;)
Monday
May282018
The Commentariat -- May 29, 2018
Afternoon Update:
"That Was Quick." Daily Beast: "ABC on Tuesday afternoon announced it has canceled its popular Roseanne reboot after its eponymous star, Roseanne Barr, went on a racist Twitter tirade. 'Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,' ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement." ...
... AP News: "Roseanne Barr has apologized for suggesting that former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett is a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the 'Planet of the Apes.'... Meanwhile, comic Wanda Sykes, who is a consulting producer on 'Roseanne,' tweeted that she would not be returning to the show. Barr's now-deleted tweet read: 'muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.' It was part of a busy period on Twitter for Barr, who wrote tweets or retweeted attacks on Michael Moore, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros." ...
... MEANWHILE, Megyn Kelly Is Outraged She & Her Kids Might See a Homeless Person. David Edwards of the Raw Story: "NBC host Megyn Kelly on Tuesday lashed out at Starbucks over a policy that allows anyone to sit in the store or use the bathrooms -- even if they are not paying customers.... 'For the paying customers who go in with their kids, do you really want to deal with a mass of homeless people or whoever is in there -- could be drug addicted, you don't know when you're there with your kids paying for the services of the place.'" Mrs. McC: Megyn may have left Fox "News," but Fox has not left Megyn. If you can't pop for a $5 Peppermint Mocha, you don't belong in a restroom where Megyn sets her Skinny Vanilla Latte ass. No word NBC News is upset with that. ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: I find Kelly's performance worse than Barr's. Roseanne was making another of her signature tasteless "jokes," & she was doing it on her own time. Kelly was voicing her insensitive opinion on air on what is ostensibly an NBC News show. Roseanne apologized. Kelly did not. P.S. Let's ask Kelly if Jesus & Santa are still white.
Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it would proceed with plans to impose a series of punitive trade-related measures on China in the next month, intensifying pressure on Beijing as trade talks between the countries continue. The White House said in a statement that the United States would move ahead with its plan to levy 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of imported Chinese goods, despite recent remarks by Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and other administration officials that the tariffs would be suspended while the countries continued their negotiations.... The White House said it would detail the final list of goods that will be subject to the tariffs by June 15, and the duties would be imposed shortly after that...."
Greg Sargent: "What's notable about [Trump's] new spin [on immigration policy] — that Democrats are to blame for the policy change -- isn't just that it's flatly false on its face. It's also that, by making this claim, Trump and the White House are basically admitting that their own policy is a moral abomination.... What is actually driving the change is that Trump and administration officials don't want high numbers of people to be crossing the border to apply for asylum at all, no matter what they are fleeing."
Maegan Vazquez of CNN: "... Donald Trump alleged Tuesday -- without providing any evidence -- that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation will meddle in the midterm elections to benefit Democrats. Trump's claim is his latest attack on the credibility of the Russia investigation as being politically motivated, though it's a significant new step in his attacks on what is intended to be an independent probe working to get to the bottom of Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. 'The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls'" Trump tweeted. 'There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats!'" ...
... Byron Wolf of CNN: Trump's witch-hunt charges are working.
Capitalism is Deadly. Barry Meier of the New York Times: "Purdue Pharma, the company that planted the seeds of the opioid epidemic through its aggressive marketing of OxyContin, has long claimed it was unaware of the powerful opioid painkiller's growing abuse until years after it went on the market. But a copy of a confidential Justice Department report shows that federal prosecutors investigating the company found that Purdue Pharma knew about 'significant' abuse of OxyContin in the first years after the drug's introduction in 1996 and concealed that information. Company officials had received reports that the pills were being crushed and snorted; stolen from pharmacies; and that some doctors were being charged with selling prescriptions.... Prosecutors recommended that three top Purdue Pharma executives be indicted on felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, that could have sent the men to prison if convicted. But top Justice Department officials in the George W. Bush administration did not support the move.... Instead, the government settled the case in 2007.... That decision followed meetings with a Purdue Pharma defense team whose advisers included Rudolph Giuliani...."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to hear a challenge to an Arkansas law that could force two of the state's three abortion clinics to close. As is their custom, the justices gave no reasons for turning away the appeal. The case will continue to be litigated in the lower courts. The law concerns medication abortions, which use pills to induce abortions in the first nine weeks of pregnancy. The law, enacted in 2015, requires providers of the procedure to have contracts with doctors who have admitting privileges at a hospital in the state. Abortion clinics in Arkansas said they were unable to find any doctors willing to sign such contracts. After the Supreme Court's action, Planned Parenthood said it would for now stop providing medication abortions in the state."
