;)
July 19, 2022
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Stephanie Lai of the New York Times: "The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would recognize same-sex marriages at the federal level, as Republicans joined Democrats in support of a measure responding to growing concern that a conservative Supreme Court could nullify marriage equality. The Respect for Marriage Act would codify the federal protections for same-sex couples that were put in place in 2015, when the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges established same-sex marriage as a right under the 14th Amendment. The legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which defined a marriage as the union between a man and a woman, a law that was struck down by Obergefell but has remained on the books. The legislation, which passed in a vote of 267 to 157, faces an uncertain future in the evenly divided Senate, where most Republicans have opposed gay rights measures. But Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, declined on Tuesday to state a position on the measure." ~~~
~~~ Marianna Sotomayor, et al., of the Washington Post: The bill "also would protect interracial marriage."
Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "The House approved a resolution on Monday that expressed support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO, exactly two months after the Nordic countries submitted applications to become part of the military alliance amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The resolution cleared the House in a 394-18 vote, with only Republicans voting in opposition. Two Democrats and 17 Republicans did not vote." The article lists the naysayers, who include the usual suspects. Thanks to Bobby Lee for the lead.
Mychael Schnell of the Hill: "Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, announced on Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The congressman, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, said he received a positive diagnosis on Monday and is experiencing mild symptoms.... Thursday's [committee] presentation, however, will proceed as planned, according to the committee's spokesperson."
Kevin Breuninger & Dan Mangan of CNBC:"Sen. Lindsey Graham agreed Tuesday to accept service of a subpoena for his testimony before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible criminal meddling in the 2020 election by ... Donald Trump. But Graham, R-S.C., still retained his right to challenge the legality of the subpoena, a court filing showed.... Graham's agreement to accept the subpoena likely will streamline his dispute with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over the demand for his testimony. Asked Tuesday afternoon about the development, Graham told NBC News that Fulton County hasn't 'even tried to subpoena me. I just want to get it done.' The Republican lawmaker ... had asked a federal judge in South Carolina last week to quash the subpoena. But Willis in a court filing Monday told the judge that Graham's challenge was both too early, and not filed in the right court.... Any future challenges to the subpoena will be pursued in Georgia, either in Fulton County Superior Court or U.S. District Court in Atlanta."
** Carol Leonnig & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Secret Service has determined it has no new texts to provide Congress relevant to its Jan. 6 investigation, and that any other texts its agents exchanged around the time of the 2021 attack on the Capitol were purged, according to a senior official briefed on the matter.Also, the National Archives on Tuesday sought more information on 'the potential unauthorized deletion' of agency text messages. The U.S. government's chief record-keeper asked the Secret Service to report back to the Archives within 30 days about the deletion of any records, including describing what was purged and the circumstances of how the documentation was lost.... Many of its agents' cellphone texts were permanently purged starting in mid-January 2021 and Secret Service officials said it was the result of an agencywide reset of staff telephones and replacement that it began planning months earlier. Secret Service agents ... were instructed to upload any old text messages involving government business to an internal agency drive before the reset, the senior official said, but many agents appear not to have done so." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This looks like criminal obstruction of justice to me. It's possible -- but extremely unlikely -- that there was nothing more controversial in those text messages than weather condition updates. Those messages were not preserved for a reason, and I just don't see how "I forgot" is going to work as a defense. These agents -- and their bosses -- belong behind bars. For a while. This may turn out to be one of my "never mind" moments, but from today's vantage point, it looks really bad.
See Marcy Wheeler's comment, excerpted by unwashed in the Comments below, about Rachel Maddow's remarks about a memo from AG Merrick Garland regarding investigations of declared presidential candidates (and their top staff). I mentioned Maddow's remarks below, in the body of today's page. Wheeler's full post is here, linked by unwashed. Wheeler, in effect, sees the Garland memo as routine. (BTW, Maddow's guest for the segment was Andrew Weissmann, and the fact that he didn't jump out of his skin about the memo -- he didn't -- suggests he agrees with Wheeler.) I am reminded, however, that early on, I thought Maddow was exaggerating about the importance "fake electors" stories she was airing, and they turned out to be a very big deal, when integrated into the Trump plot, as a whole, to overturn the election.
