;)
March 28, 2022
Afternoon Update:
:I'm Not Walking Anything Back." Lauren Gamino & Joanna Walters of the Guardian: "Joe Biden on Monday defended the unscripted remarks he made at the end of an important speech in Poland at the weekend, in which he said that Russian president Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power', which had prompted hurried efforts by other senior figures in the administration to play down the comment in the face of international criticism. The US president, when questioned on Sunday after attending church following his return to the White House, denied that he was seeking 'regime change' as a new policy. On Monday, at an event at the White House with director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, to present the 2023 budget proposals, Biden said of his remarks in Poland: 'I'm not walking anything back.'... 'I was expressing the moral outrage I felt ... I had just come from being with those families. But I want to be clear that I wasn't then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change,' he said. 'I make no apologies for it,' he added, of his remarks on Saturday."
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "'On Putin, Biden expressed what billions around the world and millions inside Russia also believe. He did not say that the US should remove him from power,' tweeted Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia (and contributing columnist to The Post). 'There is a difference.' Precisely. Biden was not calling for assassination, invasion or foreign-directed regime change. Nevertheless, a panicked White House rushed forth to assure the world what Biden really meant: 'The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change.'... At a time when Biden was impressing European allies with his moral strength and diplomatic savvy, his own advisers marred an otherwise successful trip.... While Biden's staff plainly overreacted and undercut him, ultimately it is Biden's call what to say and how to say it."
Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and other Ukrainian peace negotiators reportedly suffered symptoms of a suspected poisoning earlier this month. Abramovich and other negotiators, including Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov, developed symptoms including red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands after a meeting in Kyiv, although they have since improved and their lives are not in danger, reported the Wall Street Journal."
Marie: This is astounding. In just one day of news reports, we can see high-level players in each of the three branches of government -- Donald Trump, Ted Cruz & Clarence Thomas -- engaged in a "vast right-wing conspiracy" to overturn the election and overthrow the government.
** Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "A federal judge ruled on Monday that ... Donald J. Trump and a lawyer who advised him on how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States.... 'The illegality of the plan was obvious,' wrote Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California. 'Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomized by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections. Ignoring this history, President Trump vigorously campaigned for the vice president to single-handedly determine the results of the 2020 election.'... Judge Carter's comments came in an order for John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who wrote a memo that members of both parties have likened to a blueprint for a coup, to turn over more than 100 emails to the committee as it investigates Mr. Trump's efforts to hold onto power after his election loss.... The Justice Department ... has given no public indication that it is considering pursuing a criminal case against Mr. Trump.: ~~~
~~~ Marie: Bottom Line: Yeah, he did it, and no, he won't pay. ~~~
~~~ ** Kyle Cheney, et al., of Politico: "The remarkable ruling may be the first in history in which a federal judge determined a president, while in office, appeared to commit a crime. The decision has no direct role in whether Trump will be charged criminally but could increase pressure on the Justice Department and its chief, Attorney General Merrick Garland, to conduct an aggressive investigation that could lead to such charges.... The decision also helps shore up a theory increasingly embraced by members of the Jan. 6 select committee: that Trump seized on legal strategies he knew were meritless in order to subvert the transfer of power to Joe Biden -- an effort that contributed to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol.... [John] Eastman could try to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and, from there, to the Supreme Court." Judge Carter is a Clinton appointee.
I think that Senator Cruz is somebody who knows what the Constitution calls for, knows what his duties and obligations are, and was willing, frankly, to set that aside. -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) ~~~
~~~ ** Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "By [Ted] Cruz's own account, he was 'leading the charge' to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as president. An examination by The Washington Post ... shows just how deeply he was involved, working directly with Trump to concoct a plan that came closer than widely realized to keeping him in power. As Cruz went to extraordinary lengths to court Trump's base and lay the groundwork for his own potential 2024 presidential bid, he also alienated close allies and longtime friends who accused him of abandoning his principles. Now, Cruz's efforts are of interest to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in particular whether Cruz was in contact with Trump lawyer John Eastman.... As Eastman outlined a scenario in which Vice President Mike Pence could deny certifying Biden's election, Cruz crafted a complementary plan in the Senate. He proposed objecting to the results in six swing states and delaying accepting the electoral college results on Jan. 6.... Ten other senators backed his proposal, which Cruz continued to advocate on the day rioters attacked the Capitol.... If Cruz's plan worked, it could have created enough chaos for Trump to remain in power." Emphasis added. Read on. ~~~
~~~ Marie: "Abandoning his principles"? Hahahahaha.