*****
Julie Davis & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Last week, President Trump promoted new, unconfirmed accusations to suit his political narrative: that a 'criminal deep state' element within Mr. Obama's government planted a spy deep inside his presidential campaign to help his rival, Hillary Clinton, win -- a scheme he branded 'Spygate.' It was the latest indication that a president who has for decades trafficked in conspiracy theories has brought them from the fringes of public discourse to the Oval Office. Now that he is president, Mr. Trump's baseless stories of secret plots by powerful interests appear to be having a distinct effect. Among critics, they have fanned fears that he is eroding public trust in institutions, undermining the idea of objective truth and sowing widespread suspicions about the government and news media that mirror his own.... Students of Mr. Trump's life and communication style argue that the idea of conspiracies is a vital part of his strategy to avoid accountability and punch back at detractors, real or perceived, including the news media.... Former aides to the president ... said paranoia predisposed him to believe in nefarious, hidden forces driving events. But they also said political opportunism informed his promotion of conspiracy theories." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: "Deep inside his campaign"? Trump ran a bare-bones campaign with a teeny cadre of top staffers. So I'd like reporters to ask, "Who was the Obama/Clinton/FBI the spy?" The number of possibilities is limited. Tell us who the spy is, Mr. President*. ...
... Why Trump Will Get Worse. Jeet Heer of the New Republic: "Trump is unique in American politics in having no real institutional, ideological or partisan loyalty. He's really out for himself, which makes his threats to bring down American institutions all too plausible.... While Nixon was also willing to attack his enemies' 'witch hunt,' ultimately he was enough of a party man to realize that his fate was tied to the GOP. Once the Republican Congress turned against him in 1974, Nixon resigned.... Nixon was motivated by the fact that he could've lost his government pension if he was impeached and removed from office. For Trump, such a pension would be a minor consideration since he can make much more money through his brand, which would be best preserved by fighting as hard as possible so he keeps the loyalty of his most enthusiastic supporters.... The deeper [Trump] sinks in scandal, the more mud Trump will sling."
Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice! -- Donald Trump, Monday morning
On Memorial Day, the president takes some time to remember that dead soldiers are grateful to him. -- Josh Barro ...
This is the most inappropriate comment that a POTUS has ever made. Self-promotion on a day to remember the fallen, and wishing those remembering their deceased loved ones a 'happy' holiday is appalling. -- VoteVets ...
... Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "Social media users criticized President Trump for a Memorial Day tweet claiming that fallen service members 'would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today.' Trump sent the tweet on Monday to mark the holiday honoring fallen heroes, and used the opportunity to tout statistics about the economy under his administration.... Twitter users, including several journalists, quickly criticized the president, saying Trump was making the holiday about himself." ...
We can never truly repay the debt we owe our fallen heroes. But we can remember them, honor their sacrifice, and affirm in our own lives those enduring ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity for which generations of Americans have given that last full measure of devotion. -- President Barack Obama, Monday ...
... David Frum of the Atlantic: "Trump's perfect emptiness of empathy has revealed itself again and again through his presidency, but never as completely and conspicuously as in his self-flattering 2018 Memorial Day tweets. . They exceed even the heartless comment in a speech to Congress -- in the presence of a grieving widow -- that a fallen Navy Seal would be happy that his ovation from Congress had lasted longer than anybody else's.... On every Memorial Day, Americans should pray for peace. On this Memorial Day and the next, and the one after that, Americans should pray with extra fervor -- because war, if it comes, will come under the leadership of a man unequal to the job."
David Lynch & Damian Paletta of the Washington Post: "President Trump is merging his national security and trade goals in a blur of tactical improvisation that risks alienating U.S. allies and opening American businesses to costly retaliation, according to several Republican lawmakers, business executives and former U.S. officials. The president last week initiated a Commerce Department investigation that could lead to tariffs of up to 25 percent on foreign cars.... The president's fluid approach to national and economic security ... has left allies and adversaries baffled over U.S. intentions, according to foreign diplomats.... He also engages in freewheeling bargaining that treats vital strategic considerations as the equivalent of commercial factors, leaving negotiating partners unsure of his true priorities.... The auto tariffs are the second time in less than three months that the president has cited national security as a justification for protectionism. Yet his recent call for leniency for ZTE, a Chinese telecom company crippled by its punishment for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea, showed that he would bend on a genuine security threat, analysts said." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: This sort of analysis is starting to annoy me. It treats Trump's impulsive, erratic "decisions" (which he may or may not change within 24 hours) as if there's some rational strategy or policy principle underlying his moves, rather than "saw it on Fox or CNBC," "can make money on this," and/or "makes me look all-powerful." ...