Triumph Triumphs. Colbert Staff Beats the Rap. Mike Ives of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors said late Monday that they would not prosecute staff members of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' who were arrested last month at the United States Capitol complex on charges of unlawful entry. When members of a production team for the CBS show were arrested on June 16, they had been filming a segment featuring Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, a cigar-chomping canine puppet that is voiced by the comedian Robert Smigel, who was among those arrested. Mr. Colbert later said on his show that they were guilty of 'high jinks with intent to goof.'... The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a brief statement on Monday that it would not move forward with misdemeanor charges against the nine people arrested by the Capitol Police because the case wasn't strong enough. The crew members had been invited to enter the building on two separate occasions by congressional staff who never asked them to leave, although the Capitol Police did tell some members of the group that they were supposed to have an escort, the statement said."
GOP Stunt Strains D.C. Charitable Orgs. Vanessa Sánchez of the Washington Post: "Ten D.C. Council members are calling on the District government to direct local resources to support migrants who have been arriving in buses from Texas and Arizona for months, taking a toll on city organizations that are relying on donations and one federal grant. It's been more than three months since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and two months since Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) started offering what they have said are voluntary bus trips to the nation's capital for migrants caught crossing the border from Mexico, a measure in response to President Biden's decision to lift an emergency health order that allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry to migrants. In the last few weeks the number of buses arriving a day has increased from two to four, sometimes five, sometimes late at night, exhausting donations and exceeding the ability of volunteers and mutual aid networks in the city to respond."
~~~~~~~~~~
Here's another downside to Merrick Garland's slowwalking the DOJ's investigation of Donald Trump and his merry band: ~~~
~~~ David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement: "Legal and government experts are responding to a [Rolling Stone] report [firewalled] that reveals Donald Trump has told advisors he will run for president to protect himself from being prosecuted. 'Trump has spoken about how when you are the president of the United States, it is tough for politically motivated prosecutors to "get to you," says one of the sources, who has discussed the issue with Trump this summer,' Rolling Stone's Asawin Suebsaeng and Adam Rawnsley report, citing four individuals with knowledge of the situation they spoke with.... Retired Harvard Law School law professor Laurence Tribe ... is urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to act. 'Mr. Trump is counting on your concerns about not "appearing" political when he makes clear his belief that you wouldn't dare approve his indictment once he announces,' Tribe says in a tweet directed at Garland. 'You MUST prove him wrong. Make him a TARGET now. No time to lose.'" MB: Garland was a student of Tribe's. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ On her MSNBC show Monday night, Rachel Maddow flashed a memo from AG Merrick Garland instructing DOJ officials not to begin any investigations or bring any charges against any presidential candidates or their top staff after the candidates had announced their intentions to run, unless first cleared by the AG. Garland's order, he stated in the memo, was in keeping with a February 2020 order by former AG Bill Barr. So the sooner Trump declares, the sooner he can weasel out of any new investigation. It's almost as if Trump & Garland are colluding. Very distressing.
What They Saw at the Revolution. Evan Perez & Zachary Cohen of CNN: "Matthew Pottinger, who served on ... Donald Trump's National Security Council before resigning in the immediate aftermath of January 6, 2021, will testify publicly at Thursday's prime-time hearing held by the House select committee investigating the US Capitol attack, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans. Pottinger is slated to appear alongside former Trump White House aide Sarah Matthews.... Committee members have said Thursday's hearing will examine Trump's inaction for 187 minutes while the US Capitol riot was unfolding." ~~~
~~~ Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Mr. Pottinger and Sarah Matthews, a former White House deputy press secretary who also resigned on Jan. 6, are expected to help narrate what was unfolding inside the West Wing during those 187 minutes, in a hearing that the committee sees as the capstone to a series of public sessions in which it has laid out in detail Mr. Trump's efforts to remain in office despite his defeat.... The hearing, scheduled for 8 p.m., is expected to give a detailed account of how Mr. Trump resisted multiple pleas from staff members, lawyers and even his own family to call off the attack."
