;)
The Commentariat -- Dec. 24, 2015
Internal links & defunct video removed.
David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "After spending 444 days in captivity, and more than 30 years seeking restitution, the Americans taken hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran in 1979 have finally won compensation. Buried in the huge spending bill signed into law last Friday are provisions that would give each of the 53 hostages or their estates up to $4.4 million. Victims of other state-sponsored terrorist attacks such as the 1998 American Embassy bombings in East Africa would also be eligible for benefits under the law."
Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post: "The Department of Justice announced this week that it's suspending a controversial program that allows local police departments to keep a large portion of assets seized from citizens under federal law and funnel it into their own coffers.... The DOJ is suspending payments under this program due to budget cuts included in the recent spending bill.... Criminal justice reformers are cheering the change.... The change may not be permanent." ...
... CW: In other words, the DOJ is not suspending the program because it's an egregious violation of Constitutional rights, but because Paul Ryan didn't give them enough money to egregiously violate Americans' Constitutional rights. Nice work, ya bastids.
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Defense Secretary Ash Carter has moved to block the release of about 2,000 photos of detainees allegedly abused in U.S. military custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he parted with his predecessors by agreeing to release about 200 such photos that have been under wraps for years, according to a new court filing."
Zach Schonbrun & Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "The National Basketball Association, alarmed by the death toll from shootings across the country, is stepping into the polarizing debate over guns, regulation and the Second Amendment with an advertising campaign in partnership with one of the nation's most aggressive advocates of stricter limits on firearm sales. In a move with little precedent in professional sports, the N.B.A. is putting the weight of its multibillion-dollar brand and the prestige of its star athletes behind a series of television commercials calling for an end to gun violence.... Tthe organization that paid for them, Everytown for Gun Safety, has a robust and controversial agenda: It was founded by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg specifically as a counterweight to the National Rifle Association...."
Jonathan Chait: "Ross Douthat's Sunday column, as it so often does, offers the least unreasonable iteration of the deranged state of conservative thinking on Obamacare.... To bolster [his] case, Douthat makes four points against the law.... Individually, and collectively, they present a wildly misleading picture of a law that continues to work very well." ...
... Steve Benen: "'Obamacare' sign-ups aren't just strong this year, they're also exceeding projections and last year's tallies." Also, more young people are signing up. "Because younger people tend to be healthier, the increase appears likely to 'greatly help strengthen the financial health of insurance plans in Obamacare's third enrollment season.'...House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) appeared on NBC's 'Meet the Press' over the weekend, and when asked about the ACA, the Republican leader declared, 'It's a law that is not working.' And yet, the evidence to the contrary is hard to miss."
Jerry Markon & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "The Department of Homeland Security has begun preparing for a series of raids that would target for deportation hundreds of families who have flocked to the United States since the start of last year, according to people familiar with the operation. The nationwide campaign, to be carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as soon as early January, would be the first large-scale effort to deport families who have fled violence in Central America, those familiar with the plan said. More than 100,000 families with both adults and children have made the journey across the southwest border since last year, though this migration has largely been overshadowed by a related surge of unaccompanied minors." ...
... Griff Witte, et al., of the Washington Post: On orders from Washington, a border control officer in Britain barred a British Muslim family of 11 from boarding a plane at Gatwick Airport bound for Disneyland. "... the case prompted America's largest Muslim advocacy organization [-- the Council on American-Islamic Relations --] to call for an investigation into whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States was being 'implemented informally' by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A prominent British parliamentarian, meanwhile, demanded that Prime Minister David Cameron press U.S. officials for an explanation...." ...
Linda Greenhouse: "The [Supreme C]ourt pays great deference to claims by members of the white majority to injury from race-conscious policies.... At the same time, the court requires members of minority groups to prove that disadvantageous official policies or practices reflect a purpose to discriminate, a very high bar to meet."
... Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post: "Who's really waging a war against Christmas in 2015? Secular multiculturalists who, stealthily and nefariously, have somehow rendered Starbucks's coffee cups a tad less festive? Or the self-proclaimed culture warriors on behalf of traditional values, who demand we leave refugees -- even small children, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has made pitilessly clear -- at the mercy of the latter-day Herods? Who condemn entire religions? Who fear and loathe strangers?... Walls on the border, religious tests for admission, despising the poor -- good thing Joseph and Mary didn't have to encounter our modern-day defenders of the right as they scrambled from one country to another, desperate to save their son's life."
Julie Davis of the New York Times: "The White House on Wednesday released holiday playlists from the Obama family and the family of Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Spotify, the music-streaming site where users can curate their own selections and share them with friends. Mr. Obama's holiday playlist is an eclectic mix, including Big Band and Motown classics, lots of jazz and a bit of gospel. Artists range from Frank Sinatra ('The First Noel') to Destiny's Child ('8 Days of Christmas').
Dave Barry's year-end review in the Washington Post: "We apologize, but 2015 had so many negatives that we're having trouble seeing the positives. It's like we're on the Titanic, and it's tilting at an 85-degree angle with its propellers way up in the air, and we're dangling over the cold Atlantic trying to tell ourselves: 'At least there's no waiting for the shuffleboard courts!'"
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Nigel Duara & Lisa Mascaro of the Los Angeles Times: In an editorial that ran in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Wednesday edition, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson's "new management team ... mentioned that [the paper's editor-in-chief Michael] Hengel had accepted a 'voluntary buyout.' But in an interview Wednesday, Hengel said he first learned of his acceptance of the buyout when someone from the newspaper read the editorial to him over the telephone Tuesday night. At the same time, he received an email with a formal offer." The story recaps the controversies surrounding Adelson's secret purchase of the newspaper.
Presidential Race
Amy Chozick & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Behind the scenes, the Clinton campaign mobilized a wide network of female supporters to denounce Mr. Trump as 'sexist,' as a practitioner of pathetic, frat-boy politics,' and as more suited to running for 'president of the fourth-grade football team.'... While the other candidates for the Republican presidential nomination tread carefully to avoid antagonizing Mr. Trump's supporters, for Mrs. Clinton, hitting hard appears relatively risk-free." ...
Gail Collins: "Happy holidays! I say this with some trepidation, because Donald Trump has vowed that when he is president, 'We're all going to be saying "Merry Christmas" again.'... This is supposed to be a down period for presidential campaigning, since most of the population is focused on celebrating you-know-what with friends and families. But Trump has given us such a not-normal year that people will be drinking eggnog by the fire and discussing the proper use of the word 'schlonged.'" Collins ends with a Christmas carol you won't want to be singing around the tree unless your Christmas wish is to teach the kiddies the proper meaning & use of "schlong."
Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "... as Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Jeb Bush grasp for some way to dissuade the proud New Hampshire electorate from supporting Mr. Trump, they are turning to a new, blunter instrument: guilt. 'America is counting on you,' Mr. Christie said Sunday night in the century-old town hall here, his 40th question-and-answer session in the state. He repeated himself a few sentences later, in case the voters had missed the barely veiled warning.... 'New Hampshire has a special place in our democracy,' said Mr. Bush at his 27th town-hall-style meeting.... 'I, for one, will entrust the voters of New Hampshire to make this decision disproportionately more than any other place. I'm totally confident that you all will maintain your position as first in the nation, that you will be discerning about this.'"
Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "Media-bashing Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was handed a political gift Tuesday night when The Washington Post retracted an editorial cartoon that depicted his two young daughters as monkeys. The animated cartoon, by Pulitzer Prize winner Ann Telnaes, sketched the Texas senator in a Santa suit turning a Jack-in-the-box-style crank that made the monkeys dance. A headline said, 'Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props' -- a reference to a recent viral campaign video in which Cruz and his daughters spoofed familiar Christmas stories.... At a rally in Tulsa on Wednesday..., [Cruz told] supporters that 'if the media wants to attack and ridicule every Republican, well that's what they're gonna do. But leave our kids alone.' And he wasted little time before soliciting campaign contributions, hoping backers would channel their outrage through donations."
Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg: "Marco Rubio is dipping in national polls going into the final week of 2015. While the drop is slight, and far from irreversible less than six weeks away from the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, where the first votes will be cast in the fight for the Republican presidential nomination, it is happening at a time when the U.S. senator from Florida needs to be moving in the opposite direction." ...
We had roughly 20 minutes with [Marco Rubio] on Monday, and in that time, he talked about ISIS, the economy, his political record and his background. But it was like watching a computer algorithm designed to cover talking points. He said a lot but at the same time said nothing. It was like someone wound him up, pointed him toward the doors and pushed 'play.' If there was a human side to the senator, a soul, it didn't come across. -- Erik Eisele of the Conway (New Hampshire) Daily Sun ...
... Andrew Prokop of Vox: "This is something national political reporters who've followed Rubio have long observed. When you see him deliver a speech, he's great -- charismatic, fluid, winning. But he's much better at hitting a previously prepared set of points than he is at striking a more conversational, informal tone. The town hall setting isn't the greatest for him."
Low-Energy Candidate Drops High-Energy Brand. Jeb! abandons attempt to trademark "Jeb!"
Still Crazy. Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: "Ben Carson, whose campaign has come under increasing stress as his polling numbers have declined, suggested on Wednesday a major shake-up was coming, only to seemingly reverse himself hours later. 'My senior team remains in place with my full confidence,' Mr. Carson, the Republican presidential contender, said in a statement issued by his campaign spokesman late in the day. In interviews with reporters earlier at his Maryland home, Mr. Carson had suggested the opposite, declaring 'Everything is on the table, every job is on the table.'" ...
... Eric Levitz of New York: "Ben Carson spent Wednesday afternoon in his basement, complaining to reporters about his hired help.... Carson blamed his campaign's struggles on his overpriced, ineffective staffers.... Carson appears to have told the national media that he's contemplating firing some of his aides before ever mentioning the prospect to the aides themselves.... When the AP contacted [Carson campaign manager Barry] Bennett for comment, he replied, 'I'm getting ready to have a conversation with him. Why don't I have that conversation and call you back.' Bennett later told reporters that there would be no staff shake-up, and that Carson was only 'talking strategy not personnel' -- a claim that can't be squared with the candidate's public statements." ...
... Robert Costa & Jose DelReal of the Washington Post: "But according to two Republicans close to Carson, the retired neurosurgeon has been interviewing consultants for prominent roles in the campaign without Bennett's knowledge.... [Carson's long-time business manager Armstrong] Williams set up the interviews on his own without Bennett's involvement or knowledge." ...
... This, BTW, is Ben Carson being boldly, bravely, audaciously politically incorrect -- as if no other political candidate ever wished Americans a merry Christmas:
Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Rand Paul will not accept being relegated to an undercard debate and is willing to protest, the Republican presidential candidate said Wednesday. 'I won't participate in any kind of second-tier debate,' Paul declared in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade.... The Kentucky senator was responding to the news that only six candidates are likely to make Fox Business Network's main debate stage in South Carolina on Jan. 14.... Paul blasted the system of allowing the media and artificial polls to determine who belongs on the main stage and also took a shot at [Donald] Trump...."
Waaaahhhhh!!!!!!, Ctd. Nicky Wolff of the Guardian: "As families across the US come together in joy two days before Christmas, Rand Paul has chosen instead to tweet out his annual list of Festivus Grievances.... 'Where to start but @realDonaldTrump,' Paul began. 'If u bring the Yiddish, know what it means. Guess that's more of a kvetch than a grievance.' He hit the real estate mogul with allegations of attempted sartorial bribery. 'After the debates, @realDonaldTrump always trying to give us parting gifts of his made in China ties. Weird.'" CW: Sorry to say, Li'l Randy will not be demonstrating any "Festivus Feats of Strength." For explanation, see below. ...
... The True Story of Festivus:
Hanna Trudo of Politico: Mike "Huckabee says he'll drop out [of the residential race] if he doesn't place in the top three in Iowa."