Benjamin Siegel, et al., of ABC News: "Jared Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law who served as a senior West Wing aide during the Trump administration, is expected to appear voluntarily before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as early as Thursday, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans."
Let's Chat, Ginni. Jacqueline Alemany & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection will seek an interview with Virginia Thomas.... In a series of text exchanges with [then-White House Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows, Thomas sought to influence Trump's strategy to overturn the election results and lobbied for lawyer Sidney Powell to be 'the lead and the face' of Trump's legal team." CNN's report is here.
New York Times live updates: "At a groundbreaking summit in Israel on Monday, the top diplomats of Israel the United States and four Arab countries discussed how to coordinate against Iran; the importance of Washington's remaining engaged in the region; and the need to maintain calm over the next weeks, when a convergence of religious holidays could raise tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Several of the Arab participants also publicly pressed Israel on the need to create a sovereign Palestinian state, signaling that while they had normalized ties with Israel, they had not abandoned the Palestinian cause. But if that created mild tension between Israel and its guests, they appeared united in their shared fears of Iran and its proxies at a news briefing at the summit's conclusion.... The summit brought together [Israeli Foeign Minister Yair] Lapid with the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, along with the U.S. secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken.... The foreign ministers met as American-backed efforts to secure a new nuclear deal with Iran reach a climax."
Florida. Devan Cole & Tina Burnside of CNN: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation banning certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom, approving the controversial measure that opponents have dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' law."
~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times' live updates of developments Monday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here: "Russia appears to be shifting its focus to securing control of eastern Ukraine after efforts to take the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities stalled in the face of stiff resistance. Ukrainian officials said that they are worried that Russia may try to split the country between regions it controls and those it does not, a division that recalled the fate of Germany and Korea after World War II." ~~~
~~~ Marie: That may be the plan, but I hope Ukraine & Western nations do not reward Putin with anything for his unprovoked destruction of a sovereign nation. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live updates for Monday are here: "Ukrainian and Russian delegations are arriving in Istanbul for another round of in-person talks -- putting NATO member Turkey, which has ties to both Kyiv and Moscow, in the spotlight as an intermediary in the deadly conflict grinding into its second month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed his desire for a cease-fire in a phone call Sunday with ... Vladimir Putin, state media reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to offer a diplomatic opening Sunday, saying that Kyiv could declare its 'neutrality' and effectively renounce its ambitions to join NATO in a potential peace deal with Moscow, but stressed that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are 'beyond doubt' and any deal must be voted on by a national referendum held without Russian troops in Ukraine. Zelensky made these remarks during an interview with a Russian outlet, which the Kremlin's Internet censor then banned Russian media outlets from publishing."
Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "President Biden's declaration that Russian leader Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power' threatens to push deeply strained U.S.-Russia relations closer to collapse, former officials and analysts said, with potentially serious implications for Washington's ability to help steer the war in Ukraine to an end and avoid a wider conflict. The remark -- an off-the-cuff coda to an address in Poland this weekend -- injects a stark new element of personal animus into the standoff between the world's biggest nuclear powers. It capped earlier statements in which Biden has gone well beyond official formulations -- calling Putin a 'killer,' 'butcher' and 'war criminal.': MB: Yes, because it's terrible to call out a killer, a butcher, and a war criminal & to question his suitability to lead a major power. ~~~
~~~ Max Boot of the Washington Post: "Biden's words give hope not only to Ukrainians but also to Russian dissidents fighting to build a freer country, and it is hard to see how they could make Putin fight any harder than he already is. I would rather have a president who is fearless in calling out Putin;s war crimes than one who toadies to the Russian tyrant." Read the whole column, in which Boot contrasts Biden's & Trump's attitudes toward Putin. ~~~
~~~ ** David Rothkopf of the Daily Beast: "While America's media is embroiled in another confected controversy, this one about whether Joe Biden hurt Vladimir Putin's feelings by speaking the truth, it is missing two far bigger stories. One of those stories is the historical shift signaled by Biden's Warsaw speech. While some compared it to Kennedy's 'Ich bin ein berliner' speech or Reagan;s 'Mr. Gorbachev tear down that wall' address, Biden's was more like the speech given by Winston Churchill ['s 'Iron Curtain' speech] in Fulton Missouri on March 5, 1946.... While Biden's speech was significant because it addressed a geopolitical shift with long-term consequences for the world -- and while it clarified the starkness of the divide in America between Biden's party and his opponents who have defended Putin and attacked democracy themselves -- it also underscored the president's deep sense of urgency concerning the crisis in Ukraine.... More broadly, [Biden] defined the struggle of the moment as 'a new great battle for freedom: a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between rules-based order and one governed by brute force.'" Firewalled.
Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is demanding that the United States and its allies send more weapons and ratchet up sanctions, portraying some leaders as timid in the face of Russian aggression. His escalation of criticism comes one day after President Biden extemporaneously declared that ... Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.'... In a[n] ... interview with the Economist, Zelensky asserted that some countries had drawn a red line at sending more offensive weapons to Ukraine 'because they are afraid of Russia. And that's it. And those who say it first are the first to be afraid.'... He called for a full embargo on Russian oil and gas exports rather than what he called 'incomplete' sanctions. 'We are not guinea pigs to be experimented on.'" An AP story is here.
Andrew Kramer of the New York Times on how the Motion Picture Academy handled Russia's war on Ukraine. For one thing, they denied President Volodymyr Zelensky, a former entertainer, an opportunity to speak. The show did call on views to contribute to humanitarian efforts. MB: All in all, a failure, IMO, on the part of an organization representing an industry infamous for glorifying war & violence. Not that Will Smith's slapping & cursing Chris Rock wasn't more fun than giving Zelensky a platform for peace. (See also Infotainment.)
Anton Troianovski & Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine gave a 90-minute-long Zoom interview on Sunday to four prominent journalists from Russia.... Hours later, the Kremlin ... notified the Russian news media 'of the necessity to refrain from publishing this interview.' Journalists based outside Russia published it anyway. Those still inside Russia did not. The episode laid bare the extraordinary, and partly successful, efforts at censorship being undertaken in Russia by ... Vladimir V. Putin's government as his bloody invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, along with Mr. Zelensky's attempts to circumvent that censorship and reach the public directly."
Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Russia effectively shut down the Russian-language Radio Free Europe by imposing huge fines & initiating bankruptcy proceedings against the service. BUT. "In the first three weeks after the invasion, page views from Russia to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sites skyrocketed to 26 million, more than 50 percent more than an earlier corresponding period. Video views from Russia to their YouTube channels more than tripled to 237 million. And this was happening despite sites being blocked within Russia.... Many listeners and viewers are getting around Russia's media barricades through the use of VPNs (virtual private networks) and 'mirror sites' that duplicate content but use a different URL."
Trump Still Admires Dictators. Nina Golgowski of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump doubled down on his past praise of Vladimir Putin on Saturday, calling the Russian president 'smart' but describing his invasion of Ukraine as 'a big mistake.' 'They ask me if Putin was smart. Yes, Putin was smart,' Trump said at a rally in Commerce, Georgia, before adding that he was surprised by Putin's decision to start a war.... Trump on Saturday also called Chinese leader Xi Jinping 'smart.' 'He runs 1.5 billion people with an iron fist. Yeah, I think he's pretty smart.'..."
E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post: "By offering [Judge Ketanji Brown] Jackson at least a respectful hearing, Republican senators could have taken a step toward easing the legitimacy crisis the Supreme Court confronts because of the GOP's relentless packing of the nation's highest judicial body.... And by avoiding the racial tropes they trotted out ... the Republicans could have shown they mean what they say about judging people by 'the content of their character.'... What conservatives don't want to acknowledge is how much damage they have already done by taking control of the court through the raw exercise of political power. Beginning with the blockade of Merrick Garland;s nomination in 2016 and culminating in the rushed confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett just days before the 2020 election, Republicans have sent the message that ... partisan manipulation is at the heart of the court's decision-making. The court's conservative justices have reinforced this view with rulings on voting rights, gerrymanders and campaign finance that are tilted to the benefit of Republicans, moneyed interests and voter suppression."