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "Jury selection is nearly complete and opening statements are expected Tuesday in the federal trial of former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon, who has been charged with two counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A pool of 60 D.C. residents was whittled down Monday to 22 prospective jurors -- 12 men and 10 women -- from whom a final group of 12 jurors and two alternates will be chosen Tuesday morning before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols of Washington." (The story is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.) A CNN report is here. MB: The prosecution is expected to begin bringing its case today; prosecutors have said their case-in-chief won't take more than a day. ~~~
~~~ Alexander Mallin, et al., of ABC News: "As he left the courthouse Monday evening, Bannon told reporters, '... It's nothing but a show trial. It's time they start having other witnesses ... other testimony than what they've been putting up. So, we'll see you here tomorrow morning,' he said." MB: I presume he's talking about the January 6 hearings, and I also presume he's attempting to deflect attention from his own trial, which is not so far turning out to be, as he predicted early on, the "trial from hell" in which he would "go medieval" on Garland, Pelosi & Biden.
Richard Fausset & Danny Hakim of the New York Times: "Representative Jody Hice revealed on Monday that he had been subpoenaed in an ongoing criminal investigation by prosecutors in Georgia into election interference by Donald J. Trump and his allies.... Mr. Hice, a Republican, has been one of the most conspicuous proponents of false claims that Mr. Trump was the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Hice, whose district is east of Atlanta, is seeking to challenge the subpoena in federal court, arguing in a new legal filing that his status as a congressman gives him special protections from state proceedings. He has been a stalwart ally of Mr. Trump and led a January 2021 challenge in the House of Representatives to the certification of Georgia's electors. Earlier this year, he lost a Trump-backed primary challenge to Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who has had a fractious relationship with the former president."
Joe Manchin Blows up International Tax Agreement. Alan Rappeport & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "Late last week, Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, effectively scuttled the Biden administration's tax agenda in Congress -- at least for now -- by saying he could not immediately support a climate, energy and tax package he had spent months negotiating with the Democratic leadership. He expressed deep misgivings about the international tax deal [painstakingly brokered among international partners by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen], which he had previously indicated he could support, saying it would put American companies at a disadvantage.... Mr. Manchin's reversal, couched in the language used by Republican opponents of the deal, is a blow to Ms. Yellen, who spent months getting more than 130 countries on board.... The agreement would have ushered in the most sweeping changes to global taxation in decades, including raising taxes on many large corporations and changing how technology companies are taxed."
Daniel BogusLaw (??) of the Intercept: "... while [Joe] Manchin has sabotaged federal efforts at combating climate change, he has used federal dollars to preserve his own corner of the world. Public records reviewed by The Intercept show that even after Manchin's decadeslong efforts to upend environmental policy that would undercut the fossil fuel companies funding his political campaigns (and the waste coal industry generating his personal fortune), he and his wife, Gayle Manchin, have directed millions of federal dollars to a small, pristine valley in West Virginia where the couple owns a condo.... In 2018, Manchin used his spot on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee to secure $7 million to rebuild the visitor center at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge less than a mile from his condo.... This year, as he was holding federal climate legislation hostage Manchin again used his seat on the Appropriations Committee to secure an $8 million earmark to build a new water treatment facility in Canaan Valley as part of an omnibus spending bill. At the same time, his wife was also directing federal funds to the area. Gayle Manchin was appointed by Biden to head the Appalachian Regional Commission last year.... She recently secured another $25,000 in funding for source water analysis in the valley -- where the water system is currently failing to meet capacity -- and a $1.2 million 'POWER' grant to connect and improve trails in the area." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Since Joe bailed again on climate change legislation, various people have asked, "But how does he face his grandchildren" Here's how: he says, "See, Earth is burning, but I'm keeping our little corner of it lush & green."