Congressional Race -- Ha Ha
AP: "A Florida man who landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol as a political protest says he will run for the congressional seat held by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Douglas Hughes, a Democrat from Ruskin, said earlier this month that he intended to run for Congress but only indicated he would challenge a South Florida Democrat. In a court filing Wednesday, he says he will run in Florida's 23rd District, which Wasserman Schultz represents." CW: Hughes does not live in -- or particularly near -- the 23rd District. But maybe he can gyroscope in.
Beyond the Beltway
Alice Ollstein of Think Progress: "Less than a month after taking office, Kentucky's newly elected Republican Gov. Matt Bevin reversed a move by his Democratic predecessor that had restored the voting rights of about 140,000 former felons. Those impacted, who are overwhelmingly African American and lower income, had already completed their felony sentences but remained permanently disenfranchised. The order excluded those convicted of violent crimes, sex crimes, bribery or treason. Bevin's move Tuesday night goes against promises he made during the campaign to keep the restoration of voting rights in place.... In another executive order this week, Bevin reversed former Gov. [Steve] Beshear's [D] move to raise the state's minimum wage for government workers and contractors to $10.10 an hour, bringing it back down to $7.25 an hour. About 800 state workers who have already gotten raises will be able to keep them, but new hires will now have to start at the lower pay rate." (Akhilleus mentioned these Grinch-worthy moves in a comment two days ago.)
Richard Oppel & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "The Cleveland grand jury has been conducting its work in private, investigating the police shooting of a 12-year-old boy named Tamir Rice that set off protests nationwide. But a steady stream of evidence [favorable to the officers involved in the shooting] has been trickling out to the public.... These were not leaks: The evidence was made public by the Cuyahoga County prosecutor himself, Timothy J. McGinty.... 'We have never seen a prosecutor try so hard to lose a case,' said Jonathan S. Abady, a lawyer for Tamir's mother, Samaria Rice.... In a series of blistering letters, Ms. Rice's lawyers have accused Mr. McGinty of prosecutorial misconduct and demanded that he step aside. Mr. McGinty has refused.... Some Ohio legal experts have also raised questions about Mr. McGinty's handling of the case."
Jack Healy of the New York Times: "Robert L. Dear Jr., the man accused of a deadly shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood center here, tried to wrest control of his criminal defense on Wednesday, telling a judge that he wanted to represent himself and did not trust his public defender.... Judge Gilbert Anthony Martinez of Colorado's Fourth Judicial District ordered Mr. Dear to undergo a competency examination to determine whether he understood the court case and was mentally able to waive his right to a lawyer and stand in his own defense. The evaluation at Colorado's state mental hospital could take months, and Mr. Dear told the judge he would refuse to cooperate."
Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "The largest shopping mall in the US was locked down on Wednesday, after hundreds of protesters gathered for a Black Lives Matter demonstration which also caused an airport terminal to shut down. Protesters met in the central rotunda of the Mall of America, which had warned demonstrators that they would be arrested for protests on mall property during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.... Organizers said they were trying to draw attention to the police shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man who died the day after he was shot in the north of [Minneapolis]."
Way Beyond
Alan Clendenning of the AP: "About 35 African migrants, including at least one rescued at sea from an overcrowded wooden boat, are among the top prize winners of Spain's Christmas lottery, according to the owner of the lottery agency that sold more than 1,000 tickets that shelled out 400,000 euros ($438,000) each."
News Ledes
AP: "In northern Mississippi, residents were beginning to take stock after fierce storms that killed at least six across the country whipped through the area. The deadly spring-like storms killed three in Mississippi, two others in Tennessee and one in Arkansas before the worst passed Wednesday night." ...
... New York Times Update: "Storms lashed the South for most of the day Wednesday, but the National Weather Service said that it was assessing the strength and duration of one tornado that appeared to have been particularly long lasting. Survey teams, which might release more detailed findings later Thursday, were helping determine whether the tornado remained on the ground for the entirety of its path."