... ** That said, Paul Krugman's explanation of why Trump's proposed auto tariff is absurd & counterproductive is a must-read for anyone who knows as little about international trade law as Trump & I do.
Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House communications director's job has been vacant for two months. But in practice, it has been filled since the day Hope Hicks said farewell to her unofficial replacement -- President Trump himself. The president also has unofficially performed the roles of many other senior staffers in recent months, leaving the people holding those jobs to execute on his instincts and ideas.... Largely gone are the warring factions that dominated life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the first year of Trump&'s term, replaced by solo players -- many with personal connections to the president and their own miniature fiefdoms -- laboring to do their jobs and survive.... Rather than struggling to manipulate the president to follow their personal agendas, the senior staff members of Trump's Year 2 ... focus on trying to curb his most outlandish impulses while generally executing his vision and managing whatever fallout may follow."
Kim Tong-Hyung of the AP: "... Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that a top North Korean official is headed to New York for talks on an upcoming summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as diplomatic efforts also accelerated in Asia."
Another A-mazing Coincidence. Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times: "China this month awarded Ivanka Trump seven new trademarks across a broad collection of businesses, including books, housewares and cushions. At around the same time, President Trump vowed to find a way to prevent a major Chinese telecommunications company from going bust, even though the company has a history of violating American limits on doing business with countries like Iran and North Korea.... Mr. Trump himself has more than 100 trademarks in China. Several United States senators have criticized these trademarks, warning it could be a breach of the United States Constitution and that foreign governments could use Mr. Trump's trademarks to influence foreign policy decisions.... The trademarks are not the only Trump-related deal that took place around the time of Mr. Trump's pledge to save ZTE. On May 15, an Indonesian company called MNC Group, which is partnering with the Trump Organization to build a six-star hotel and golf course in Indonesia, said it had struck a deal with an arm of the Metallurgical Corporation of China, a state-owned construction company, to build a theme park next door to the planned Trump properties." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Erika Kinetz of the AP: "Ivanka Trump's brand continues to win foreign trademarks in China and the Philippines, adding to questions about conflicts of interest at the White House.... On Sunday, China granted the first daughter's company final approval for its 13th trademark in the last three months, trademark office records show. Over the same period, the Chinese government has granted Ivanka Trump's company provisional approval for another eight trademarks, which can be finalized if no objections are raised during a three-month comment period.... 'Ivanka Trump's refusal to divest from her business is especially troubling as the Ivanka brand continues to expand its business in foreign countries,' Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an email Monday. 'It raises significant questions about corruption, as it invites the possibility that she could be benefiting financially from her position and her father's presidency or that she could be influenced in her policy work by countries' treatment of her business.'... Ivanka Trump and her father ... have pursued trademarks in dozen of countries. Those global trademarks have drawn the attention of ethics lawyers because they are granted by foreign governments and can confer enormous value." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Jim Fallows of the Atlantic on why & how the U.S. government should manage trade issues with China, whose economy will rather soon surpass the U.S. as the largest in the world. Fallows' ultimate advice: "Speak softly & carry a big stick." Funny, nothing about insults or taking bribes.
Mrs. McCrabbie: Melania Trump has not been seen in public since May 10. Reporters are beginning to wonder where she is. My guess is that whatever minor kidney surgery she may have had, the 48-year-old First Lady also had some cosmetic surgery, & her bruises are showing. I get that.
A Bronx Cheer for Rudy. Zachary Ripple of the New York Daily News: Rudy Giuliani "was at [Yankee] Stadium to celebrate his 74th birthday on Memorial Day, with the PA announcer sharing the news with the crowd and wishing him a happy birthday. The fans, however, greeted him with hearty boos."