The Senate, Where Legislation Goes to Die. By Design. Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: "There is plenty of blame to go around for the death of the Democratic climate agenda. There's [Joe] Manchin, of course, but there's also the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, who played an admittedly bad hand poorly in an incredibly high-stakes game.... Then there's President Biden, whose vaunted skills as the one-time master of the Senate could not penetrate the venal self-interest of the senator from West Virginia, who happens to have a lot of money invested in a fossil fuel brokerage company he helped found. And there is, of course, the Republican Party, whose total opposition to climate action is what made Manchin the pivotal vote to begin with. Above all, there's the Senate itself.... It is no accident that, as a general rule, the upper chamber is where popular legislation goes to die.... The Senate was built with this purpose in mind.... This is separate from the issue of equal state representation.... 'Most of the men who assembled at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 were ... convinced that the national government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to counter the rising tide of democracy in the states,' the historian Terry Bouton writes...." Some founders also had property interests they were afraid a more democratic national legislature would undermine.
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "You have to be willfully blind -- unfortunately, a fairly common ailment among politicians -- not to see that global warming ... [is] our current reality.... My take on [Joe] Manchin is both less and more cynical than what you usually hear.... My guess is that his Lucy-with-the-football act has as much to do with vanity as with money.... His act has, after all, kept him in the political limelight month after month.... But none of this would have mattered if Republicans weren't unified in their opposition to any action to limit global warming. This opposition has only grown more entrenched as the evidence for looming catastrophe has grown -- and the likely financial cost of effective action has declined.... One of America's two major political parties appears to be viscerally opposed to any policy that seems to serve the public good. Overwhelming scientific consensus in favor of such policies doesn't help -- if anything, it hurts, because the modern G.O.P. is hostile to science and scientists. And that hostility, rather than the personal quirks of one small-state senator, is the fundamental reason we appear set to do nothing while the planet burns." ~~~
~~~ Krugman's mention of wilful blindness reminds me that the other day RAS recommended this essay by Tom Sullivan of Hullabaloo: "Americans have a rich tradition of avoiding discomfiting facts through denial, euphemism and obfuscation. Especially those facts that upset the soft-focused, Hallmark version of American history we teach in schools and celebrate each July Fourth.... American exceptionalism makes reckoning with past sins a rude imposition...." As Sullivan points out, this syndrome is particularly rampant among confederates.
Mitch Hurt Li'l Randy's Fee-fees. Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. Rand Paul unloaded on fellow Republican Mitch McConnell for the Senate GOP leader's handling of an anti-abortion judicial nomination, criticizing McConnell for refusing to consult with him about abandoned nominee Chad Meredith. The White House pulled Meredith's nomination last week, with both McConnell and administration officials blaming Paul for refusing to sign off.... On Monday, Paul said McConnell was working behind his back on a 'secret deal' with President Joe Biden and said it was 'a little bit insulting' that he learned of the nomination from an FBI background check on Meredith.... 'We have no reason to be opposed to Chad Meredith, other than we want at least the courtesy of ... the minority leader, thinking that he's not so important that he doesn't have to talk to his fellow state senator,' Paul fumed.... A person with direct knowledge of Meredith's nomination process said McConnell and Paul's staff had discussed Meredith's nomination repeatedly: 'We've had conversations for months about this on the staff level.'... It's unlikely that the Democratic Senate would have confirmed Meredith anyway...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Last week, when news surfaced of Paul's refusal to return a "blue slip" approving Meredith's nomination, Akhilleus wrote, "... maybe he did it to stick it to the Turtle for getting more face time in the media. Whatever it is, it’s something stupid." So there's a big ITolJaSo for Akhilleus.
Another Shady Trump Deal. Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "Months before ... Donald J. Trump's social media company unveiled an agreement to raise hundreds of millions of dollars last fall, word of the deal leaked to an obscure Miami investment firm, whose executives began plotting ways to make money off the imminent transaction, according to people familiar with the discussions. The deal -- in which a so-called special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, would merge with Mr. Trump's fledgling media business -- was announced in October. It sent shares of the SPAC soaring.... In the days before the Trump Media deal became public, there was a surge in trading in a type of security known as warrants, which entitled investors to buy shares of Digital World at a preset price in the future. Federal prosecutors and regulators are now investigating the merger between Digital World and Trump Media, including the frenzied trading in the SPAC's warrants, according to people familiar with the investigation and public disclosures. Digital World said in a recent regulatory filing that a federal grand jury in Manhattan had issued subpoenas seeking information about Rocket One, among other things."
