Open Thread – 4/2/2017

 Posted by at 12:42 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion
Apr 022017
 

I’m feeling quite tired, so I’ll be brief.  Barring unforeseen circumstances, I plan to publish most days this week, but if the forecast holds, I may make a bank run on Tuesday afternoon.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:01 (average 5:33).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Who would Jesus starve? Step aside Pope Francis, because this Texas Republican seems know exactly who:

One lawmaker is citing a godly reference to justify changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Tex.) recently quoted the New Testament to question the strength of current work requirements. […]

House Republicans have historically cited the verse — “if a man will not work, he shall not eat” — as justification for cutting some adults’ SNAP benefits. Arrington referenced the verse in a discussion about increasing the work requirements for unemployed adults on the food stamp program. But critics say that advances a pernicious myth about the unemployed who receive SNAP.

The verse in question applies specifically to people who can work or otherwise contribute to society but choose not to, said theologians from several denominations who spoke to The Post. There is a perception, among some voters and lawmakers, that many adult SNAP recipients are exactly this sort of “freeloader.”

But policy experts say that is not the case. Many unemployed adults on SNAP simply cannot work, they say. Those include the mentally ill, the borderline disabled and veterans.

Remember that these Republican Supply Side pseudo-Christians and authentic Christians have nothing whatsoever in common. Christians emulate the care for others that Jesus said, thought, and did. Republican pseudo-Christians do not and, therefore, are not Christians. RESIST!!

From YouTube: The facts on climate change — and what to do about it

 

Once upon a time, one could be pro-science, pro-earth, and pro-wildlife from a nonpartisan perspective. If they can help educate the Republican rank and file, more power to them, but I see no way forward without opposition to the Republican Reich, because they are anti-science, anti-earth and anti-wildlife, except for Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten’s wild life in Russian hotel rooms. RESIST!!

From NY Times: The Trump administration is considered the wealthiest in United States history. Here is a look at the value of assets held by some top officials at the time they joined the administration, based on financial disclosure filings.

 

 

Value of assets

 

 

Name

Bottom estimate

Top estimate

 

Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education

$579,783,484

unknown

 

Wilbur L. Ross Secretary of Commerce

$326,224,177

unknown

 

Gary D. Cohn Director of the National Economic Council

$252,952,172

unknown

 

Jared Kushner Senior adviser to the president for strategic planning

$241,037,233

unknown

 

Rex W. Tillerson Secretary of State

$239,488,353

unknown

 

Reed Cordish Special assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives

$197,281,047

unknown

 

Steven T. Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury

$154,137,166

unknown

This is the face of fascist plutocracy. Click through for the rest. RESIST!!

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Personal Update – 4/1/2017

 Posted by at 12:25 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 012017
 

Carrie should be here shortly.  I will have no April Fools Day post today, because any notion of support for the Republican Reich is just too obscene for humor.  I’m feeling tired and plan to get some rest, but I will harvest Bill Maher’s clips for tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:46 (average 4:30).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Take:

From Daily Kos: Former FBI Special Agent and current Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute Clinton Watts is testifying in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee since the House Republican one is being run by a fucking imbecile who can’t make a decision without the go-ahead from the guy being investigated. Here’s an interesting interaction between Watts and the Intelligence Committee.

 

Collusion! RESIST!!

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April Fools!

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Everyday Erinyes #68

 Posted by at 10:48 am  Politics
Apr 012017
 

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage.  These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that.  Even though there are many more which I can't include.  As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."

Alecto is the Fury normally charged with dealing with issues which are unceasing, semper ubique et ab omnibus, to use a legal term (always, everywhere, and from everyone).  The phrase crossed my mind when I read an article in The Nation, itself an abstract from the book A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes. The article is called "Policing the Colony: From the American Revolution to Ferguson," and it takes an amazing look at how similar too many modern police procedures in the United States are to the police procedures of the British police in the American colonies, and how little the Bill of Rights has to do with either.  The driving rationale of both is not public safety, nor public welfare, but revenue.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the DOJ report is how open and honest the city officials are about their police department’s purpose, how certain they seem that no one is watching them. Their comments suggest no winking and nudging, no ironic and knowing smiles. Just plain statements of financial goals, of dollars and cents. At one point the department started a new “I-270 traffic enforcement initiative” in order to “begin to fill the revenue pipeline.” The masterminds behind it warned that the initiative would require “60 to 90 [days] of lead time to turn citations into cash.”  None of the people administering this enterprise appear concerned that what they’re doing is a gross violation of their duty to their constituents. And when you ask yourself how this report came to be written, the reason for their nonchalance is evident. The damning pages of the report exist only because a 17-year-old black boy was shot and killed by a police officer, and because that shooting led to an uprising. That uprising in turn led to the DOJ getting involved, which in turn led to the investigation that produced this audit.

