It should surprise no one 'Prez' Don the Con displayed massive ignorance while antagonizing our good neighbor, and number 2 trading partner and good ally, Canada.
Donald TRump at least nominally won the presidency by winning the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Wisconsin, although all three were narrow and possibly tampered wins. For example there was a problem with more votes than voters in Wisconsin.
Of those three states that nominally put Rump over the top, only one shares a border with Canada, but Rump rather spectacularly doesn't know which one. I personally would be surprised if Rump could correctly name the capitol of any of the three, in spite of attending college in Pennsylvania.
In contrast as something of a party trick, our excellent senator, Al Franken, can correctly and accurately draw the map of the United States, with each state correctly bounded and located relative to the national boundaries and adjoining states, and each capitol city correctly named.
TRump has threatened trade wars with Canada, ignorant of the harm that would do to both nations and to our mutually essential relationship. Further the issue which demonstrated Don the Con's belligerent stupidity is that American milk producers don't have a trade problem for a particular dairy product, ultra-filtered milk, rather there is a problem of oversupply, a glut on the market, of that milk product. That is properly the problem and responsibility of the producers to correct, not consumers, past or present.
I have yet to see where anyone in the TRump appointed administration, much less the Goat-in-Chief himself, has asked that fundamental question ascertaining excess product. This in spite of the conservative obsession, or more accurately empty lip service, to free market capitalism, and to individual responsibility for their success or failure.
Our neighbors to the east in Wisconsin either have to adjust production to suit demand, or find new markets. The fair and rational solution is not to attempt to bully or arm twist buyers to purchase their product.
Trade wars and tariff conflicts, as history teaches us, is the single most consistent cause of wars. So it is especially troubling that the illegitimate President, along with his party and supporters, is so profoundly ignorant of geography, history, and economics and so offensively hypocritical. Rump has to go, he is dangerous, dangerous to us, dangerous to the world.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Thursday Schadenfreude: Bill, Sean, and soon Rush go bye bye
We have had the satisfaction and gratification of seeing crusty old white lechers, predators and perverts being driven from right wing propaganda outlets.
Roger Ailes is gone from Fake aka Fox News, as is Bill O'Reilly. It is looking increasingly as if Sean Hannity is being sued for similar sexual harassment misconduct and will likely follow them out the door. New accusations are emerging, with new suits likely.
In other news, iHeart Communications notified the SEC that they expect to go into bankruptcy, likely by this time next year if not before. IHeart, owned by Bain Capital, is the media company that puts Rush Limbaugh on the air. Limbaugh is no longer the conservative kingmaker power figure he used to be, thanks to the long term abandonment of not just Limbaugh but other radio personalities like Hannity, after the utterly undeserved abuse Limbaugh inflicted on Sandra Fluke and his persistent racism, sexism and general misogynist bigotry. The man who invented the term feminazi is effectively being neutered.
Feminists, both men and women, have been the driving force behind these changes to previously robustly profitable right wing propaganda outlets. We have flexed our collective economic, social and political muscle, with boycotts of businesses that directly take offensive positions, like Chic Fil A which was anti-LGBT and anti-gay marriage, which later did a 180 degree change of position due to persistent opposition, including from socially progressive feminists.
A local conned-servative blogger, friend of both Penigma and myself, and sadly, the father of a daughter now in her early 20s, regularly attacks feminists generally, and women in politics specifically, including opposing equal pay for equal work and equal opportunity regardless of gender. In a recent blog post he and his little minion followers that was typically demeaning and disrespectful towards women and their capabilities. One comparison likened women to fluffy growling kittens, while making yet another exaggerated hyper masculine analogy in which macho male conservatives, in reality, old wrinkly crabby flabby white guys who do little other than whine and promote right wing propaganda lies, are mean, dangerous Rottweiler's to weak fluffy kitten feminists. I feel badly for any young woman who has to be subjected to denigrating women and lack of support for fair employment treatment, including a lack of support for a fair wage for her labor.
In that context the schadenfreude is sweeter at the victory of feminists and other progressives in successfully holding right wing misogynists accountable.
I have long mocked Republican math, where numbers have little or no foundation in objective reality, but are instead solely reflective of ideology -- and fantasy, or one might say more accurately, delusion.
Hard reality, there are more women than men. There are slightly more girl babies born than boys, and more girls survive infancy. On the other end of life, women live longer than men, and the trend is now for men to live less long, not longer, regrettably. News articles I have read lately all argue that more women are being employed in traditionally male sectors of employment, and that will continue, and conversely, predictions are, more men will become employed in traditionally female dominated jobs.