Whiney Loser-Liar Loses Again. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: The board that administers the Pulitzer Prizes rejected ... Donald Trump's request to rescind the 2018 prizes awarded to The Washington Post and the New York Times for their reporting about his campaign and administration's connections to Russia election interference. Trump challenged the awards on three occasions, including last year, arguing that the articles were based on 'false reporting of a non-existent link between the Kremlin and the Trump Campaign.' He called the stories 'no more than a politically motivated farce which attempted to spin a false narrative that my campaign supposedly colluded with Russia despite a complete lack of evidence underpinning this allegation.' The Pulitzer board rejected that claim on Monday.... In an unusual move, it authorized two independent reviews of the articles submitted by the newspapers -- and essentially recertified the results. 'The separate reviews converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes,' it said in a statement."
Presidential Race 2024. Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: "Ahead of the rally ... Donald Trump was scheduled to have in Arizona (later postponed due to the death of Ivana Trump), the Fox News website posted a stunning three-minute video featuring a host of Trump supporters in Maricopa County talking about ditching him in 2024 for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)."
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Formerly Known as AR-15. Alex Traub of the New York Times: "Anthony Richardson, a University of Florida quarterback known as 'AR-15' for his initials and his uniform number, has announced he is embracing a less violent image as he heads into a season in which he is projected to be one of the top players in college football. Richardson, who also sells a line of apparel, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he no longer wanted to be associated with an assault weapon used in mass shootings that have horrified the nation.... He [said] that he was 'transitioning' to using 'AR' or no nickname at all. Another site of Richardson's ... which sold T-shirts and temporary tattoos with a scope reticle, carried a message on Monday night saying that it was 'no longer active.'" MB: Good for Anthony.
Louisiana. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "A Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily extended an order blocking the state's trigger law, but did not yet grant a preliminary injunction that would keep abortion available until a district court determines whether the state's near-total abortion ban, with no exceptions for rape or incest, violates Louisiana's Constitution. The legality of abortion in Louisiana has changed rapidly in the weeks since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and gave states the power to enact restrictions. The ensuing confusion has left patients and abortion providers scrambling as the courts have blocked, unblocked and the reblocked the ban." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Texas. Chloe Folmar of the Hill: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) schedule shows that he did not attend the funerals of victims of the mass shooting that occurred in Uvalde, Texas, according to documents obtained by a local ABC News station.... Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shooting, which killed 19 children and two teachers, have criticized Abbott and other Texas lawmakers for their absence in communicating with them.... [Since the days immediately following the massacre, Abbott has attended a few official functions in Uvalde.] Representatives for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told the TV network that the senator had planned to speak to some of the victim's families but that a meeting had been canceled. [Angel Garza, the father of 10-year-old shooting victim Amerie Jo Garza,] had praise, however, for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents the district that includes Uvalde."
AND Finally ... Connecticut. Peter Yankowski of the New Haven Register: "Police arrested a New Haven man after they say he was reported to have drawn a gun Saturday over two women not thanking him for holding a door open for them. Hamden police said 25-year-old Joshua Murray was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, a felony; along with misdemeanor charges of interfering with an officer and two counts of second-degree breach of peace." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ MB's Etiquette Notes for the Modern Young Man About Town (in this case, at a Family Dollar Store): Yo, Josh. Many of today's women find it demeaning when men open doors for them. Rather than perceiving they are on the receiving end of a display of old-fashioned gentlemanly manners, they are offended that the doorholder seems to think they're too feeble to open their own damned doors. Second, Josh, it doesn't count as a good deed if you demand reciprocity for it, and especially if you demand reciprocity at gunpoint.
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's briefings for Tuesday of developments in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "In a rare foreign visit, Putin will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Iran, where the Turkish leader is expected to push for talks aimed at letting grain from Ukraine pass Russia's blockade to ease global food shortages.... The European Commission on Tuesday proposed a roughly $500 million tool to help member states jointly purchase weapons, a plan aimed at replacing stocks hit by the response to Russia's war in Ukraine.... Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, is on a high-profile trip to Washington. She'll meet first lady Jill Biden at the White House today and address Congress on Wednesday. Zelenska ... met Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.... U.S.-supplied HIMARS long-range rocket systems are helping to 'stabilize' Ukrainian efforts to hold the front lines against Russian forces, the country's top military commander, Valeriy Zaluzhny, said."