Hill: "Fears of civilian deaths in Ramadi are growing as Iraqi Security Forces, supported by the U.S.-led coalition, prepare to storm the city and oust the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).... U.S. military officials acknowledge the risks to civilians, but say Iraqi air forces have dropped leaflets urging them to leave the city, or shelter in place, for the offensive that could start within the next 72 hours. The U.S. military published those leaflets online on Tuesday."
Bloomberg: "The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Thursday it received information of possible threats against Westerners visiting a popular shopping district in the Chinese capital on or around Christmas Day. In a message sent to U.S. citizens, the embassy urged heightened vigilance and said that it had issued the same guidance to American government personnel. The Sanlitun district of Beijing, for which the warning was issued, is home to numerous bars and restaurants and is also where Apple Inc. opened its first store in China in 2008. The British and French embassies in Beijing both issued subsequent statements urging their nationals to exercise heightened vigilance in the Sanlitun area on and around Christmas Day."
AP: "Christian faithful from around the world are descending on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus. The mood in Bethlehem has been dampened by a three month-long wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that shows no signs of relenting."
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Reader Comments (17)
So Carson needs to make staff changes because his failure can't be because of his words. But to be fair, Carson does have a major problem in the current Repubican candidate carnival. He doesn't scream and yell enough.
I had a dream last night: I was sorting clothes for Syrian refugees at a Social Service center. A large box was planted on my table whose donor's name was embolden in gold letters, Donald J. Trump. There were dozens and dozens of socks––-all with holes; there were jackets (the kind he wears when golfing) stained with blood; at the bottom of the box there were tiny insects–-looked like "silver fish"–-the kind that get into rotting or old clothes. I called the supervisor over and asked what she wanted me to do with these items. She grabbed a black marker, and after dumping everything back in the box, wrote in large letters––DAMAGED GOODS–-WE DO NOT ACCEPT.
I just love dreams.
Why don't we just dispense with the fake-o sideshows and Potemkin grand juries convening these days with depressing regularity to figure ways not to bring any charges against white police officers who shoot and kill unarmed black kids. Just save your money and your time and give all the white cops a "Can't indict me" card.
I mean, the only way you'd have a good chance of getting a grand jury to indict someone would be....hmmm....let's see. Okay, I got it. How about, you have a kid. He's about 12 years old, playing in a park. He's got a plastic gun, like plenty of other kids. Except this kid is black. Cops show up and shoot him in less than two seconds. Two seconds! That's not even enough time to ask someone their name and get a response. I mean, the cruiser doesn't even come to a full stop before the kid is lying on the ground bleeding.
Then....let's see...what else? Oh yeah, after shooting this little kid and determining that he had a toy, they let him lie there and bleed, offering no help. What they do instead, is tackle the boy's 14 year old sister, knock her down, kneel on her, cuff her and throw her in the cruiser because she was upset after learning they had just shot her brother. The nerve. Some people!
Anyway, that sort of scenario would surely be an open and shut case, right?
....oh wait.
P.D.,
Your dream reminded me of an old Flip Wilson joke about George Wallace dying and going to heaven only to find out that god is a black guy. Could easily update for Trump. Except Trump would insist that he be cast as god.
(It's funny, but Flip Wilson told that joke during the 60's when cities were on fire, fueled by racial animosity. I don't recall him being attacked for it at the time but I'm pretty sure winger media and every single GOP candidate would go after him full bore for such a joke today. Aren't we supposed to be making progress? Geez.)
Funny or Shut Up.
What's funny: Rand Paul complaining that Jeb(!) is always trying to change debate rules. This on the heels of the Little One trying to change debate rules (again) to suit himself.
What's not funny: Rand Paul's extensive list of Festivus grievances that focus on the many ways in which he's right and everyone else is wrong. Hey, Rug Boy, if you're gonna publish your petty outrages, there being so many of them, at least do us the courtesy of hiring a comedy writer. Nothing more appallingly tedious than someone with the sense of humor of a Spanish Inquisition judge trying to be hilarious.
