The Commentariat -- March 7, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Aamer Madhani of the AP: "A new executive order from President Joe Biden directs federal agencies to take a series of steps to promote voting access, a move that comes as congressional Democrats press for a sweeping voting and elections bill to counter efforts to restrict voting access. His plan was announced during a recorded address on the 56th commemoration of 'Bloody Sunday,' the 1965 incident in which some 600 civil rights activists were viciously beaten by state troopers as they tried to march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. 'Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted,' Biden said in his remarks to Sunday's Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast before signing the order. 'If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.'" The text of President Biden's order is here.

Manchin Okay with Forcing "Talking Filibuster." Nick Niedzwiadek of Politico: "Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he is open to altering the Senate filibuster to make it more 'painful' for the minority party to wield, while reiterating his opposition to ending the procedural hurdle altogether. 'The filibuster should be painful, it really should be painful and we've made it more comfortable over the years,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.'... Manchin (D-W.Va.) has previously supported efforts to require senators to filibuster by talking on the chamber floor in order to hold up a bill, an idea he raised on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk,' Manchin said. 'I'm willing to look at any way we can, but I'm not willing to take away the involvement of the minority.'... Manchin did not rule out using the budget reconciliation process to pass a voting rights bill with a simple majority, keeping the door open to a potential workaround for Democrats to push through a voting overhaul while preserving the filibuster."

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here.

Idaho Potato Heads. Teach Your Children Well. Kim Bellware of the Washington Post: "Cheering parents watched as children tossed surgical masks into a fire outside the Idaho Capitol in Boise on Saturday as more than 100 people gathered to protest mask mandates as an affront to their civil liberties.The rally was one of several held statewide in opposition to the coronavirus-related requirements, which health experts have said remain crucial even as vaccines are distributed and the number of new reported cases has dropped. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) has never implemented a statewide mask requirement, though nearly a dozen areas of the state have local restrictions, including Boise. For months, Little has been at odds with Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin (R) over pandemic restrictions (in Idaho, the governor and lieutenant governor run on separate tickets). McGeachin vehemently opposes any mask mandates. McGeachin, who appeared in a video last fall that suggested the pandemic 'may or may not be occurring,' was photographed speaking at the Boise protest Saturday.... Idaho has tallied more than 173,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and at least 1,800 deaths."

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose it should be noted that the individuals tossing the masks -- children -- have few civil liberties. So making children burn masks as an affront to civil liberties doesn't make a lot of sense. The next time any of those kids gets in trouble for staying out past dinnertime or whatever, maybe he'll tell Mom & Dad their punishment is an affront to his civil liberties. See how far that gets you, Kid.

Texas Boneheads. Customers Punish Restaurateurs for Trying to Save Their Lives. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "This week, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Tuesday that he would rescind the statewide mask mandate while the vast majority of residents remain unvaccinated, the tough choice to enforce public health guidance fell to business owners, and Picos [-- a Mexican restaurant in Houston --] announced it would continue requiring masks. But ... co-owner Monica Richards said: Several people sent hateful messages through social media and called the restaurant, threatening to report staffers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

New York. "There Is No Way I Resign." -- Cuomo. Jesse McKinley & David Goodman of the New York Times: "In a potentially crippling defection in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's efforts to maintain power amid a sexual harassment scandal, the leader of the New York State Senate declared on Sunday that the governor should resign 'for the good of the state.' The leader of the Senate, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Westchester County, said that New York was facing multiple challenges -- including the ongoing pandemic -- and had been buffeted by allegations about Mr. Cuomo's behavior, his administration's 'toxic work environment,' and handling of the state's nursing homes.... Carl E. Heastie of the Bronx, [a Democrat & the Assembly's leader,] issued a statement shortly after his Senate counterpart on Sunday that expressed concerns about 'the governor's ability to continue to lead this state.... I think it is time for the governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York,' Mr. Heastie said in a statement. The legislative leaders' remarks came just moments after Mr. Cuomo [said] ... in a conference call with reporters..., that he would not be distracted by the accusations, arguing that he was elected by the people, not 'by politicians.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Cuomo is apparently unaware that impeachment & conviction are political actions, and that he, too, is a "politician."