That is a reality presently, and in the probable future, which favors feminism and fairness, not regressive conservative misogyny and sexism.
Conservatism suffers from a persistent belief in false ideological narratives, and from a nasty set of prejudices that have always put them on the wrong side of the issues that form the arcs of history. That argues more not less schadenfreude to come at their expense.
Since I cannot alter that, I will make the best of it and simply enjoy it. We will, like the great Liz Warren's example, persist; and sooner or later we will win.
Roger Ailes is gone from Fake aka Fox News, as is Bill O'Reilly. It is looking increasingly as if Sean Hannity is being sued for similar sexual harassment misconduct and will likely follow them out the door. New accusations are emerging, with new suits likely.
In other news, iHeart Communications notified the SEC that they expect to go into bankruptcy, likely by this time next year if not before. IHeart, owned by Bain Capital, is the media company that puts Rush Limbaugh on the air. Limbaugh is no longer the conservative kingmaker power figure he used to be, thanks to the long term abandonment of not just Limbaugh but other radio personalities like Hannity, after the utterly undeserved abuse Limbaugh inflicted on Sandra Fluke and his persistent racism, sexism and general misogynist bigotry. The man who invented the term feminazi is effectively being neutered.
Feminists, both men and women, have been the driving force behind these changes to previously robustly profitable right wing propaganda outlets. We have flexed our collective economic, social and political muscle, with boycotts of businesses that directly take offensive positions, like Chic Fil A which was anti-LGBT and anti-gay marriage, which later did a 180 degree change of position due to persistent opposition, including from socially progressive feminists.
A local conned-servative blogger, friend of both Penigma and myself, and sadly, the father of a daughter now in her early 20s, regularly attacks feminists generally, and women in politics specifically, including opposing equal pay for equal work and equal opportunity regardless of gender. In a recent blog post he and his little minion followers that was typically demeaning and disrespectful towards women and their capabilities. One comparison likened women to fluffy growling kittens, while making yet another exaggerated hyper masculine analogy in which macho male conservatives, in reality, old wrinkly crabby flabby white guys who do little other than whine and promote right wing propaganda lies, are mean, dangerous Rottweiler's to weak fluffy kitten feminists. I feel badly for any young woman who has to be subjected to denigrating women and lack of support for fair employment treatment, including a lack of support for a fair wage for her labor.
In that context the schadenfreude is sweeter at the victory of feminists and other progressives in successfully holding right wing misogynists accountable.
I have long mocked Republican math, where numbers have little or no foundation in objective reality, but are instead solely reflective of ideology -- and fantasy, or one might say more accurately, delusion.
Hard reality, there are more women than men. There are slightly more girl babies born than boys, and more girls survive infancy. On the other end of life, women live longer than men, and the trend is now for men to live less long, not longer, regrettably. News articles I have read lately all argue that more women are being employed in traditionally male sectors of employment, and that will continue, and conversely, predictions are, more men will become employed in traditionally female dominated jobs.
That is a reality presently, and in the probable future, which favors feminism and fairness, not regressive conservative misogyny and sexism.
Conservatism suffers from a persistent belief in false ideological narratives, and from a nasty set of prejudices that have always put them on the wrong side of the issues that form the arcs of history. That argues more not less schadenfreude to come at their expense.
Since I cannot alter that, I will make the best of it and simply enjoy it. We will, like the great Liz Warren's example, persist; and sooner or later we will win.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Another Russian-rigged election, another Kremlin puppet fascist
France held a primary election last Sunday. This time the fascists came in second instead of winning.
Not as successful as the Russian collusion (apparently) between the TRump campaign and (increasingly apparently) other Republican leadership figures, along with emerging Chinese corruption. But it was still successful enough to defeat a couple of contenders.
The French general election is coming up in May. Macron is predicted to win, but then so was Clinton.
Marine Le Pen just engaged in a little fake political theater, stepping down temporarily (supposedly) as leader of the National Front, the bigot antisemitic party that is promoting lies about the assistance nasty right wing French bigots provided to Hitler's "final solution" rounding up French Jews for the gas chambers.
It is going to be hard to pretend however that she is not owned by Putin after she took 9 million euros to support Putin grabbing Crimea, attacks on NATO ( including pulling out entirely, and a French exit from the European Union, aka Frexit).
And now it emerges that in addition to big dirty Kremlin cash, the very same hackers tried to do similar cyber attacks on the leading candidate, sane sensible centrist Emanuel Macron.
