{"id":34528,"date":"2018-11-28T09:01:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T17:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=34528"},"modified":"2018-11-28T09:10:35","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T17:10:35","slug":"squatchs-open-thread-28-november-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/11\/28\/squatchs-open-thread-28-november-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatch&#8217;s Open Thread 28 November 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Well I spent a bunch of time trying to get my laptop running but nada!\u00a0 The lights come on but nobody answers the door!\u00a0 So I think I&#8217;ll have to get it professionally fixed or get a new one which I certainly was not counting on.\u00a0 Thankfully, I still have my desktop computer but it is not as up to date and it is located in the coldest room in the house.\u00a0 As I am teaching tomorrow, I am finishing it Tuesday night and hoping to have this up about 1500 hours on Wednesday.\u00a0 Thursday&#8217;s will be late or not at all as I am out for lunch with friends and then a visit to the chiropractor, and Wednesday&#8217;s busy schedule precludes working on it then.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>JigZone Puzzle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Today\u2019s took me 4:03 (average 4:07).\u00a0 To do it,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jigzone.com\/puzzles\/D4055D584776?z=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>click here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 (This link will automatically open to a new page.) How did you do?\u00a0 I am definitely not a fast runner!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Fantasy Football<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"secondary\">\n<div id=\"secondaryContent\">\n<div id=\"leagueHomeScoreStrip\" class=\"mod scoreStrip dynamicModule cache-60000 moduleName-leagueHomeScoreStrip\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1394\" class=\"content\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1393\" class=\"bd\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Week 12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1397\" class=\"teamNav\">\n<ul id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1396\" class=\"ss ss-3\">\n<li id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1395\" class=\"final owned first\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1399\" class=\"first loss\"><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1398\">Size 9 Stompers\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span class=\"teamTotal teamId-8\" data-extrapts=\"\">88.34<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1410\" class=\"last win\"><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1409\">Lefty Hillbillies\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span class=\"teamTotal teamId-9\" data-extrapts=\"\">153.48<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1401\" class=\"final\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1428\" class=\"first loss\"><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1427\">endthegop\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span class=\"teamTotal teamId-4\" data-extrapts=\"\">76.66<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1403\" class=\"last win\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1402\">TomCat Teabag Trashers\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span class=\"teamTotal teamId-1\" data-extrapts=\"\">93.72<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1405\" class=\"final last\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1430\" class=\"first win\"><strong><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1441\">Country Raiderettes\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1429\" class=\"teamTotal teamId-2\" data-extrapts=\"\">128.70<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1407\" class=\"last loss\"><em id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1406\">Monster Mashers\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><span id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1431\" class=\"teamTotal teamId-7\" data-extrapts=\"\">96.58<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"playersNotes\" class=\"mod dynamicModule moduleName-leagueHomeNotes\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"bd\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Congratulations to Vivian, TomCat, and Wendy for winning their week 12 games.\u00a0 Did I get my butt handed to me on a rusty tin plate or what!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1147\" class=\"tableWrap\">\n<table id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1146\" class=\"tableType-team hasGroups\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<thead id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1163\">\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1162\" class=\"first\">\n<th id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1161\" class=\"teamRank first\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamImageAndName\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamRecord numeric\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamWinPct numeric\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamStreak numeric\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\"><\/th>\n<th class=\"group teamPts firstgroup-teamPts last\" colspan=\"2\" scope=\"colgroup\"><em>Points<\/em><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1165\" class=\"last\">\n<th id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1164\" class=\"teamRank first\" scope=\"col\"><a class=\"dynamic\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380?sort=rank&amp;standingsTab=standings&amp;standingsType=overall\">Rank<\/a><\/th>\n<th id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1166\" class=\"teamImageAndName\" scope=\"col\"><span id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1167\">Team<\/span><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamRecord numeric\" scope=\"col\">W-L-T<\/th>\n<th class=\"teamWinPct numeric\" scope=\"col\">Pct<\/th>\n<th class=\"teamStreak numeric\" scope=\"col\">Stk<\/th>\n<th