Jason Horowitz & Jane Arraf of the New York Times: "In an extraordinary moment on the last full day of the first papal trip to Iraq, [Pope] Francis went to the wounded heart of the country, [Mosul,] directly addressing the suffering, persecution and sectarian conflict that have torn the nation apart.... In [visiting Iraq], he has sought to protect an ancient but battered and shrunken Christian community, build relations with the Muslim world and reassert himself on the global stage after being grounded for more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Following a prayer in Mosul for the dead, Francis went to the northern towns where many Christians now live, visiting a church packed with jubilant -- and often unmasked -- faithful in Qaraqosh, home of the country's largest Christian population. He crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan in a long and heavily armed convoy protected by helicopters. It raced past sprawling refugee camps toward Erbil, where he ended the day celebrating a Mass for thousands in a stadium. There too, the flouting of social distancing restrictions raised concerns that the pope's efforts to be close to his flock might endanger them."

North Carolina. Methodists Accidentally Sell Their Church to the Devil. Billy Ball of the Washington Post: "Parkers Grove United Methodist Church has stood for a century along the road into tiny Linden.... The church's wood exterior is cracked, its steeple weathered, its sign broken. Its congregation, which had struggled to fill the 18 pews, held the final service several years ago. Parkers Grove was sold in early 2020.... The buyer was the Asatru Folk Assembly, an obscure white supremacist group. 'It's appalling,' Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, who leads the United Methodist Church in North Carolina, said recently. 'But we have no control over it. It's a reminder that hate groups are closer at hand than we think.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

President Biden speaks about the Senate's passage of the huge (and yes, Donald, here's something that really is yu-u-uge) Covid-19 relief package:

~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "The Senate on Saturday approved a sweeping coronavirus relief bill strictly on a party-line vote after a marathon session, giving Democrats their first legislative victory since reclaiming the majority. Democrats cheered the 50-49 vote as it was gaveled closed. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) missed the vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), seen as the only potential swing vote in the end, voted against the $1.9 trillion bill." The Washington Post story by Jeff Stein & others, also linked yesterday, has been updated to reflect passage of the bill. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Ron Lieber & Tara Bernard of the New York Times break down who gets what, assuming the bill passes the House in its current form & President Biden signs it. ~~~

~~~ Michelle Singletary of the Washington Post on how to get your third stimulus payment: "... the IRS will probably issue advance payments either based on your 2019 federal return or your 2020 return if you have filed one already. If your income was too high for a payment based on your adjusted gross income for 2019 but you think you may be eligible based on your circumstances from last year, you should file your tax return as soon as you can.... To claim your stimulus payments from the previous two rounds of relief, look for Line 30 on your tax return." MB: The WashPo often makes Covid-related stories free to nonsubscribers. But this story is firewalled. It shouldn't be, inasmuch as many people who are eligible for stimulus checks can't afford a subscription. ~~~

~~~ More on the pandemic linked below.

Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump has sent a cease-and-desist letter to at least three Republican organizations demanding they stop using his name and likeness to fundraise, two Trump advisers confirmed Saturday. The letter ... was sent to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.... [Politico] reported that Trump has been angry that those groups could use his name to support Republicans who voted to impeach him a second time. An NBC New report is here. The RNC, NRCC & NRSC have not responded to reporters' requests for comment. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Thanks to RAS for the lead. See also discussion in yesterday's Comments section, which is pretty funny. As Patrick noted, however, it's unlikely that a public figure like Trump could prevail in court against the party's top organizations using his likeness. "And of course if he sends a C&D to the DNC et al, the hootin and hollerin laughter will be heard from Maine to SoCal," Patrick wrote. Ras wrote, "His new grift is going to be to make every Republican pay him a royalty each time they use his name. The GOP is eventually going to be literally paying for the privilege to praise Trump." RAS is correct, both definitionally & etymologically (as in old French "royal right"), to call Trump's latest grift a "royalty," but it also seems fair to suggest the Kaiser is calling for a "tribute." (Or, in the Catholic sense, that the Lord High Executive* is demanding an "indulgence.")

