I saw the Olympic Games as a possible vehicle for peace in Korea. Anytime we can get a a nuclear armed megalomaniac like Kim Jong Un to take a step back from the edge, that has to be a positive thing. The rapprochement between Moon Dae In and Kim Yo Jong, which included plans to meet, are just such a step. Unfortunately, the less intelligent and less wise nuclear armed megalomaniac insists on using tiny hands to beat his war drum, so he sent a troll, Vice Resident Pence, to Pyeomgchang to spread his pseudo-Christian gospel of hate.
Despite global calls for #KoreanPeace and hopes that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence would use his trip to South Korea for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games to engage in diplomatic talks to ease rising tensions with North Korea, Pence remained icy toward the country’s delegation.
As he left the Olympics on Saturday, Pence told reporters aboard Air Force Two that he was "encouraged" by his talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and claimed "there is no daylight between the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan on the need to continue to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically until they abandon their nuclear ballistic missile program"—despite the radically different approaches Pence and Moon took regarding North Korea’s presence at the games.
At Olympics opening ceremony, Pence refuses to stand for any country except the U.S. https://t.co/5erLr66U5M pic.twitter.com/d7deL3bGoz
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) February 10, 2018
While Moon both met and attended events with Kim Yo Jong—the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a key representative for the country at the Olympics—Pence declined to acknowledge her, even when they were seated near to each other:
Pence’s blatant refusal to engage in diplomacy came as a clear rejection of demands from around the globe that he use his presence at the Olympics to de-escalate nuclear tensions that have ramped up since President Donald Trump took office. Pence instead reiterated messages the world has come to expect from the Trump administration on the topic of North Korea; he vowed to impose the "toughest and most aggressive" economic sanctions "ever," insisted the country was trying to "hijack the message and imagery" of the games, and stayed seated as the joint team of athletes from the two Koreas entered the Opening Ceremony on Friday…
Inserted from <Common Dreams>
That was hugely disrespectful to both Koreas. Somebody really needs to hide the Fuhrer’s button
RESIST THE REPUBLICAN REICH!!
Pennsylvania Republicans are willing to go above and beyond to prevent losing. The map they have been using for years has resulted in Pennsylvania sending 5 Democrats and 13 Republicans to Congress … and similar proportions in the two State houses … despite the fact that Trump won the state by less than one point. The (gerrymandering) case went to the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court this year, and the court overwhelmingly said that new maps must be drawn, the current ones being outrageous. In a panic, Republicans sent an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court for a Stay to try to salvage 2018. This request went to Justice Alito. Justice Alito could have asked the rest of the court to look at it. He didn’t. He essentially said, “Nuts” and sent it back.
Republicans have the numbers to do this. They need a majority in their House, and they have that. They need a supermajority in their Senate, and they have that too. And, they are not just thinking of 2018. They are thinking of 2021, when a new census will require new maps. Even if they can hold their majorities till then, similar gerrymandered maps will be tossed out by the Supreme Court if it still has its present makeup. Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges are elected … but incumbents only face retention elections, which are gimmes. They also have mandatory retirement at 75. The next Democratic justice to hit 75 will do so in 2022.