Christopher Falvelle & Julie Tate of the New York Times: Sen. Joe Manchin (DINO-Coal) "is now the single most important figure shaping the nation's energy and climate policy.... An examination by The New York Times offers a ... detailed portrait of the degree to which Mr. Manchin's business has been interwoven with his official actions. He created his business while a state lawmaker in anticipation of the Grant Town [power] plant, [which Manchin helped develop, and] which has been the sole customer for his gob [-- a low-grade coal --] for the past 20 years.... At key moments over the years, Mr. Manchin used his political influence to benefit the plant [including facilitating rate increases for his constituents].... Several energy companies have held ownership stakes in the power plant, major corporations with interests far beyond West Virginia. At various points, those corporations have sought to influence the Senate, including legislation before committees on which Mr. Manchin sat, creating what ethics experts describe as a conflict of interest. As the pivotal vote in an evenly split Senate, Mr. Manchin has blocked legislation that would speed the country's transition to wind, solar and other clean energy and away from coal, oil and gas, the burning of which is dangerously heating the planet."
And They're Such Fine Fellows. Luke Broadwater & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol released a report on Sunday laying out reasons to charge two allies of ... Donald J. Trump with criminal contempt of Congress for their participation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and their subsequent refusal to comply with the panel's subpoenas. In a 34-page report, the panel argued that the allies -- Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser, and Dan Scavino Jr., a former deputy chief of staff -- were closely involved in efforts to keep Mr. Trump in power even after he lost decisively at the polls. The committee is set to hold a public vote on whether to recommend the charges on Monday. A contempt of Congress charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail. A recommendation from the panel would send the matter to the full House, which would then have to vote to refer the charge to the Justice Department." A CBS News report is here.
Why Would Anyone Quit Fox "News"? Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "'I'm fine with opinion: conservative opinion, liberal opinion,' [former 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris] Wallace said in his first extensive interview about his decision to leave. 'But when people start to question the truth -- Who won the 2020 election? Was Jan. 6 an insurrection? -- I found that unsustainable.'... Mr. Wallace also acknowledged that he felt a shift at Fox News in the months after Donald J. Trump's defeat in 2020 -- a period when the channel ended its 7 p.m. newscast, fired the political editor who helped project a Trump loss in Arizona on election night and promoted hosts like [Tucker] Carlson who downplayed the Jan. 6 riot. He confirmed reports that he was so alarmed by Mr. Carlson's documentary 'Patriot Purge' -- which falsely suggested the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a 'false flag' operation intended to demonize conservatives -- that he complained directly to Fox News management."
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here: "As the White House pleads with Republicans in Congress for emergency aid to fight the coronavirus, the federal government said that a fund established to reimburse doctors for care for uninsured Covid patients was no longer accepting claims for testing and treatment 'due to lack of sufficient funds.' Some U.S. health care providers are informing uninsured people they can no longer be tested for the virus free of charge, and will have to pay for the service."
Beyond the Beltway
Nicholas Fandos & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors and the F.B.I. are investigating whether Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin of New York played a role in an effort to funnel fraudulent contributions to his unsuccessful 2021 campaign for New York City comptroller, and have issued subpoenas to his campaign advisers and the State Senate. The inquiry stems from a federal indictment filed late last year charging a Harlem real estate investor, Gerald Migdol, with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and other crimes. Mr. Migdol, a longtime supporter of Mr. Benjamin's, was accused of orchestrating a plan to misrepresent or conceal dozens of illegal contributions to Mr. Benjamin's campaign. Mr. Benjamin has not been accused of wrongdoing, and he was not named in the indictment. But prosecutors from the Southern District of New York subsequently issued several grand jury subpoenas late last year seeking records from Mr. Benjamin's campaign committee, some of its paid staffers and firms consulting for the campaign...."
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This one's a little late. But I did beat the Midnight Mass deadline, so call it a Sunday/Monday sermon.
Remember the Left Brain-Right Brain theory that suggested one of the two hemispheres of our brains was dominant? Left Brainers were said to be more analytical and methodical, more oriented to language, logic, and fact, with Right Brainers more given to imagination, intuition, and creativity.
Because it would have explained so much about our politics, it’s too bad that theory has been discounted (healthline.com). In our brains and in the world, some do seem comfortable with logic and proven facts while others prefer the imaginative, even the fantasies of QAnon (nymag.com). What could be neater?