The Racketeer. Linda So of Reuters: "The district attorney investigating whether ... Donald Trump illegally interfered with Georgia's 2020 election has hired an outside lawyer who is a national authority on racketeering, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has enlisted the help of Atlanta lawyer John Floyd, who wrote a national guide on prosecuting state racketeering cases.... The move bolsters the team investigating Trump as Willis prepares to issue subpoenas for evidence on whether the former president and his allies broke the law in their campaign to pressure state officials to reverse his Georgia election loss."

Senate Race 2022. Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "... Donald Trump is making official his plans to target Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, vowing to travel to Alaska to campaign against her ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. In a statement to Politico on Saturday, Trump said: '... I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be -- in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad Senator.'... Trump's political team has commissioned polling on the Alaska senator, further evidence of its interest in unseating her.... Unseating Murkowski won't be easy, however. Under Alaska's new ranked-choice voting system, candidates of all parties will compete in an open primary, with the top four finishers advancing to the general election. That means Murkowski won't face the pressure of a Republican nomination battle, such as the one she had in 2010. That year, Murkowski lost the GOP primary to a right-wing activist, Joe Miller, but then waged a successful write-in campaign to win reelection." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It seems likely the only way Murkowski would lose is if Trump targeted her in the general election, giving a Democratic candidate a leg up. Would Trump do this? Yeah, sure.

Walking While Black. Marisa Iati of the Washington Post: "Amanda Gorman, who was widely praised after she recited her poetry at President Biden's inauguration, alleged Friday that a security guard had followed her home and told her she appeared 'suspicious.' 'A security guard tailed me on my walk home tonight,' Gorman, 22, wrote on Twitter. 'He demanded if I lived there because "you look suspicious." I showed my keys & buzzed myself into my building. He left, no apology. This is the reality of black girls: One day you're called an icon, the next day, a threat.' The poet added: 'In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be.'... The Washington Post could not independently verify her claims."

New York Times Drubs Dodgy Columnist. Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Marc Tracy of the New York Times: "The New York Times said Saturday that it was adding disclosures to past articles by the opinion columnist David Brooks that mention the Weave Project, a community-building program that he founded, and the project's donors, including the social media company Facebook. The Times also said that Mr. Brooks had resigned from a paid position at the Aspen Institute, a think tank where the Weave Project is one of dozens of programs and initiatives. Mr. Brooks will continue to be involved with the Weave Project only on a volunteer basis, and will need to disclose the relationship should he write about the project in the future. The moves came after reports in BuzzFeed News about Facebook's donation that raised questions about whether Mr. Brooks should have informed readers of the nature of his involvement with the Weave Project. Mr. Brooks had received approval to take the paid position at Aspen in 2018..., but the current editors of the opinion section did not know about the arrangement. Upon learning of it, Ms. Murphy said, they 'concluded that holding a paid position' for the Weave Project 'presents a conflict of interest for David in writing about the work of the project, its donors or the broader issues it focuses on.'" The BuzzFeed News story is here.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here.

Herd Immunity Against Covid-19 Is in Sight. Deidre McPhillips of CNN: "The pace of Covid-19 vaccine administration in the US continues to improve, each day bringing the country closer to herd immunity -- the point at which enough people are protected against a disease that it cannot spread.... At the current pace of about 2 million shots per day -- the latest seven-day average of doses administered reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- the US could reach herd immunity by summer through vaccinations alone. It will likely be even sooner, if factoring in individuals who may have some natural immunity due to prior infection."

