr. Bud Pierce’s remarks came after his Democratic opponent Gov. Kate Brown also disclosed she has been a victim of domestic violence.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Pierce said “a woman that has a great education and training and a great job is not susceptible to this kind of abuse by men, women or anyone.”

The line drew groans and boos from the audience at the Portland City Club.

I proudly endorse Kate Brown, Oregon’s only rational choice for Governor.

From CMD: Bayer announced this month that it plans to purchase Monsanto, the controversial chemical corporation that has been sued around the world over its products. Nowadays, Bayer has a more consumer-friendly corporate reputation, but has a checkered past too. (Bayer’s history as a German company during the Nazi era is well documented.)

According to Vox, if regulators approve the $66 billion deal, the merger would create the largest agribusiness giant in the world, “selling 29 percent of the world’s seeds and 24 percent of its pesticides.”

Selling nearly a third of the world’s seeds actually means owning a huge portion of the seed stock on the planet. And, Monsanto has spent decades genetically modifying seeds to make them compatible with its chemical pesticides and herbicides, as with Roundup-ready corn. Those are the kinds of chemicals and modifications that can’t be washed off.

In the U.S., citizens have been waging major campaigns to try to get GMO products labeled and/or to prevent the use of GMO crops in their communities. These efforts have been attacked by Monsanto and other chemical corporations, which have worked to defeat citizen democracy through subterfuge—as with the deceptive ads that beat back California’s proposition on GMO labeling and with a “preemption” bill in Oregon to trump local ballot measures that passed overwhelmingly in two Oregon counties that banned GMO crops.

I hope you already know just how evil I consider Monsanto to be, but Bayer is just as bad. They became a corporate giant using slave labor in concentration camps and conducting bizarre medical experiments on camp prisoners, working closely with the infamous Mengele Brothers. Their record continues to be horrid. Click here for more details.

From NY Times: Donald J. Trump’s support has plunged across the swing-state map over the last 10 days, wiping out his political recovery from September and threatening to undo weeks of Republican gains in the battle for control of Congress.

For his party, Mr. Trump’s reversal in fortune comes at the worst possible moment: Having muted their criticism of Mr. Trump in hopes that he could at least run competitively through Election Day, Republicans must decide in the next few days, rather than weeks, whether to seek distance from his wobbly campaign.

Should Mr. Trump falter badly in his second debate with Hillary Clinton on Sunday in St. Louis, Republican congressional candidates may take it as a cue to flee openly from their nominee, said two senior Republicans involved at high levels of the campaign who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private party strategy.

Mr. Trump has already slipped perceptibly in public polls, trailing widely this week in Pennsylvania and by smaller margins in Florida and North Carolina — three states he cannot afford to lose. But private polling by both parties shows an even more precipitous drop, especially among independent voters, moderate Republicans and women, according to a dozen strategists from both parties who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the data was confidential.

Hillary’s tactic of treating Trump as separate from the Republican party is wrong.  We need to keep tying Trump and every Republican candidate from Dawg Catcher up together. The only difference between most of them and Trump is that they try assure their base of their hate-filled positions and policies using dog whistles, at the same time that they deceive the general public about them. On the other hand, Trump articulates those same positions and policies clearly. In short, he’s just another Republican, and they are just junior Trumps.

From YouTube (Move-on Channel): Complacency is Not an Option

Listen to the Reich on the left, Robert Reich. Defeat the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich in an election day blow out! If you think that it’s OK to waste your vote, because it’s not needed to defeat Trump, it’s not OK. Your vote is needed!  Don’t play Russian Roulette with Putin’s Pup!!

Cartoon:

I’m trying to be lazy today, so I can watch the VP debate tonight.  The best outcome is that Kaine makes a convincing argument that Pence, Trump and the downballot Republicans are all virtually the same.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:48 (average 5:13).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s the news from Week 4 in our own fantasy football league.

Scores:

Standings:

Oh how the mighty hath fallen!

Short Takes:

From KP Daily Funnies: Drunk Trump 4: The Drunkest Guy at the Bar

I have to admit that there have been several times I wondered what drug he was on.

From Daily Kos: In 1997, Keith Cooper was arrested and convicted for an armed robbery in Elkhart, Indiana. After serving 10 years for the conviction, DNA evidence pointed to another man, already in custody for a similar crime. Every eyewitness account also recanted their testimony that led to Mr. Cooper’s conviction, as the witnesses were denied a police line up they requested before the trial. Cooper’s retrial was ordered, but the new prosecutor, Curtis Hill, offered Keith a plea deal which would give him an immediate release, rather than waiting months or years for the retrial. All Keith had to do was admit his guilt for a crime he didn’t commit. Keith’s wife and children were about to become homeless, so what else could Keith do? What would you do? Keith has been living with the stigma and real limitations of being a convicted felon ever since.

And now, Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice-Presidential running mate, refuses to provide justice to Keith Cooper, even after admitting Cooper’s innocence. In an ongoing battle to remove his felony status, Mr. Pence finally responded…by delaying a decision. His reasoning?

“Although the judicial system may not be perfect, given the extraordinary nature of Mr. Cooper’s request, we need to be certain the judicial process is complete and has been given every opportunity to address any error that may have occurred."

In other words, he basically doesn’t want to, and goes on to make the absurd argument that no governor has ever pardoned an innocent man.

I keep hearing the argument that, if Rump Dump is elected, he’ll be a figurehead, and Pence will be running things. I don’t believe it, but if it’s true, Pence is no better than Trump. In spite of Republican disingenuous claims to the contrary, Trump and Pence reflect the policies and positions of the Republican Party perfectly.

From The New Yorker: Governor Chris Christie, of New Jersey, called Donald J. Trump a “genius” on Monday for his controversial plan to burn down the White House to collect insurance money.

Appearing on Fox News, Christie said that Trump’s scheme to collect fire-insurance payments on the White House would “make a serious dent” in the national debt.

“It’s not just the White House,” Christie told Fox’s Sean Hannity. “That building is chock-full of priceless antiques, paintings, and rugs, all of which, when burned, would fetch a pretty penny.”

Actually, Andy, it’s a pretty good idea. If Trump becomes President, he’ll destroy the government and the nation so quickly, that there will no longer be a need for a White House.

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