It turns out, though, our brains are far more complicated than the Left Brain-Right brain theory can explain.
It’s sad to see such a handy theory bite the dust, but I have another to take its place. Instead of distinct logic and imagination hemispheres, is it possible we have “I” and “we” sides of the brain?
That thought came to me during the Judge Jackson confirmation hearings, as I watched various Senators’ behavior illustrate the difference between statesmen and politicians.
The hearings would certainly support an “I/we” way of looking at brains. Some senators used their questions to fire shots in the culture wars that sustain their sorry careers, while others asked Judge Jackson sensible questions about her background and experience.
So, which was the politician and which the statesman? Their questions revealed them. Did they advance only their interests or those of the country as a whole?
On the politician-statesman spectrum, the politician occupies the narrow end; the statesman, the larger, more generous and encompassing.
The same could be said about laws and policies. Are they good for the many or for only the few? For the “we” of the nation or the “I” of “me?”
Are they Left Brain…..or Right?
@Ken Winkes: The same thing applies to global politics: the right-brain authoritarians vs. the left-brain democrats. Using the left-right-brain theory, it's easy to see why people like the Count of Mar-a-Lardo & TuKKKer are so fond of Putin & Orban, et al.
BTW, I'm sorry to learn that the theory has been discredited to the point that it is now described as a myth. I used it for years as a dandy excuse for being a poor math student.
You mean my calculations that some people must be right side of the left side of the brain types, middle to left of the right brain, or mostly middle types (where there is no brain function), are all bullshit?
Crap. I guess I’ll have to start being much less scientifically accurate:
Trump voter: idiot
Liberal: genius
Undecided: brain dead
Oh, come on now. The brain IS divided into specialized areas, left and right, just not so concretely as the psychological theorists proposed. We don’t have to get into the neuroanatomical weeds to have a perfectly good way of talking about brain function as laypeople.
Trump goes back to that tired old canard about what “they” say or do.
“They ask me is Putin smart?”
Really? Who is this they? And why would they ask a submissive sycophant to a tyrant what he thinks about anything?
When we were kids, if we didn’t have enough guys (and girls) for a full baseball team, we’d use invisible men. If you got a hit, you could have your invisible man take your spot on first then go back and hit again. If you got another hit, your invisible man could move to second, and so on, like that.
“They say”, “they ask”, “they” love me.
Invisible men, all.
Hey, I’m glad that Chris Wallace (speaking of brain functions) finally decided enough was too much at Faux. My question is, what took him so long?
He only figured out that he worked for a fact-free propaganda outfit only after Trump cranked up the Big Lie and tried to overthrow the government? What about the birther bullshit promoted as nauseum by Faux? What about caravans of immigrants coming to rape and murder Americans? What about “Mexico will pay for the wall”? What about black helicopters and death panels and brutal, ad hominem attacks on the Obamas and their kids? What about “Lock her up”?
Jesus, Chris. Glad you made it out, but c’mon, man.
@All
Please forgive any anatomical inaccuracies I might have presented in the name of a little fun. The Left/Right brain division was too perfect to ignore for my purpose....which was more along the lines of a parable as part of a sermonette; not a medical school lecture.
It's is difficult to keep coming up with new names for assholes, but one must try.
Don’t you just love the pearl clutching by people who at one time deemed Ronald Reagan a hero for announcing “We start bombing Russia in one hour!”?
"They" are the voices in his cabesa.
Ken,
I think what you were getting at was there’s left brain, right brain, and no brain. There’s big heart, faint heart, small heart, blackened heart, and heartless.
And when you’re talking about the Turtle you can’t forget soulless.
Ted Cruz, shameless.
Lindsey Graham, dickless.
Josh Hawley, just less.
Akhilleus,
Nice expansion and proper attachment of relevant body parts...
The copy of the letter I sent to the local paper last night is titled "Half a Brain,"as in, "If he had only..."
Thought "brainless`" would invite automatic rejection...
When Boot, Burns and Rothkopf are on the same page, then it's a dandy day.
"I would rather have a president who is fearless in calling out Putin's war crimes than one who toadies to the Russian tyrant."
You betcha!!!
And when Will Smith smacked Chris Rock, it shows what standing by your WOman" looks like.