Rachel Chason & Erin Cox of the Washington Post: "Gov. Larry Hogan (R) [who is white] has repeatedly cited vaccine hesitancy among minority groups as the key cause for the lagging rates, saying at one point that African American and Latino residents in Prince George's, who represent 84 percent of the county's population, are 'refusing to take the vaccine.' But local, state and federal leaders from across Maryland -- all of them Democrats -- blame the state's decentralized sign-up system, which they say prioritizes those with more time, technology and information at their disposal over those who are disproportionately dying. In interviews, more than a dozen vaccine-seeking Prince Georgians agreed.... Stephen B. Thomas, head of the Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland, said Hogan should stop 'blaming the victim.' 'The people who control the system,' he said, 'need to be more empathetic with the people who have lost all hope in the system.'" ~~~

~~~ Rhea Boyd in a New York Times op-ed (March 5): "Despite having one of the highest risks of dying from Covid-19, about twice that of white Americans, Black Americans remain one of the least vaccinated racial or ethnic groups, with data showing that only 5.7 percent have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Many are quick to blame 'vaccine hesitancy' as the reason, putting the onus on Black Americans to develop better attitudes around vaccination. But this hyper-focus on hesitancy implicitly blames Black communities for their undervaccination, and it obscures opportunities to address the primary barrier to Covid-19 vaccination: access. Access matters. A closer look at the data reveals that when Black people are given the opportunity, they do get vaccinated."

Chris Hamby & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "A year ago..., Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency, promising a wartime footing to combat the coronavirus. But as Covid-19 spread unchecked, sending thousands of dying people to the hospital, desperate pleas for protective masks and other medical supplies went unanswered.... An investigation by The New York Times found a hidden explanation: Government purchases for the Strategic National Stockpile, the country's emergency medical reserve where such equipment is kept, have largely been driven by the demands and financial interests of a handful of biotech firms that have specialized in products that address terrorist threats rather than infectious disease. Chief among them is Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based company.... Throughout most of the last decade, the government has spent nearly half of the stockpile's half-billion-dollar annual budget on the company's anthrax vaccines [even after a study showed the huge supply of anthrax vaccines was not needed].... That left the government with less money to buy supplies needed in a pandemic, despite repeatedly being advised to do so.... Purchases are supposed to be based on careful assessments by government officials of how best to save lives, but many have also been influenced by Emergent's bottom line.... In the two decades since the repository was created, Emergent's aggressive tactics, broad political connections and penchant for undercutting competitors have given it remarkable sway over the government's purchasing decisions...." ~~~

     ~~~ Read on. The report details how Emergent used strongarm tactics to muscle other companies out of contracts & intimidated government purchasing agents. And there's this: "After Dr. [Thomas] Frieden and others in the Obama administration tried but failed to lessen Emergent's dominance over stockpile purchases, the company's fortunes rose under Mr. Trump, who appointed a former Emergent consultant with a background in bioterrorism to run the office that now oversees the stockpile."

Beyond the Beltway

Georgia. Nick Corasaniti & Jim Rutenberg of the New York Times: "Voting after Sunday church services, known colloquially as 'souls to the polls,' is a tradition in Black communities across the country.... Now, Georgia Republicans are proposing new restrictions on weekend voting that could severely curtail one of the Black church's central roles in civic engagement and elections. Stung by losses in the presidential race and two Senate contests, the state party is moving quickly to push through these limits and a raft of other measures aimed directly at suppressing the Black turnout that helped Democrats prevail in the critical battleground state.... The targeting of Sunday voting in new bills that are moving through Georgia's Legislature has stirred the most passionate reaction, with critics saying it recalls some of the racist voting laws from the state's past."

Michigan. Joe Guillen & Omar Abdel-Baqui of the Detroit Free Press: "A confidential FBI informant testified Friday in a Jackson court about being embedded for months alongside leaders of a group accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The informant's identity was concealed for his safety. Introduced only as 'Dan,' an online video feed of Friday's hearing was cut off during his testimony so court observers only could hear him.... Dan's acceptance into [a Wolverine Watchmen] Facebook group was the beginning of his journey as a confidential FBI 'human source' that took him to protests at the state Capitol and to rural training exercises with members of the group who expressed a desire to hurt and kill law enforcement officers and politicians. Dan testified he sometimes wore a wire and feared for his safety, eventually deciding to sell his house when his address became known."

New York. Amy Brittain, et al., of the Washington Post: "What [Gov. Andrew] Cuomo has touted as an 'aggressive' style goes far beyond that behind the scenes, according to more than 20 people who have worked with him from the 1990s to the present. Many former aides and advisers described to The Post a toxic culture in which the governor unleashes searing verbal attacks on subordinates. Some said he seemed to delight in humiliating his employees, particularly in group meetings, and would mock male aides for not being tough enough.... A former press aide of ... Cuomo says he summoned her to his dimly lit hotel room and embraced her after a work event in 2000, when Cuomo led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and she was a consultant for the agency. The woman, Karen Hinton, says she pulled away from Cuomo, but he pulled her back toward his body, holding her before she backed away and left the room. Two male aides who worked for Cuomo in the New York governor's office say he routinely berated them with explicit language, making comments such as calling them 'pussies' and saying, 'You have no balls.' And three women, all of whom worked in the governor's office as young staffers in recent years, say Cuomo quizzed them about their dating lives. They say they did not view the encounters as propositions, but rather as part of an office culture they believed was degrading to young women." Cuomo denied the accounts through aides. The Raw Story has a summary report here. ~~~