class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" scope=\"col\"><a class=\"dynamic\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380?sort=waiver_priority&amp;standingsTab=standings&amp;standingsType=overall\">Waiver<\/a><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\" scope=\"col\"><a class=\"dynamic\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380?sort=pts&amp;standingsTab=standings&amp;standingsType=overall\">For<\/a><\/th>\n<th class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\" scope=\"col\"><a class=\"dynamic\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380?sort=pts_against&amp;standingsTab=standings&amp;standingsType=overall\">Against<\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1145\">\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1169\" class=\"team-2 odd first\">\n<td class=\"teamRank first\"><span class=\"teamRank teamId-2\">1<\/span><\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1168\" class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-2\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nfl.com\/static\/content\/public\/static\/img\/fantasy\/avatar\/40x27\/DEF.png\" alt=\"Country Raiderettes\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-2\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/2\">Country Raiderettes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1170\" class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">9-3-0<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1171\" class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.750<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1172\" class=\"teamStreak numeric\">W6<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,508.32<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,344.30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1152\" class=\"team-1 even\">\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1151\" class=\"teamRank first\"><span class=\"teamRank teamId-1\">2<\/span><span class=\"teamRankChange teamId-1 pos\"><b>+<\/b>1<\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-1\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/image.fantasy.nfl.com\/image\/d23eace3cdff83f0fa7e12ec45707999.jpg?x=40&amp;y=27&amp;sig=5837501a1e1e0db91b783cd44c1db0bc\" alt=\"TomCat Teabag Trashers\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-1\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/1\">TomCat Teabag Trashers<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7-5-0<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.583<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1173\" class=\"teamStreak numeric\">W1<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1174\" class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,409.28<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,253.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1150\" class=\"team-4 odd\">\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1149\" class=\"teamRank first\"><span class=\"teamRank teamId-4\">3<\/span><span class=\"teamRankChange teamId-4 neg\"><b>&#8211;<\/b>1<\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-4\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nfl.com\/static\/content\/public\/static\/img\/fantasy\/avatar\/40x27\/DEF.png\" alt=\"endthegop\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-4\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/4\">endthegop<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">7-5-0<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.583<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamStreak numeric\">L2<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">4<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1175\" class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,416.54<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,431.24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1144\" class=\"team-9 even\">\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1143\" class=\"teamRank first\"><span id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1148\" class=\"teamRank teamId-9\">4<\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-9\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/9\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nfl.com\/static\/content\/public\/static\/img\/fantasy\/avatar\/40x27\/DEF.png\" alt=\"Lefty Hillbillies\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-9\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/9\">Lefty Hillbillies<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">6-6-0<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.500<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamStreak numeric\">W4<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">3<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1176\" class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,411.74<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,364.20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1178\" class=\"team-7 odd\">\n<td class=\"teamRank first\"><span class=\"teamRank teamId-7\">5<\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-7\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/7\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/image.fantasy.nfl.com\/image\/0cfb42c8a1432325f20736ce25e5008b.jpg?x=40&amp;y=27&amp;sig=abbf23f2da7776a2d79386d8e52b4e52\" alt=\"Monster Mashers\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-7\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/7\">Monster Mashers<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">5-7-0<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.417<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamStreak numeric\">L4<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,304.42<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1177\" class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,290.90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1180\" class=\"team-8 selected even last\">\n<td class=\"teamRank first\"><span class=\"teamRank teamId-8\">6<\/span><\/td>\n<td class=\"teamImageAndName\">\n<div class=\"teamImageAndNameWrap\"><a class=\"teamImg teamId-8\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/8\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nfl.com\/static\/content\/public\/static\/img\/fantasy\/avatar\/40x27\/DEF.png\" alt=\"Size 