And I'm with Ak 's comment to Ken: Twas a no brainer ==faint heart, small heart, blackened heart and finally NO heart. Recall someone like Dick Cheney whose own heart had to be replaced by another whose, we hoped, would at least be warm to the beat. I think it worked–––he stood by his daughter when so many in his own party denounced her.
@PD Pepe: I don't think that smack was okay. This isn't the first hurtful "joke" Chris Rock has told, and it might have been a good idea to tell him off right then & there. But to resort to physical violence in response to verbal abuse is not acceptable. Smith slapped Rock really hard.
And here's another thing: if you look at that video I posted under "Infotainment," you'll see that Will Smith thought the joke was funny -- he smiled/laughed when Chris rock told it. Then he realized his wife was hurt or angry and decided it would be a good idea to render the slap seen 'round the world.
AND when he made his acceptance speech, he didn't apologize to Chris Rock, as media reports seem to suggest. (He did apologize to the Academy). Instead, he made excuses about how he "protected" women. Oh, not really.
I've never seen anything Will Smith appeared in. But decades ago, when he was a teenager, I saw some late-night interview he did (like Jay Leno, maybe). In the interview, he complained about how "hard" his life was because he had to memorize his lines and all. I thought, "What a jerk! He doesn't seem to know what 'hard' is." Later, I thought maybe I'd been unfair to Smith because he was only a teenager when he was whining about his "hard" life, and a lot of teenagers complain about nonsense. Now I think I got it right the first time. He's a jerk.
PD,
I guess credit where it’s due. However I’m tempted to suggest that Darth Cheney is still wanting in the heart department, but at least now he’s got one. Still, I’m thinking along the lines of that scene in Mel Brooks’s “Young Frankenstein” when the Igor character (the incredibly funny Marty Feldman) brings back a new brain for the monster. Asked whose brain it was when the monster turns out to be nuts, he recalls that it came from “Abby someone…Abby…Normal”.
Darth might have a heart now but it’s probably abnormal.
Still and all, his support for gay marriage being informed by his daughter reminds us of how it’s much easier to hate those you don’t know, in the same way that Twitter vitriol is turbocharged when you’re not face to face with someone.
I’m thinking of a guy I used to know in my old neighborhood. He was about as racist as they come. N—-r this, and n—-r that. One day someone asked him about a black kid we went to school with. “Isn’t he a n—-r too?” “No. He’s not a n—-r. We know him.”
True story.
Marie: Well, if you noticed, I didn't say I condoned the smack, which of course was over the top, but he was standing up for his wife nevertheless and that I admired. Rock has always been over the top in his quips and this was certainly what one might call, "good theater" entertaining all those actors whose livelihood depends on good theater. I'll be interested how that crowd took to this display.
Another first, I think. I can't recall any such punch and Judy show like this. We are living in an age when decorum seems to have flown the coop–-some may say that's a good thing but I think it smacks of losing what we used to call a sense of civility.
Here are some of the responses:
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/celebrities-react-will-smith-slap-chris-rock-oscars-2022-rcna21781
:
AK: your story about the kid in your neighborhood who made a distinction between those who are Black and one Black kid that he actually knew. I find that so interesting. Spanky and Our Gang got it right: "Getting to know you..." the key that opens doors and minds.
Here's a headline I saw today ...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump distorts Obama-Biden aid to Ukraine
Why can't we call a spade a spade? Trump LIES, LIES, LIES!
Some other people are now having a hard life. Russian oligarch in London is asking the question I'm sure we have all faced, who's going to drive me home when my billions are frozen and I can no longer afford my chauffeur!
The Times article, linked above, about Joe (Sixteen tons) Manchin’s coal company reminded me that it was only fairly recently that I even heard about this. Every single story about Manchin, who pisses on any bill that might cost him money, should start with “Sen. Joe Manchin, who makes a ton off coal through his company…” This is just the press being lazy and no ‘count.
And I don’t give a shit if his son runs the company, blind trust bullshit, or if he uses his Magic 8 Ball to make business decisions, whatever. He is still using his position as a US senator to line his own pockets at the expense of everyone else. This is no different than Fatty saying “Oh, Eric’s running the business”. Baloney.
I will bet there are millions out there who have no idea about this.