I could have quoted almost any paragraph of this article and made a point of some kind.  The whole article is well worth a read, which suggests that the whole book is well worth a read.  And that Alecto will be very busy.

The death of Darren Rainey, an inmate in the Dade Correctional Institution, a state prison about 40 miles south of Miami, FL, was so shocking that everyone will probably remember having read about it.  He was locked inside a scorching shower for nearly two hours.  Another then-inmate, Mark Joiner, was ordered to clean up the shower by removing the pieces of skin which had peeled from Rainey's body.  This was, of course, not made public in 2012.  It took about a year for Joiner to, first, be transferred to a different facility, and second, make contact with someone who would listen (needless to say, that someone was NOT a Florida law enforcement agency of any kind, although he tried.)

The reason the story is news again is that on Friday, March 17, the state attorney for Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, announced that the investigation was being closed and that no charges would be filed.  Because "the evidence does not show that Rainey’s well-being was grossly disregarded by the correctional staff.”

Right.

As the rest of the article amply demonstrates, the well being of not only Rainey, but of all the inmates, as well as the professional staff, and incidentally, the families of all of the inmates, were grossly disregarded "on a regular basis."

Tisiphone – help.  Please.

Finally – in California – the self-proclaimed "activists" (whom I would call "grifters") who made the fake film designed to destroy Planned Parenthood have been charged with fifteen felonies.  This in a state where there is a chance they will be convicted.  However, there is a way to go from being charged to actually being put away.  Megaera, I hope you will follow this up and nudge in the right direction any participants who need a nudge.

The Furies and I will be back.

Cross posted to Care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/4045401

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Can Flynn Nail Trump?

 Posted by at 2:07 pm  Politics
Mar 312017
 

I thought I was taking most of today off, but I did not want to let this story pass without commenting.  I and several others have commented on how quiet one of Trump’s lackeys with a huge smoking gun has been of late, and now we know why.  Alt-Right Nazi Michael T. Flynn, pictured below with Putin and another US traitor, whose efforts helped invest Trump, asked for immunity for his testimony.

0331flynn

Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, has offered to be interviewed by House and Senate investigators who are examining the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in exchange for immunity from prosecution, according to his lawyer and a congressional official.

But the congressional official said investigators were unwilling to broker a deal with Mr. Flynn — who resigned last month for misleading White House officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States — until they are further along in their inquiries and they better understand what information Mr. Flynn might offer as part of a deal.

In a statement on Thursday evening, Mr. Flynn’s lawyer confirmed discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees about possible testimony by his client. The lawyer, Robert Kelner, did not provide specifics about the terms under which Mr. Flynn would testify, but said that “no reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.”

“General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should circumstances permit,” the statement said…

From <NY Times>

Rachel Maddow covered the issue in two segments.

Flynn testimony offer jolts Trump Russia case

Shane Harris, senior writer for The Wall Street Journal, talks with Rachel Maddow about breaking news that disgraced Donald Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has offered to testify in the Russia investigation in exchange for immunity.

 

I think I know how Flynn made it through the vetting process.  The Trump campaign, and later, the Trump Reich knew all about Flynn’s crimes. At least, they looked the other way, because they did not expect him to be publicly exposed.  More likely, they knew, because they were all accomplices, before, during and after the fact.

Would Flynn testimony implicate ‘higher ups?’

Congressman Jim Himes, member of the House Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about what it would mean to grant immunity the Mike Flynn in exchange for testimony and what considerations would go into granting such immunity.

 

That the Trump campaign "amplified and repeated" Russia’s efforts also indicates collusion between the two.  The notion that the Trump Reich is spying on the criminal investigation against them by reviewing raw FBI intercepts boggles the mind!

So what now?  The bottom line on immunity for Flynn is simple.  If his testimony will bring indictments for lesser players below his own rank, forget it!  But if his testimony is sufficient to bring down Trump and Pence, give it to him.  Now we wait an see.  Until then…

RESIST!!