Danielle McLean of ThinkProgress: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection is changing up its story about why one of its officers shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old last week. Claudia Patricia Gómez González, a Guatemalan migrant hoping to earn money in the U.S., was shot and killed by an unnamed 15-year veteran of the border patrol, after crossing into the U.S. near Laredo, Texas. Initially, the federal agency claimed a group of undocumented immigrants started hitting the officer with 'blunt objects' during an unprovoked attack while he patrolled a residential street searching for 'illegal activity.' Gómez González, who was shot and fatally wounded by the agent, was named as 'one of the assailants,' of that attack according to the New York Times. But in an updated statement on Friday, the agency now says they were told by the officer that a group of immigrants 'rushed him' instead of complying with demands to get on the ground. CBP no longer refers to the deceased woman as an assailant, but merely as a 'member of the group,' the Times wrote."
Congressional Race. Laura Vozzella & Jenna Portnoy of the Washington Post: "Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-Va.) announced Monday that he is struggling with alcoholism and will abandon his run for a second term in Congress so he can focus on recovery and his family. Garrett, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, is the 48th Republican to retire or announce they will not seek reelection to the House this year.... The former Virginia state senator was facing a robust challenge from his Democratic challenger, journalist and author Leslie Cockburn.... In recent days, unnamed former staffers had accused him and his wife of mistreating staff who worked in his congressional office. But in a videotaped statement, Garrett said his departure from politics was spurred by his addiction.... His announcement caps a week of turmoil in Garrett's Washington office, marked by the resignation of his chief of staff, Jimmy Keady; an online news report that Garrett was thinking about dropping his reelection bid; and a news conference Thursday in which he insisted he was running."
Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Judges appointed by Republican presidents gave longer sentences to black defendants and shorter ones to women than judges appointed by Democrats, according to a new study that analyzed data on more than half a million defendants.... 'These differences cannot be explained by other judge characteristics and grow substantially larger when judges are granted more discretion.'... The new study [by two Harvard law professors] ... find[s] that black defendants are sentenced to 4.8 months more than similar offenders of other races.... Republican appointees are tougher on crime over all, imposing sentences an average of 2.4 months longer than Democratic appointees.' (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
... Leonard Greene of the New York Daily News: "Now that the patriot police have turned what was a peaceful protest about police brutality and social injustice into a flag-waving, jingoistic shame fest, the NFL can make amends with the black players it has insulted with its new no-kneel policy by singing a different tune. For just one week of the league's 17-week season, the NFL should bench 'The Star Spangled Banner,' and replace it with -- wait for it -- 'The Negro National Anthem.' 'Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing,' as the anthem is officially known, is every bit as patriotic as the song that kicks off every major professional sporting event in America."
Natalie Kitroeff of the New York Times: Homeownership is an impossible dream for many 20- and 30-something people burdened with large student debt.
Way Beyond the Beltway
... Saskya Vandoorne, et al., of CNN: "A young Malian migrant who rescued a child dangling from a balcony will be made a French citizen and has been offered a job by the Paris fire brigade, the office of the French presidency said. Video of the rescue showed 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama climbing up four floors of the apartment building in just seconds to rescue the child, to cheers from onlookers. By the time Parisian emergency services arrived at the building, he had already pulled the child to safety. President Emmanuel Macron invited Gassama to the Élysée Palace on Monday, where he was given a certificate and a gold medal for performing an act of courage and dedication." Mrs. McC: I'm guessing Mali counts as a "shithole country." (Also linked yesterday.)
Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura< & Alan Cowell of the New York Times: "Ireland's vote on Friday to end its near ban on abortion, overwhelmingly supporting change in what used to be a bastion of Roman Catholic influence, has inspired many calls in Belfast, London and elsewhere for similar liberalization in British-ruled Northern Ireland, whose draconian laws governing the termination of pregnancy date to the 19th century.... Northern Ireland has blocked all efforts from London to liberalize its abortion law, which permits termination only if the life of the woman is endangered. There are no other exceptions -- not rape, incest or fatal fetal abnormality -- and those violating the ban could in theory ... be given a life sentence."
Apropos to some of today's commentary:
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Reader Comments (26)
A comment from yesterday's Washington post:
I would suggest that players also clasp their hands together, bow their heads and pray during the national anthem.
Then later explain that they are “praying for the police to stop shooting unarmed black people.”
That should cause a few FoxBot heads to explode when players are ordered to stop praying.
Pat
Not that Pat,
I don’t think they’d care. Every good Fox Christian (oxymoron alert) knows it’s evil and a sin to pray for the wrong things. And praying that officers of the Trump State Security forces stop shooting black people is just wrong. Maybe those players should be shot too. THEN deported. Ungrateful bastards.