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Reader Comments (16)
Merrick Garland: “Donald Trump? Who’s that? Never mind….(*yawn*)…send me a memo. I’ll get back to you…oh, wait…is he that guy running for president? Oh dear. Next…”
Report from the stupid side…
“News” caught on the TVs at my gym tuned forever to Faux. For the fourth day in a row, lengthy outraged panel discussions about Biden fist bumping MBS, with plenty of faux anger about his murdering journalist Khashoggi. No mention of Trump’s complete inaction about same. It was all Biden’s fault.
Breathless story about dirty immigrants taking up space in DC homeless shelters, depriving Americans of those spaces. All Biden’s fault. Two things: since when does anyone at Fox give a shit about the homeless? Also, no mention that immigrant homeless numbers in DC skyrocketed because Texas dictator Abbott bussed them there and dropped them off with nowhere to go.
Hour long live coverage of police presser from Greenwood, Indiana with at least seventy five mentions of the armed Good Samaritan hero who saved the day. No mention of the killer or the people he shot. At least one mention (that I heard) about how Democrats would have preferred the killer had shot many more innocent people so’s they could whine about taking away all the guns.
Also, 139% of Americans think Biden is too old/stupid/out of touch.
It’s like watching crazytown shit from another dimension. And that’s only what I saw short bursts. Just imagine the brain rot infecting the morons who drink this poison for hours every day.
theintercept.com/2022/07/18/joe-gayle-manchin-condo-climate-
canaan-valley/
Sen. Manchin and his wife directed millions to the wildlife area
surrounding their vacation condo.
Over 15 million in federal funding to where the couple owns property.
"We got ours, screw the rest of the country" sounds about right.
Yesterday morning on our way to an appointment in Hamden I regaled the mister with the news that some bloke took out a gun, aimed at two women he had opened the door for who DID NOT say, thank you.
Mister: He did WHAT?
Me: (I repeated said story)
Mister: (after bashing the guy) I have always opened doors for women.
Me: Some women feel it's demeaning––you know, "the little lady needs my big strong arms to open all sorts of doors–-fragile creatures, they are."
Mister: Do you feel that way?
Me: No, but then I'm of an older generation when men tipped their hats at females, always opened all sorts of doors and if they didn't it was looked at as disrespect. However, I, being of a gentle nature and sturdy hands, I open doors for men at every opportunity. In fact, just the other day an elderly man was behind me at Stop and Shop–-I stopped, held open the door for him and said, "beauty before age"–––he loved it!
Mister: Well, I'll continue opening doors for women–--(mumbling) I can't believe they would think that demeaning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AK: Have you asked your gym owner to switch channels or would that be a futile gesture.
A study in contrasts:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/18/biden-climate-emergency-manchin/?utm
Two of the Pretender's were attempts to steal the 8 billion Congress would not give him for his border wall and one to prohibit the ICC from pursuing any American war crimes in Afghanistan...
Then there were all those tariffs imposed on (sometimes questionable) presidential authority alone.
By their emergencies ye shall know them.
Yowza! Dr. Oz, ––-he of the coffee beans will restore your hair––- gives this explanation as to why he has to struggle to raise money for his candidacy for U.S. Senate."
"The Democrats have very cleverly taken all of these issues that have come up over the summer ― the Dodd decision, the concerns about guns ― and they’ve used these as excuses to raise money from the Democratic loyalists. Interestingly, when Republicans get mad, we go out and mow the lawn. Democrats, when they get mad, donate money to their party.”
Then, Oz urged everyone to donate to him while claiming he doesn’t need much money anyway because he’s the better candidate.
Ah, and that ole yellow brick road ain't gonna lead this guy out of the land of Oz no way, no how. It's interesting how so many failed fellows follow that political path––-power plays with no balls or nets. And we pay dearly for it.
PD,
I have. I was told that “everyone” wants Fox. I said “Clearly, not ‘everyone’.”