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Open Thread – 3/31/2017

 Posted by at 2:06 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 312017
 

I wasn’t planning to write today, but my appointment did not take much time, and I wanted to tackle the news.  Megan refused to refill the Prednisone without seeing me, and I opted not to go in.  The stretching it takes to put on George is the worst thing I could do for my chest muscles, and having to spend three hours waiting for will-call lift rides would elevate my stress level.  And since I had already spent the night waiting for her front office to get her the message, and I am in not as much pain as I feared, albeit far moré than I’d hoped, I’m rolling the dice that I van get through the weekend without it.  Tomorrow will definitely be a short day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:19 (average 5:16).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Now that the White House realizes it’s bound to a suicide vest known as the "Freedom Caucus," Donald Trump’s aides are on the hunt for Democrats who will help the popular vote loser bring his legislative agenda to fruition.

Under normal circumstances, building a relationship with a Republican president in order to influence legislation might make sense. But these are not normal times. To negotiate with Trump would be to lend credibility to someone who is quite possibly an illegitimate occupant of the Oval Office, has stacked his cabinet with unqualified hacks intended to undercut the very foundation of the federal government, tests the Constitutional limitations of his office at every turn, and who, as our own Laura Clawson pointed out, can’t go two sentences without expelling a lie.

Fat chance!! In the Senate, I think there are only two or three DINOS cowardly enough to goose=step with this Fuhrer. Miserable Manchin [DINO-WV] and Horrid Heitkamp [DINO-ND] even plan to vote FOR Whoresuch. If either is yours, tear them a new one. RESIST!!

From Politico: The road to a Democratic Senate majority in 2018 runs through Texas — yes, Texas.

Facing a grim midterm map, Democrats are desperately trying to put enough GOP-held seats in play to take advantage of Donald Trump’s unpopularity and carve a credible path back to Senate control. The odds are so long that Democrats must pin their hopes on taking out Ted Cruz in the reliably conservative bastion of Texas.

Their first ray of hope is the entry of three-term Rep. Beto O’Rourke — a 44-year-old former hard rock musician and internet entrepreneur who speaks fluent Spanish — into the race on Friday. Though Cruz is universally known, Democrats insist he’s not invincible, pointing to the first-term Republican’s poor polling numbers and prolonged focus on running for president.

And they say O’Rourke is formidable enough that they can make a case to donors that they actually have a shot at winning the state — and the Senate overall.

If Democrats challenge TRUS Pervert Cruse by opposing him with a Howler howls off key, has mange, body odor, and halitosis, that masturbates continuously, and that throws feces at all in range… support the monkey! RESIST!!

From Think Progress:  1. The Trump family’s apparent kleptocracy

Chaffetz told Coppins that he is unconcerned with issues like Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway using her position to urge people to buy Trump’s daughter’s line of jewelry or questions about his son-in-law’s investments.

“I don’t see how that affects the average American and their taxpayer dollars. Just the fact that a staff person’s family is making money? It’s not enough,” he explained. “These other little intrigues about a wealthy family making money is a bit of a sideshow.”

This is the first of five Trump crimes that the House Oversight Committee Chair does not consider worth investigating. Click through for the other four. RESIST!!

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Friday Fun – It Takes a Village, People

 Posted by at 8:28 am  Politics
Mar 312017
 

Does it really take a Village, People, to troll Kellyanne Conway?

Apparently not – as one guy got it done all by himself.  But more on that in a little bit.  Let’s start with what I think makes for a great Trump Theme Song – sung to the Village People’s anthem of “YMCA”.

I’m including the lyrics below – but a HEADS-UP … the lyrics are NSFW [NOT Safe for Work]!

 

White men,

Here's how it's going down.

All the black men,

We'll shoot them into the ground.

 

Mexicans,

This is not your hometown,

We're gonna build a wall 'round the country.

Barrack,

It's time to clear your shit out.

 

Hey Muslims,

Take the first flight out.

Yo Putin,

You're my BFF now.

Together we can nuke

Any country

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb

 

That's how it's gonna be in

Trump's USA!

I have successfully,

Fucked USA-A!

 

We have no gun control,

So you men can enjoy,

Just don't make out with,

Any boys…

 

Hillary,

You can suck my cock,

I didn't mean that,

It was just locker room talk

 

So ladies…

Don't be too shocked

If I grab you

By the pussy.

 

(I actually said that)

 

That's how it's going to be in

Trump's USA!