All wingers in the age of the Party of Traitors understand that the way out of a moral trap is to pretend it doesn’t exist. In a purely teleological system, all that matters is the end result, in this case, maintaining control over godless liberals, minorities who might challenge white supremacy, and uppity feminists who reject ages old patriarchies ordained by god and Jesus. What’s a little hypocrisy and abandonment of the most essential elements of the American Experiment with those as your goals?
I like Not-that-Pat's proposal, but I'm afraid Akhilleus is right. The players don't have a free-speech right against the NFL or their team since neither is a government entity, tho they might be able to make the case that the NFL is violating the free-exercise clause if they are prevented or discouraged from praying during the playing of the national anthem. I do think they could invoke the free-speech clause against Trump by accurately claiming he improperly & unduly influenced NFL management to curtail their free expression of religion. (I don't like their chances in court, tho.)
However, I think they have a stronger racial discrimination case against not just the NFL & team owners but also against Trump. The stated purpose of the silent protests is a call for racial justice and the targets are government officials: the police. (I don't think you have to be a minority here to invoke equal protection, either; if my boss fires or fines me for promoting racial justice in a reasonable & nonthreatening manner, it seems to me that's unlawful under the 14th Amendment. A white team owner could sue the NFL, too, if the NFL fines him.)
Long piece in the Atlantic about Stephen Miller.
Sounds to me that he's just an asshole.
It just amazes me how the human mind hides from reality.
"President Trump promoted new, unconfirmed accusations to suit his political narrative: that a 'criminal deep state' element"
" in having no real institutional, ideological or partisan loyalty. He’s really out for himself, which makes his threats to bring down American institutions all too plausible"
"This is the most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever made"
"Trump s merging his national security and trade goals in a blur of tactical improvisation that risks alienating U.S. allies and opening American businesses to costly retaliation"
Hello!!!! Serious mental illness and incompetence. When will someone stand up and deal with reality.
Yes, Krugman's piece on trade policies helped me understand a little better regarding this complicated issue. Liked the Manchurian candidate reference––very apt. The mother in that film, played by Angela Lansbury, was supposedly modeled on Roy Cohn, the Joe McCarthy scum bag (Joe's right hand operative) who became Trump's mentor–-"Where's my Roy Cohen?" he yelled early in his fiefdom.
The connection between Ivanka's China-made merchandise––can we call her expensive items merchandise?––and the apparent deal Trump is making––"What! how dare you, insinuating that a deal like that would be made"–––is just another example of how this usurper is using this presidency to feather his own nest and those of his kiddies.
Ireland––that damp, sad little island that God loves to death–-is how this country was described by someone long ago but I can't remember whom. The Catholic Church's firm hold on its occupants for eons has finally been unleashed in a significant way. Women–-mostly young–– are finally saying "enough"–-and have won. What's in store for us in THIS country of dampness and sadness when leaders full of fetal feelings continue to try and curb women's rights? Maybe we could kneel along with the NFL players although not on the field of play but on the steps of the W.H. and other houses of legislative operations. Bruised knees, for sure, but we'd get our pictures in the paper.
ERA? Any time soon? Not yet, you say?–-got to wait for another day to finally say we womens is equal in the eyes of, not god, but that thing called the constitution?
Emily Peck, a reporter for Huff-Po has written an interesting piece on reasons for our declining birth rate:
"In the U.S. women are essentially punished for having kids."
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/key-reason-birth-rate-declining_us_5b0725cfe4b0568a88097feb
Illinois Nazis really are as stupid as Jake and Elwood observed.
Desecrating gravestones for memorial day weekend, he/they spray-painted the swastikas backwards.
If you could do it upside down they probably would have done that too.
@Patrick: The purported vandal is a kindly, gentle Buddhist, & the proof is in the painting. The symbol is not a swastika but a sauwastika. "Peace comes from within," and all that.
As pointed out by NakedCapitalism commenter Synoia on Saturday:
To protest, carry, or wear, the flag, upside down.
An upside down flag is a distress signal.
So here's Mitt from a WaPo story, where the reporter asked how he'd handle DiJiT's BS:
“Well, I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” Romney said. “And where the president is right in my view, on policy, for Utah and for the country, I’ll be with him. . . . But if the president were to say something that I consider highly divisive or racist or misogynistic, I’ll call him out on it. Because I think it’s important for people to know exactly where one stands.”