~~~ Celine Castronuovo of the Hill: "A third former aide of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, including inappropriate remarks and unsolicited touching while she worked in his office. Ana Liss, who served as a policy and operations aide in Cuomo's office from 2013 to 2015, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Saturday that Cuomo asked if she had a boyfriend and also called her 'sweetheart.' Liss, now 35, also said that Cuomo on one occasion touched her lower back at a reception, and also once kissed her hand when she sat up from her desk, which was near the governor's office in the Executive Chamber of the New York State Capitol in Albany. The former aide told the Journal that while she initially saw Cuomo's behavior as harmless, she eventually perceived it as patronizing, adding that she felt diminished from an educated professional to 'just a skirt.'" ~~~

~~~ David Smith of the Guardian: "Flannery Amdahl's memories of working for Andrew Cuomo are sharply at odds with the rock-star status the New York governor enjoyed last year. 'People talked all the time about how he would yell and berate and belittle people,' says Amdahl, 37, who describes the governor's office as the most toxic and abusive place she has ever worked. 'His staff members copied that behaviour and so I felt like I was treated that way by my supervisor. I think it was rampant and well-known: everybody in Albany talks about how nasty the chamber is.'... As Cuomo goes from hero to zero, such complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.... Four women have come forward to accuse Cuomo, 63, of sexual harassment.... The Axios website branded it the party's 'hypocrisy moment', arguing: 'Governor Andrew Cuomo should be facing explicit calls to resign from President Biden on down, if you apply the standard that Democrats set for similar allegations against Republicans. And it's not a close call.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'd say Andrew Cuomo has a future selling vitamins in early-morning half-hour infomercials. Or maybe as the past Secretary of HUD, he could take over Tom Selleck's job of selling reverse mortgages to seniors. "I trust them. You can, too." ~~~

~~~ "Resign, Mr. Cuomo." Albany Times Union Editors: "First Gov. Andrew Cuomo hid the truth about deaths of nursing home residents from the public. Then his administration lied about why. Then, pretending to come clean, it lied about why it lied. Enough. Mr. Cuomo has squandered the public's trust at a time when it's needed more than ever. Amid an enduring pandemic, it is vital that people can believe what their governor and their government are telling them, and that the rules they're asked to follow and the sacrifices they're asked to make are truly in the interest of public health. It is time for Mr. Cuomo to resign, and for those who helped him deceive the public to go, too." Oops! Turns out this page is firewalled. But you catch the drift.

Comments

[Akhilleus]

Confederates screaming that Biden’s coronavirus relief package is a “blue state bailout bill” forget (or, more to the point, refuse to acknowledge) that first, pretty much EVERY bill is a red state bailout bill, red states being moochers who get far more than they contribute in taxes, and second, if they and their incompetent, treasonous, bumbling dear leader had not allowed the pandemic to rocket to historically enormous proportions, such a huge relief bill would not be necessary.