 

Of course, Kellyanne Conway has made herself an easy target for trolling between her “alternative facts” and “spying microwaves” – but Alfredo Pelicci (an attorney in Washington) deserves a medal for a great one.

A couple of weeks back I came across this Tweet that was all the rage about Alfredo approaching Conway at the Lupo Verde restaurant in Washington and asking for a selfie.  [NOTE: Given my lack of hearing, their conversation was what I gleaned from reading comments about the Tweet.  So I’d appreciate your 2¢ on what you think they actually said.]

Conway agreed – but rather than the standard issue “Say: ‘Cheese’”, Alfredo went with “Say: ‘I’m ruining America’” – in what was described as a cheerful voice. 

And when Conway demurs, saying “Are you happy?  You must feel really brave saying that”, Alfredo politely and cheerfully closes with “No?  Alright.  Thank you.”

Let’s close with a useful Schadenfreude tool to follow along on the (hopefully soon) demise of Twitler’s administration.  It’s a site that provides an INTERACTIVE Historical Tracking of Presidential Approval Ratings. 

You select the presidents you want to compare to Trump and duration of administration – it then graphs them out, but it does load a little slow.  Below is the current graph comparing everyone from Reagan on.  That red line way down at the bottom?  That’s Twitler.

ETA [Edited to Add]

Just saw two magazine covers that came out in the past 24 hours that are smile-inducing – so I'll slip them in.

First is from our beloved "The New Yorker" – Andy's home – titled "Broken Windows":

And the second is a very clever animation from "The Economist" – also following a golf theme that so aptly illustrates Twitler violating "The First Law of Holes": If you find yourself in one, STOP DIGGING!

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A Double Dose of Sam

 Posted by at 12:37 pm  Politics
Mar 302017
 

SamanthaBee3

In the last few days, I’ve shared a couple really troubling articles, so I guess I owe you the next bad news in a more enjoyable format.  What better choice couls there be for that in Samantha Bee.  She even found a former judge that Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten might take on a Russian hotel games tour, before appointing him to SCROTUS (Republican Constitutional VD).

Governing Is Hard: Trumpcare Edition

 

If Rump Dump Rectum wants to make a deal on health care, let him propose Medicare for All. Don’t hold your breath!

Someone Run Against Johnnie Caldwell

 

No Republican should ever get to run unopposed, especially not Pussy Grabber, Jr.!!

Enjoy the chuckle.  Then…

RESIST!!

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Open Thread – 3/30/2017

 Posted by at 12:36 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 302017
 

I ran out of meds yesterday.  Today some of the congestion and coughing has returned, so I called Megan’s office to see if they will refill my Prednisone prescription.  My concern is that the coughing will exacerbate the muscular damage.  I still have quite a bit of pain in my ribs, and want to keep it tolerable.  Tomorrow morning I have a home visit coming from the agency that pays for around 20% of the care I get from Wendy.  I am more disabled than I was a year ago, because of my eyes, so I’m not worried about losing it, until Republican budget cuts reach the state level.  Then on Saturday, Carrie will be here filling in for Wendy, instead of Sunday, so my uploads will be abbreviated until Sunday.  I’ve decided not to do a Monthly Report for March.  First we do not have a full month’s data.  Second, after everything, I don’t have enough gas left in my tank to design as new report format for our Analytics.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:20 (average 5:04).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (GQ Channel): Could Donald Trump Pass a Sanity Test? | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann

 

Why?  In a single word, the Lemon Lunatic is a Republican. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Representative Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that he just spent several days alone in his apartment holding hearings on President Donald J. Trump’s ties to Russia and that those hearings “went really great.”

“Having concluded several days of hearings on my own in my apartment, I am one hundred per cent satisfied that the President had no involvement with the Russians,” Nunes said. “Now it’s time to move on.”

While Nunes would not reveal who testified at the hearings in his apartment, he called their testimony “credible and productive.”

Andy, if he said that, it would not surprise me at all. RESIST!!

From The Rachel Maddow Show: Schiff presses for public hearing for Yates

Congressman Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about resistance by Chairman Devin Nunes to hear from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and the priorities of Democrats on the committee.

 

I agree with him. The investigation should also contain looking at the quid pro quo, first by the Trump campaign and now by the Trump Reich to compensate Russia for their cooperation. I also think Sally Yates testimony may be critical. RESIST!!

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