Since DiJiT says something "highly divisive or racist or misogynistic" almost daily, ol' Mitt should be "calling him out" before the cock crows three times next Sunday.
Right.
Correction to my comment about Mitt, above.
Ol' Mitt probably meant he would "call him out" when he is a senator, not when he is running to be a senator. So if we don't hear any callouts in the near future, all is OK.
Glad to clear that up, I'd hate to misjudge the guy, a calumny I suppose.
You know you're a Republican if...
You can repeat, with a straight face and no apparent shame, casuistries that pass for excuses for policies based on inhumane and purposefully malicious intent.
To wit: The Trump/Sessions policy of grabbing children (some toddlers) from the arms of their parents at the border. This latest Trump barbarism is being routinely excused by winger commentators thusly: children are separated from parents all the time; when the parent is sent to prison for a crime. We have nothing to do with that, they sniff. What's happening at the border is no different.
Au contraire, Herr Goebbels. It's a lot different. Someone who goes to prison for armed robbery or fraud is separated from their children because they chose to pursue a life of (or momentary foray into) crime. And if there are two parents in the home, kids are only separated from one. Also, in a criminal action, the children are not grabbed by heavily armed ICE agents and rushed away from their parents without even being allowed for either side to say goodbye. Then the argument goes "Well, those people are criminals for trying to sneak into Trump Land".
What about people who turn themselves in at the border and ask for asylum from a life of violence and danger to the children? Those kids are taken immediately as well. There is no waiting for a decision the way there is in a court trial. The goal is immediate punitive and draconian action and it is carried out on children and parents.
In this respect, those accused of a crime in the US are far better off. They have the ability of making arrangements for their children and parents and kids have plenty of time to consider the possible outcome and plan accordingly. Not so at the border. And leave us not forget that most people are coming here for a better life, not, say, to set up a fraudulent university and scam people out of tens of thousands of dollars. You might say both are "crimes" but in those cases, only one group is forced to pay any real penalty.
So excusing the barbarism of Trump's policies by comparing the consequences to murderers or con men or bank robbers is just more of what makes the grass grow green, as my mother used to say.
They're overflowing with it on the right.
Unwashed, thanks (I think) for the link to that Atlantic piece on Trump douchebag Stephen Miller.
Miller, it seems, wants desperately to be considered a deep thinker and excoriates those he deems will not engage in serious debate with him about issues of great moment.
And right here is where Miller connects with so many on the right regarding that idea about debating the issues, and coming to the conclusion that liberals are just too stupid or just too snowflakey and weak to contest the superior thought of illustrious winger intellectuals such as himself.
Miller wants serious debate about as much as Newt Gingrich ever did, or Trump himself. What they want is provocation. They want screaming matches, not thoughtful debate. They want to be able to declare victory and run from the field. It's bumper sticker scrip passed off as counterfeited coin of the realm of intellectual perspicuity.
For Miller, debate of an issue is jumping into a girls' track meet in the homestretch to "prove" the inferiority of women. Sorry, asshole. That's not debate. That's a trick. That's a stunt. You want to prove a point? Run the whole race. But that's not his meat. He wants to scream and yell, get the other side to react, then declare himself the winner by acclamation. In college, he labeled any political discussion of the Iraq War " as a "classroom abuse". Political discussions, of course, that were uncomplimentary to The Decider, that is.
This sort of stance is not unique to Miller, he's just more obvious (and, at least in the short term, successful) with it. Listen to any winger commentator on the Sunday morning shows or on the various media outlets. There's no debate. They want to scream, insult the other side, employ easily exploded casuistries, then stomp off and declare themselves the undeniable winners, and the opposing side either liars or cheaters.
And it's worked for a long time. Mostly because of two reasons. First, these shows aren't set up for debates. Liberals have never really internalized that. Many still try to bring organized, carefully crafted arguments to the table. Then the wingers scream, call them commie-lovers, America haters, and traitors, naysay everything they come up, offer no rational or thoughtful comebacks themselves, then throw up their hands. Second, most hosts of these shows are not hired to moderate serious debate and have little interest in, or mettle for, enforcing rules of serious engagement, although some (lookin' for you Jake Tapper) have decided enough is enough and finally hold some of these fakers accountable.
It's all a show. A show that Trump and his minions HAVE internalized and use to great effect. Don't bother with facts, with details, with pursuit of truth. "SPYGATE!" "MEDDLING", "MURDERERS AND RAPISTS!"