The party of indolence, grievance, and galactic irresponsibility. Oh yeah, and treason.

[Akhilleus]

So what’s the half-pence been up to lately?

https://mobile.twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1367900683198939142

Well, it seems little mikey is shooting for the Moonie vote to back a run for the Oval Office in 2024. Or maybe he just wanted to try to convince himself that he isn’t an insignificant loser bigot. No, really. He appeared as a featured speaker at some Unification Church wingding sucking up to the current leader, the late Rev. (Weirdo) Moon’s widow. What would Jesus say? One wag opined that mikey is looking for a new cult since the leader of the last cult he sucked up to tried to have him killed.

No word on how many people got married at this thing.

Man, little mikey can really pick ‘em.

Can a lurch for the Scientology vote be far behind? Romney already has the magic underwear vote locked up. I hear there’s a cult that believes in the healing power of dog shit and Dijon sandwiches. Might as well give them a ring too.

[Akhilleus]

Wait! Our Miss Brooks an unethical sleazebag? Unpossible! Isn’t this the same guy who wrote a book called “The Road to Character”? He must have followed that up with “The Road not Taken”.

As with so many prating wingers, Brooks believes that moral behavior and responsibility are for the other guys, the ones with a D after their names.

[citizen625]

Thanks for the bright words about Mike Pence this morning, AK. I got a picture in my head of Pence and Qualye sharing a two-top and tucking into a dog shit and Dijon sandwich. I'm chuckling into my coffee thinking one of them is a miserable bastard who will use Christianity as a tool to harvest woe-be-me sympathy opportunities. His karma is he gets to spend his time/life with people who believe that shit. He will only participate in a dance and laughter free revolution. Just like his former boss.

I couldn't help the irony of the Orange Turd, who used musicians' music despite their expressed disapproval of such use by him, frowning upon the use of his likeness similarly. Karma.

[Ken Winkes]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/opinion/dr-seuss-books-liberalism.html?

No Sunday Sermon, so another picking on Douthat Day.

I understand there are complexities raised by the Seuss Foundation’s decision to drop some of the Good Doctor’s books from their list. Yes, it is a kind of censorship, and good liberals like me should get up on their hind legs and and strenuously object. At least that how Douthat's caricature of liberals would have me behave.

But my other liberal tendency, in this case my knee-jerk detestation for the likes of Douthat conservatives—those I picture as members of the oh, so proper upper crust, like the Buckleys and the Brooks who specialize in telling others how to behave, who sniff at the hoi polloi and their rough talk and poor manners—make me want to shake them until they lose enough of their insufferable smugness to recognize that all the Seuss Foundation is doing is imposing the kind of self-censorship that they make their living by accusing those they look down on of failing to employ.

I would call it manners. Or taste. Why offend when you don’t have to? What’s the point of printing racist caricatures in a time when racism in our own country animates an entire political party, when there is a rise in violence directed at people of color? When a bunch of racists just stormed our Capitol, when. we're literally engaged in a racial civil war?

What is the point, Mr. Douihat? This morning I take that point to be simply this:

"Oh, the poor, white, aggrieved Christians! One should weep.

It's not their fault they have only recently begun to suspect they are not the world's dominant culture, that their one-time empire built on the backs of black, brown and "yellow" peoples everywhere around the world is crumbling.

No. it's not their fault that they didn't have the wit to see that if people took America's promise of eqjal treatment seriously. they might have to adjust, that they might even lose their place of the pedestal.

I guess their Christianity. in addition to blinding them to the inevitable, didn't even teach them good manners.

But it sure taught them how to whine".

[PD Pepe]

A LURCH IN THE LAMBS OF JESUS:

" I hear there is a cult that believes in the healing power of dog shit and Dijon mustard."