So now there a couple of TVs showing the Food Network, which I think is a roar. Just for the people coming here to lose weight and get in shape, we’ll put them on a treadmill in front of a monitor showing people cooking up stuff made with seven sticks of butter, a half gallon of whipping cream, and a desert of a seven pound chocolate chip cookies weighed down with three pints of ice cream.
Unfortunately, it’s a thing in the south. You can’t go into a doctor’s office, restaurant, bar, gym, emergency room, or day care center that doesn’t have TuKKKer KKKarlson and the rest of the liars screaming at you.
@Akhilleus: So what you do, see, is you approach the management at the gym, barbershop, restaurant -- whatever -- and say that before you recently retired, you were a prominent media consultant, and that focus groups, especially in the South & after the worst of the Covid thing, said the one thing they didn't want to see when they walked into a gym, barbarshop, restaurant -- whatever -- was Fox "News" blaring on the teevee. You'd be happy to do some research and write them up a full management public relations plan-of-action -- for a substantial fee -- but you're offering this advice gratis as a sweetener. It might get you a few weeks peace, at least.
https://youtu_be/wAjl8jR48C0
Ted Cruz believes the supreme court erred when they approved
same sex marriage for the whole country. Says he, it goes against
200 years of tradition. So let the states decide.
Is this not the UNITED STATES still?
And does interracial marriage go against 200 years of tradition.
Lets bring back slavery. And women shouldn't be allowed to vote,
since they'll be really busy producing more workers.
Don't know if the above link works. I can never figure out if something
is 0 or O, etc.
@Forrest Morris: Republicans are always getting called out for having no policies. But they have one, for sure, and that's to rescind the rights of ordinary Americans. So they started with women's reproductive rights, but they're not stopping there, as Clarence Thomas signaled with his concurring opinion on Dobbs. Late last week, a Trump-appointed judge put a "temporary" hold on the Biden administration's ruling to guarantee some LGBTQ rights (principally in regard to Title IX anti-discrimination clauses, I think), and now Ted (and others) are putting it out there that other LGBTQ rights must go, too. Interracial marriage? That might have to wait till Clarence departs, but who knows? Maybe he wants to get rid of Ginni. I mean, who wouldn't? They're a destructive, sinister lot, and they're not afraid to say it out loud.
Marcy Wheeler has a different take on Maddow's memo reveal.
"...After months and months of inflammatory commentary suggesting that the decision on whether or not to investigate Trump rested exclusively with Garland (and not, as is the reality, a hierarchy of DOJ personnel, starting with a team of career AUSAs), Rachel wailed that the memo requires Garland to do what everyone has long assumed was true: that Garland would have to approve any investigation into Trump.
In response to her irresponsible sensationalism, people immediately concluded that by releasing the memo, Garland had nixed any further indictments before the election.
One reason I’m certain that’s not true is because after Garland released this memo, DOJ arrested declared candidate for Governor of Michigan, Ryan Kelley...
...Besides, all this panic-mongering seems really, really badly targeted.
...Trump wouldn’t even be affected by the DOJ policy on pre-election actions, because he’s not on the ballot this year...
...But there is a key player in January 6, someone known to have been under investigation, for whom the window to prosecute is closing as the election draws near, someone who presents a far more immediate threat to democracy than Trump: Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania...
...If you want to panic, panic first about Mastriano. Because the threat he poses to democracy is far more imminent than the very real threat Trump poses..."
Most here have likely already seen this devastating Doonesbury, but I just came across it while going through old newspapers:
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2022/07/10
394 to 18. All of the 18 votes in the HoR to deny Sweden and Finland joining NATO came from GOP representatives. Florida's Matt Gaetz and Georgia's MTG prominent on the list.
I'm sure all 18 found mints on their pillows this morning, courtesy of the Trump fairy.
Marie,
Nice idea. My sense is that the Kool-Aid has so diminished capacity for normal thought processes that the owner would call the cops (or the local Proud Boys) and turn me in as a dangerous anti-fascist. Then he’d triple my gym fees. Once I got out of prison, that is.
Ken,
Wow. Too accurate to be funny.
Forrest,
Texas voters erred when they sent this snotty pig to the Senate.