"I have a lot of grievances about the NSA, but that's okay. They've already heard them all."
Zzzzzzzz.....Laugh? I thought I'd die.
From the Crying, Shouting, and Pouting Department.
Carpet Bomb Man, Teddy Cruz, is unhappy because he was made fun of for using his kids as political props. He is outraged that someone would use his kids to make political hay. His response? Using his kids to make political hay. And money. My kids! My kids! Quick, I need a million bucks!
We've had this discussion before, and, barring a big-mouthed idiot like Bristol Palin, I think kids should be left out of it. But it's more than a tad disingenuous, not to say hypocritical, for wingers to cry and pout about the WaPo cartoon depicting Cruz as an organ grinder making his kids dance around like trained monkeys, a cartoon that was promptly killed by winger waterboy Fred Hiatt, when they have gone after every child of every Democratic president for the last generation or so. Amy Carter was called ugly, Chelsea Clinton was compared to a dog, the Obama kids were called sluts and Ann Coulter instructed her Pavlovian followers that it was time to start attacking the president's kids. Just because.
I think the current case is in a bit of a gray area. As Telnaes contends, it was Cruz who put his kids in the spotlight. Can he legitimately complain when their performance is commented on?
Still and all, I think it best to leave kids alone. The downside, as we're seeing now--more Confederate outrage--isn't worth a quick laugh. There are other ways to make the point.
But if you're waiting for wingers to exhibit some class, forget it. Cruz himself made a joke about Joe Biden the day his son died of brain cancer. This guy is such a fuckwad. I really do hope he gets into the general and has his ass handed to him, the creepy little douchebag.
The other night I got to see some of Frank Capra's wonderful 1940 film, "Meet John Doe". It can still get the blood going. I'm pretty sure everyone's seen it at least once, but if not, here's a quickie plot review:
An out of work, hungry ex-ballplayer, played by Gary Cooper, gets involved in a newspaper stunt in which he promises, as a protest against the state of the world, to jump off the city hall roof on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, he gets to shout his head off about anything he wants. The idea is picked up by a Koch type character (the wonderful Edward Arnold--no one played scheming tycoons like Arnold) who wants to use what becomes the John Doe movement to weasel his way into the White House (sound familiar?).
Well, it all falls apart in spectacular fashion, but the whole point of this megillah is that I recalled, while enjoying watching Cooper and the always superb Barbara Stanwyck, jump through Capra's hoops with great elan, that some Confederate asshole or other--it may have been Loofah Boy--once referred to the John Doe Movement in this film as an early iteration of the 'bagger movement. Nothing could be further from the truth. The John Does were committed to helping their neighbors, "tearing down fences" that separate people, to injecting kindness and consideration into the public sphere, helping those out of work or who are hungry.
Teabaggers are anything but. Most of them are disaffected haters who want to keep others from having what they have or taking it away from those they believe don't deserve it.
In the same way blowhards like Cruz and Li'l Randy enjoy comparing themselves to another Capra hero, Mr. Smith, wingers love appropriating classic American archetypes whose origins and storylines are nearly the exact opposite of their own malevolent trajectories in order to make their baleful goals seem that much more palatable. See? I'm not a rat bastard racist, misogynistic asshole, I'm Jefferson Smith! Man of the People.
And that's my kvetch for today.
One of 'em, anyway.
@AK: Yes, the Tamir Rice case–-open and shut, no doubt about it–-we can SEE what happened in the video, can't we? I had forgotten about the sister episode, but that just puts the old frosting on the cake of pure unadulterated ––gee, what's the word here? Murder?
When candidates start having troubles with their hired help or/and volunteers it's a sign of disorganization and should give one pause as to how those candidates would run their administrations, which are hard enough for the best of Presidents. Carson has had problems from the get-go, but he's not the only one.
Re: Rubio's "souless" diatribe described by Erik Eisele I thought was an accurate description of someone who has memorized his talking points down to the "Ah's" and the moments he reaches for water, to perfection. There is a lack of actual thinking going on– never pausing to parse a sentence of its essence––Rubio is like a wound up battery bunny––no wonder he sweats so much.