Right you are, Akhilleus, we are indeed a cult–-if you insist calling it as such–-and we have been an active force for some time now. It all began three years ago when one of our members, Susie B., at the time a maid at Merry little Lago, came upon a large piece of toilet tissue (Charmin, extra strong) with these words written with what looked like one of those black sharpies:

"All deposits herein from the King doth have precious powers, heed them at your pleasure, not at your peril"

Well, you can imagine Susie B.'s astonishment and feelings of tingling sensations going through that svelte body of hers. She quickly told her close friends and family who told their friends and family and soon we had an organization––or, as you so coined it--a cult. Since we couldn't collect the King's remains, we used our own daily deposits, stored them in coffee cans and every Sunday had a huge bonfire throwing in our mother load, watched the flames shoot up to the sky while we held hands, said prayers and breathed in the fumes of fealty.

We call ourselves the Lambs of Jesus because like Lambs we have the chops to keep ourselves wooly warm in the coldest weather plus we know how to weed out those baa=baa Black sheep that think they can over take our side of the field. We are, also––I hate to admit––not the brightest of creatures but like Lambs we come quickly when called by our main Dog Donald and of course Jesus who hovers nearby–-just to keep an eye out.

Where you got that Dijon sandwich thingy, I have no idea–-but not surprising–-you people make up the weirdest B.S. –--the kind that really stinks unlike ours. And since it's Sunday––-take a whiff!

[Akhilleus]

Ken,

I will second your position on Blow-up doll Doughat without undergoing the ordeal of wading through his latest screed. I’ve read it all before.

And if, as you suggest, Douthat and his ilk took the central essence of America to heart, the promise of equality for all, for justice and the opportunity to pursue happiness without being kicked in the head at every turn, they might at long last realize the prime mover of their professed religion, Jesus’ instruction to love thy neighbor as thyself.

But that’s only if they truly believe in the centrality of such a teaching. Clearly, many of them, including Douthat, do not. They demand unearned respect from everyone else but see no reason to offer respect in return. They don’t even have the wisdom of self respect. Instead, they whine and complain and point fingers at the perceived faults of those who don’t revere and obey them.

So they lie to themselves. They fabricate slights and wrongs done to them in order to justify their hatred and fear of others.

Yes, they are sad, poor creatures. But they are also dangerous and delusional.

And they love the idea of winning, of crushing their enemies, above all else, even above the primary tenets of their supposed faith.

And for that, they give us hatred, bigotry, injustice. And false gods like Fatty.

Good job, Douthat. Keep it up.

[Akhilleus]

Citizen,

Excellent observation about yet another of Trump’s many hypocrisies. “I can do it to you, but I’ll sue you if you try to do it to me.”

The essence of a life based solely on self-serving transactions. “You want something from me? Pay up! But if I want what’s yours, I’ll just take it.”

And the image of the half-pence dancing—anywhere, at any time, revolution or no—is hysterical. Thanks for the laugh.

[Schlub]

You are in fine form this morning, Akhilleus.

Nearly had me spitting out my coffee. :-)

[Akhilleus]

Schlub,

Target rich environment, man, what can I tell you? These schmoes wake up in the morning and ask their spouse “Honey, should I wear the red and black ‘I am a moron’ sign on my ass or the yellow and purple one? I just don’t know...”

[Marie Burns]

@Akhilleus: In fairness to the MAGhAts (pronounced "maggots"), I do think that sometimes the burning fashion question is, "Should I wear my MAGA hat with the bill facing forward or backwards?"

[unwashed]

@MB: The hat orientation may depend of their desire to being in flagrante delickto.

[unwashed]

A la Paul Ryan.

[Akhilleus]

Marie,

Regarding the maggot mad hattery, I do believe that our old friend Forrest deconstructed the cap direction thing back when Lyin’ Ryan was sharing manly-man beefcake pix of himself with the backward turned cap bill and the stoopid grin, indicating a proclivity for a certain, ahem, oral indulgence.

We all know that these rusty douche clamps suck, what exactly they suck is another thing entirely.

[Akhilleus]

...to which Unwashed has alluded.