9 Stompers\" width=\"40\" height=\"27\" \/><b><\/b><\/a><a class=\"teamName teamId-8\" href=\"https:\/\/fantasy.nfl.com\/league\/342380\/team\/8\">Size 9 Stompers<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamRecord numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">2-10-0<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWinPct numeric\">.167<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamStreak numeric\">L1<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamWaiverPriority numeric\" style=\"text-align: center;\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric\">1,053.72<\/td>\n<td id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1179\" class=\"teamPts teamPtsSort stat numeric last\">1,419.90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_6_0_1_1543387157074_1181\" class=\"tableFt\">\n<div class=\"rankChangeDetail\">* Rank change shown is from week 11 &#8211; 12<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Congratulations to Wendy for retaining 1st place.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Short Takes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alternet.org\/news-amp-politics\/trump-administration-has-started-separating-immigrant-families-again-and-giving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">AlterNet<\/span><\/strong><\/a> &#8212;\u00a0The Trump administration has quietly resumed separating immigrant families at the border, in some cases using vague or unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing or minor violations against the parents, including charges of illegally re-entering the country, as justification.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last three months, lawyers at Catholic Charities, which provides legal services to immigrant children in government custody in New York, have discovered at least 16 new separation cases. They say they have come across such instances by chance and via their own sleuthing after children were put into temporary foster care and shelters with little or no indication that they arrived at the border with their parents.<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica stumbled upon one more case late last month after receiving a call from a distraught Salvadoran father who had been detained in South Texas, and whose 4-year-old son, Brayan, had literally been yanked from his grasp by a Customs and Border Protection agent after they crossed the border and asked for asylum. Julio, the father, asked to be identified only by his first name because he was fleeing gang violence and worried about the safety of relatives back home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI failed him,\u201d said Julio, 27, sobbing uncontrollably. \u201cEverything I had done to be a good father was destroyed in an instant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ProPublica tracked down Brayan, who has reddish-blond hair and an endearing lisp, at a temporary foster care agency in New York City, and reached out to the lawyer who represents him. Until that phone call, the lawyer, Jodi Ziesemer, a supervising attorney at Catholic Charities, had no idea that Brayan had been separated from his father. The chaos, she said, felt disturbingly like zero tolerance all over again.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Click through for the rest.\u00a0 To say the least, the Trump administrations record of human rights abuses and child abuses is deplorable.\u00a0 Although ordered by the courts to stop separations and return the children to their parents, their lack of compliance is outrageous.\u00a0 Further, all they have done is find ways to circumvent the judicial ruling.\u00a0 A nation of laws?\u00a0 Yeah, right.\u00a0 Not with Trump and the Republicans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/russia-ukraine-sailors-captured-kerch-strait-crimea-confession-video-2018-11-27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">CBS News<\/span><\/strong><\/a> &#8212;\u00a0Russia says the Ukrainian vessels sparked the confrontation by refusing to yield upon orders from Russian border forces to change their course in Russian territorial waters.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian officials insist it was Russian border guards who first rammed into and opened fire on the three Ukrainian navy vessels as they were trying to make their way from the Black Sea toward a Ukrainian port.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/us-calls-on-russia-to-cease-unlawful-conduct-2018-11-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations called on Russia<\/a>\u00a0to &#8220;immediately cease its unlawful conduct&#8221; in the Black Sea near Crimea during a United Nations Security Council meeting called over the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We call on Russia to respect its international obligations and not obstruct or harass Ukraine&#8217;s transit in the Kerch Strait, to release the seized Ukrainian ships and crew and to de-escalate the tensions it has created,&#8221; Haley told the Council, CBS News&#8217; Pamela Falk reported.<\/p>\n<h4>Russia extends belligerence toward Ukraine with aggression at sea<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/iframe%20src=http:\/\/player.theplatform.com\/p\/7wvmTC\/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_dukraine_181126%20height=500%20width=635%20scrolling=no%20border=no\/iframe\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/player.theplatform.com\/p\/7wvmTC\/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_dukraine_181126\" width=\"635\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"title___1Tg6U\">U.N. holds emergency meeting after Russia seizes Ukrainian ships<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/iframe%20src=http:\/\/player.theplatform.com\/p\/7wvmTC\/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_vr_markhannah_181126%20height=500%20width=635%20scrolling=no%20border=no\/iframe\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/player.theplatform.com\/p\/7wvmTC\/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_vr_markhannah_181126\" width=\"635\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">In