Miller is just one more pot shooter from the right-wing sideshow of carny barkers, con men, stooges, tricksters, stunt performers, and provocateurs.
The problem for most of the rest of us is that too many Americans are still inside that carny tent, mesmerized by the three legged man, the Siamese twins playing the Star Spangled Banner on xylophone, kazoo, trombone, and banjo all at once, and the flea circus spelling out "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" with kernels of rice, to notice the workers picking their pockets and the ringmaster selling them down the river.
Re: the Lynch & Paletta piece: agree. headline immediately annoyed me "Trump’s fluid approach to national and economic security..." 'Fluid' is a positive adjective, implying control, strength, and flexibility. 'Approach' implies there is an intent and a strategy or plan. None of these adjectives or nouns remotely apply to this train wreck of an administration. As far as I'm concerned, this headline is a validation of Trump's behavior, and another sign of a disturbing trends towards media validation & approval.
If Melanie (oops, Melania) had some nip/tuck work done, I'm sure hoping I didn't pay for that, but I'll bet I (we) did. President* Chiseler never pays for anything out of his own pocket especially now that he can claim a facelift is a national security priority.
At the time of her hospitalization, I was thinking how nice it was that Mrs. Chiseler had such great medical coverage, paid for us by us (natch), the sort of healthcare that her husband was taking away from so many Americans.
When Trump droolers scream about how furriners are always taking, taking, taking, and yelling that we shouldn't be providing healthcare for any immigrants, legal or not, I'm wondering do they include immigrants from Slovenia (even those who got rocketed onto a path to citizenship with a hard to obtain Einstein visa)?
Breaking: ABC cancels Roseanne!
ABC cancels Roseanne!
That's a start. Now can they cancel this whole administration that
isn't functioning?
And a note to Scott Pruitt et al: climate change is real. climate change
is real. climate change is real.
It's 95 on my backyard thermometer here in W. Michigan. That's
weather for August 3rd. It's 75 in S. Georgia where my sister lives.
But what do I know.
Roseanne Barred.
ABC sent this a short time ago.
"May 29, 2018
Dear ABC Affiliate,
Please see the below statement from Channing Dungey, president, ABC Entertainment, regarding the cancellation of “Roseanne:”
Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.
Please contact your Station Relations Representative with any questions.
Regards,
John L. Rouse
Executive Vice President
ABC Affiliate Relations and Marketing"
Trumpy BFF, Roseanne Barr tweeted about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett whom she described as the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.
ABC did not think it was funny. Look for the backlash from Confederates attacking "snowflake" liberals for having no sense of humor (Barr now claims she was just joking, the standard go-to excuse for many who cross the line from joke to insult).
"Trump Tactics Working!!"
Slow down...slow down.
I've been reading that the Trump smoke and mirrors tour in which he attacks those investigating him, now accusing them of things he has done, is working.
First what do you mean working? You mean that certain types are now agreeing with him? Okay, fine. I'm going to go waaaay out on a limb and guess that those who are agreeing that Trump's lies are the absolute truth are the same morons who voted for him.
The real problem is that too many in the MSM are repeating this bullshit, that Trump is "winning" or writing the sort of stories Marie mentioned, which was seconded by commenter rsginsf (above), that Trump has a "master plan" or that his "plan" is succeeding.
Plan? What fucking plan? His plan is to stuff as much money in his pockets as he can while he's still in the White House, and to attack anyone who calls him on any of the many criminal activities he has indulged.
This isn't to say that he hasn't done any damage. He has. Some of it may be extremely difficult to repair, it it's reparable at all. But let's get a grip, people.
I've been maintaining that nothing much will happen to him, but that's not because he's "winning" or he's "right". That's because the Party of Traitors in in charge. Should that change, the "winning" should diminish quickly.
I do think, however, that too many in the MSM are already whining about how difficult it will be to convince the Trump horde that there is any problem with his actions. Many of them have only themselves to blame.
Too bad that, like ABC, we don't have someone in a position of responsibility who can cancel Trump. But then we'd have Savonarola the Half Pence.
It's a dirty time. But enough already with the "Trump is WINNING!" bullshit.
From somewhere in the Baltic Sea: Go AK! My sentiments exactly— drives me nuts when the MSM treats this goon like he has a policy or plan or strategy. Or principles. Okay, back to fun and merriment with half of China... The gift shops of Estonia were full of trump and Putin nesting dolls— A friend suggested I buy them, un-nest them and run over each piece— I should...