And finally–––
HAPPY FESTIVUS to all of us!
May we put our worries behind,
rejoice in family and friends
and in kind
Remember that those are
the real and lasting ties that bind.
and if need be–––"stop crying and fight your father" or whomever you need to in order to make it a splendid holiday for all.
Okay, so enough kvetching.
Here's a present for all of you RC mavens.
Merry merry Christmas, happy happy Christmas
Merry merry Christmas and happy New Year.
"Space Christmas" from Shonen Knife.
Anyone know how to say "No more kvetching" in Japanese?
The Cruz faux outrage over the cartoonist's reaction to him using his children as political props brings up an old question we have never resolved because we seldom talk about adulthood in terms other than age.
When it comes to the intersection of ideology and our children, what responsibility do parents in a sane society have?
I'm thinking of altar boys ((I was one), of children's religious choirs projecting their sweet innocence in the service of religion, the children whose parents deny them medical care, again in the name of religion, even the political doctrines my father inculcated in me at the kitchen table that would have led me to vote for Goldwater in 1964.
How about the thousands of teen warriors currently operating in Africa and the Middle East?
Think any of these behaviors results from the child's choice?
The appropriateness of so using children depends on one's view of what makes us adults.
If you believe, as I do, that adults have to be able to think for themselves, to make their own, rational, educated choices, then shoving untested, often irrational religious or political theories into young, unformed brains or using kids as stage props to advance a political or religious cause is flat wrong, even if "suffer the little children" Jesus Christ Himself occasionally indulged in the practice.
The problem with yellow-belly Cruz is that like most on the Right, he wants it both ways. He wants to use his kids but doesn't want anyone else to. He wants to take advantage of his children's youth and inexperience but cries foul when someone else replies in kind.
He can use his kids as props but no one else can because they are too young to take the heat he himself exposed them to.
Sounds like that old eye of the beholder PC thing again. It's PC to use your immature offspring in the service of your cause, but it's PI for anyone to notice.
What cowards!
Black Lives Matter only gets attention when they disrupt people because as a group of black and minority activists nobody except themselves cares when they get arrested. "Special event staff members searched bags at each Mall of America entrance". How many normal people are willing to be searched like at airports before they go into Walmart or Target or Macy's? Not me. Votes with your dollars and Mall of America will figure out a solution. Maybe hiring some Black Lives Matter protestors for the stores or to do security at the Mall could be good for business!?! (http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/23/black-lives-matter-organizers-protest-mall-of-america).
Science time again:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/rare-full-moon-on-christmas-day
The first full moon on Christmas in 38 years, some of us may not live long enough to see another. Sadly, it will be cloudy here. Might just peak through. Enjoy if you can, and Happy Christmahannukwanzadan, to all my friends here at RC.
To Reiterate D.C. Clark's Sentiments -
<< Happy Christmahannukwanzadan >> . . .
. . . along with a Serene Solstice & whatever else one might - or might not - elect to honor and/or celebrate this season.
Cheers!
And a very Happy 372nd Birthday to Sir Isaac Newton.
Linda Greenhouse is someone I think I can learn from just about every time she puts pen to paper. Read her bit from the times noted above. Even though she didn't write this bit, she brought it a bigger audience, "Black students come to the physics classroom for the same reason white students do: they love physics and want to know more,” Jedidah C. Isler wrote. “Do we require that white students justify their presence in the classroom? Do we need them to bring something other than their interest?"
Everytime that blather boob Trump talks about women and non-whites he acts just like they need to justify themselves to him. Fuck him and his monarchist, brahmin sensibility/sensitivity to further his "white privilege".
Well put Ken, all of what you said. Breeding little, dependent automatons like Cruz is doing with children is like using coercion to get sex from someone. Disgusting.
Note to D.C. on this Christmas eve–––That moon! Spectacular–-even through the cloudy darkness of the night.
I wish everyone bags of happiness, great meals with friends and family and a firm grasp on your faculties in 2016.