a\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-ca\/news\/newspolitics\/trump-slams-fed-chair-questions-climate-change-and-threatens-to-cancel-putin-meeting-in-wide-ranging-interview-with-the-post\/ar-BBQarhr?li=AAggNb9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Washington Post<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0article covering several topics,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Trump also threatened to cancel his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladi\u00admir Putin at a global summit this week because of Russia\u2019s maritime clash with Ukraine. He said he was awaiting a \u201cfull report\u201d from his national security team Tuesday evening about Russia\u2019s capture of three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews in the Black Sea on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat will be very determinative,\u201d Trump said. \u201cMaybe I won\u2019t have the meeting. Maybe I won\u2019t even have the meeting. .\u2009.\u2009. I don\u2019t like that aggression. I don\u2019t want that aggression at all.\u201d&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Does this mean his bromance with Putin is over?\u00a0 Certainly Moscow flexing its muscles at Ukraine is disturbing.\u00a0 Putin has something up his sleeve, but what?\u00a0 Is he trying to create a new &#8220;Soviet Union&#8221;?\u00a0 Or is this just a plain power grab to out power the US?\u00a0 With the power will come money.\u00a0 This would make Putin the king of oligarchs if he isn&#8217;t already.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2018\/11\/27\/foreign-dark-money-joe-biden-222690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Politico<\/span><\/strong><\/a> &#8212; &#8230;\u00a0America\u2019s democratic institutions are highly vulnerable to foreign influence.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign powers use three basic tools to interfere in democratic politics: cyber operations, disinformation and dark money. Thanks in part to Mueller\u2019s indictments of members of Russia\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/file\/1080281\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">military intelligence agency<\/a>(GRU) and the St. Petersburg troll farm known as the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/file\/1035477\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Internet Research Agency<\/a>, we have begun to address election-related cyber attacks and foreign disinformation. But when it comes to foreign dark money \u2013 money from unknown foreign sources \u2013 we remain woefully unprepared.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of transparency in our campaign finance system combined with extensive foreign money laundering creates a significant vulnerability for our democracy. We don\u2019t know how much illicit money enters the United States from abroad or how much dark money enters American political campaigns, but in 2015, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.treasury.gov\/resource-center\/terrorist-illicit-finance\/Documents\/National%20Money%20Laundering%20Risk%20Assessment%20%E2%80%93%2006-12-2015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treasury Department<\/a>\u00a0estimated that $300 billion is laundered through the U.S. every year. If even a small fraction of that ends up in our political campaigns, it constitutes an unacceptable national security risk.<\/p>\n<p>While\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/updates\/foreign-nationals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">foreign funding<\/a>\u00a0of campaigns is prohibited by federal statute, the body that enforces campaign finance laws \u2013 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) \u2013 lacks both\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/harvardlawreview.org\/2018\/03\/eliminating-the-fec-the-best-hope-for-campaign-finance-regulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teeth and resources<\/a>. Sophisticated adversaries like Russia and China know how to bypass the ban on foreign funding by exploiting loopholes in the system and using layers of proxies to mask their activities, making it difficult for the FEC, the FBI, and the Treasury Department\u2019s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to follow the money.\u00a0 &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>The fact that we don\u2019t know exactly how much foreign dark money is being channeled into U.S. politics is precisely why we need to reduce our vulnerabilities. There is ample evidence of dark money penetrating other democracies, and no reason to believe we are immune from this risk.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Money in politics is not a straight line.\u00a0 It is a spider web that travels in all directions and requires clear, non political solutions but the political will to legislate the solutions.\u00a0 With today&#8217;s Republicans, I don&#8217;t think the political will exists.\u00a0 And to be fair, some Democrats may also lack the political will.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">My Universe<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x15WEDWufPs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FHPKktGooVI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"695\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lPg9iBVOIZE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/resist_2.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Posted to Care2 <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.care2.com\/news\/member\/775377582\/4128470\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well I spent a bunch of time trying to get my laptop running but nada!\u00a0 The lights come on but nobody answers the door!\u00a0 So I think I&#8217;ll have to get it professionally fixed or get a new one which I certainly was not counting on.\u00a0 Thankfully, I still have my desktop computer but it <a href='https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2018\/11\/28\/squatchs-open-thread-28-november-2018\/' class='excerpt-more'>[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-thread","category-politics","category-35-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34528\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}