More Both Sides Bullshit.
I read somewhere over the weekend (forget where now) that Trump's attacks on Mueller are merely a repeat of Clinton's plan to delegitimize the Ken Starr investigation, and that this is the exact same thing that the Democrats tried to do to Starr's noble investigation.
More horseshit.
First, Starr was investigating a blow job. His investigation, which cost tens of millions and took over two years, was partisan hackery to the nth degree. Whatever Clinton did was not seconded and praised by the media either. I was around and I do not, for the life of me, recall anything close to the sort of conspiracy theory lies being spread by Trump and his media minions.
Mueller, on the other hand, is investigating potential TREASON! Or at the least, collusion with an antagonistic foreign government to ratfuck an American election to benefit Trump and the Russian government.
Same thing? I don't fucking think so.
But nice try. Thanks for playing.
This is the same sort of Confederate strategy in which wingers, attempting to downplay terrible events in the Right Wing universe, say, environmental catastrophe made possible, or worse, by Republican policies, point to a Democrat who threw a candy wrapper out the window of his car. See? Both sides are to blame for environmental problems.
Some months back I proffered what I thought was an original "government by gossip" meme as a partial explanation of what passes for the daily news. Turned out an RC'er whose name I don't remember pointed out that someone, years and years ago, had gotten to it first.
This time no attempt to be original. After four days away from papers and the computer, a half hour of catching up provokes another thought about the mechanism at work. First this, then that. Summit, no summit. Tariffs today, gone tomorrow. Trade deal, no trade deal. Twit this, twit that, then take another wild swing and twit again.
The head spins, and maybe that's the point. It all calls to mind one of the many movies I've never seen and the image we all remember from it whether we saw it or not: "The Exorcist's Linda Blair mockup with the spinning head.
Of course, our heads are spinning. They're supposed to. One unsubstantiated claim after another. The lies upon lies that come so fast that fact checkers can't keep up with them. Nothing is certain because nothing is nailed down. The Pretender's swamp that swamps sanity keeps growing, tolerated and abetted by engorged toadies that like it that way and happily spread by a complicit media.
What we're seeing is not just the corruption we're used to but the corruption of all decency and of truth itself.
Because it lacks any firm footing, it's impossible to stand upright in a swamp, and the one we're mired in is downright demonic.
I Make $20 Million a Year. I do NOT want to see homeless people! Get them AWAY from me and my children!!!
Marie is exactly correct about Megyn Kelly, that self-righteous ex-Foxbot who now deems the homeless Unclean and unworthy of being in her exalted presence.
"Don't they have churches to go to?"
Jesus fucking Christ on a rat-gnawed dumpster bagel.
Like far too many Americans, Kelly has not one iota of a clue what it's like to be homeless. To be hungry. To have to cart around all your meager belongings in a ratty shopping cart or in a collection of torn shopping bags. She has no clue what it must feel like to wake up every morning with crotch rot and rats running over your torn up, duct-taped shoes, or how it feels to see people recoil when you walk past them.
These people are human beings, Megyn! And just because they make Nineteen million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine dollars and ninety cents less than you do, per year, doesn't make them any less so. And does not make you superior to them.
Last year, on a visit to a large northeastern city, my six year old saw his first homeless person. The man was living in a cardboard box, eating scraps he found in a trash can. My little guy was so upset at the sight. He couldn't understand why someone would be living like that. I had given the man five dollars, and explained that some people had, for many reasons, nowhere to live, but my little guy said that we had to go buy him some decent food and a bar of soap. We did so, and got him a few other things. We walked back and he presented the man with our offerings. The man thanked him. He came back to me with tears in his eyes. As hard as that was on him--and it was hard for his daddy to see his little guy so upset--I hope he never, ever loses that blessed sense of humanity. I hope that he never becomes incensed, like some rich asshole, that a poor, hungry, homeless person invades his bubble of luxury by having to use a restroom.
Jesus! Where do these fucking people come from?
Don't worry. I know.
@Marie: and this is why I love you!
" Mrs. McC: Megyn may have left Fox "News," but Fox has not left Megyn. If you can't pop for a $5 Peppermint Mocha, you don't belong in a restroom where Megyn sets her Skinny Vanilla Latte ass..."
And AK: Your little guy is damn lucky to have a father like you–-he won't forget this and he will never forget the good that you are teaching him and the homeless man, I imagine, perhaps renewed his faith in humanity–-for awhile, at least.