Like Putin, like TRump: another treasonous attack on representative government by dictators.
Le Pen's appeal is much the same, if more covert, appealing to a new generation of radical right wingers with the same prejudices, just as post election analysis demonstrates that TRump voters were substantially both racist and authoritarian.
Like poorly educated and badly informed far right blind ideologues, the supporters of Le Pen hate and fear immigrants, and are Islamophobes and homophobes.
We can only hope the French object to having their elections rigged by Putin and his sell out puppets, and therefore reject both Le Pen and fascism.
I am waiting to see how long Republicans approve, condone, and endorse fascism before they decide it is too high, and too Un -American, a price to pay for power, like selling their souls to the devil. Except of course like the French Nazi collaborators in WW II, the soul sellers aren't the only people enduring Hell as a result of their unjustified fear, hatred and perfidy.
Treason never plays well in the hindsight of history, and that is what selling one's country to Putin is: treason.
Not as successful as the Russian collusion (apparently) between the TRump campaign and (increasingly apparently) other Republican leadership figures, along with emerging Chinese corruption. But it was still successful enough to defeat a couple of contenders.
The French general election is coming up in May. Macron is predicted to win, but then so was Clinton.
Marine Le Pen just engaged in a little fake political theater, stepping down temporarily (supposedly) as leader of the National Front, the bigot antisemitic party that is promoting lies about the assistance nasty right wing French bigots provided to Hitler's "final solution" rounding up French Jews for the gas chambers.
It is going to be hard to pretend however that she is not owned by Putin after she took 9 million euros to support Putin grabbing Crimea, attacks on NATO ( including pulling out entirely, and a French exit from the European Union, aka Frexit).
And now it emerges that in addition to big dirty Kremlin cash, the very same hackers tried to do similar cyber attacks on the leading candidate, sane sensible centrist Emanuel Macron.
Like Putin, like TRump: another treasonous attack on representative government by dictators.
Le Pen's appeal is much the same, if more covert, appealing to a new generation of radical right wingers with the same prejudices, just as post election analysis demonstrates that TRump voters were substantially both racist and authoritarian.
Like poorly educated and badly informed far right blind ideologues, the supporters of Le Pen hate and fear immigrants, and are Islamophobes and homophobes.
We can only hope the French object to having their elections rigged by Putin and his sell out puppets, and therefore reject both Le Pen and fascism.
I am waiting to see how long Republicans approve, condone, and endorse fascism before they decide it is too high, and too Un -American, a price to pay for power, like selling their souls to the devil. Except of course like the French Nazi collaborators in WW II, the soul sellers aren't the only people enduring Hell as a result of their unjustified fear, hatred and perfidy.
Treason never plays well in the hindsight of history, and that is what selling one's country to Putin is: treason.
It bothers me....
In terms of the news cycle, it is already old and forgotten.
But while I tend to eschew conspiracy theories, I am troubled by the possibly credible challenges I am seeing to the claims of chemical weapons use by Assad in Syria.
I remember too well the lies from Dubya to involve the USA in an unjustifiable regime change in Iraq. There were lies to the citizens of the USA, lies to the UN.
I don't doubt Assad has chemical weapons, but there is some credible evidence both sides possess them. What does not make sense in the context of the explanation we have bee offered is why TRump would make such a hasty decision in advance of better information and analysis, but especially why TRump would do so with notification to Putin and Assad - the two are inseparable - BUT NOT notify or discuss such a decision with Congress. And this is a Republican controlled Congress, one where TRump supporters control the pertinent committees that could be expected to advise and support Trump's decision --- if, BIG IF -- it was based on factual evidence and analysis.
Without the precedent of Dubya, I would be less willing to entertain such an idea, but TRump has demonstrated a far lower level of integrity than his most recent Republican predecessor, and worse, there seems no capacity to learn from Dubya's mistakes. (We have only to look at TRump's proposed tax plan filled with corporate welfare and "wealth-fare" to see that.). And to many of the Dubya swamp rats are holding power in the Republican controlled Congress and the TRump administration.
Doubling down on Dumb and Dubya seems to be the order of their president, and if that is true, then the press, including citizen journalists like those who write blogs like this one, should be asking more hard questions, and looking for answers that fit the observable facts better in the context of 21st century history, both US and international history.
We cannot afford to let TRump's odd actions in Syria disappear from our consciousness without more rigorous and persistent examination.
But while I tend to eschew conspiracy theories, I am troubled by the possibly credible challenges I am seeing to the claims of chemical weapons use by Assad in Syria.
I remember too well the lies from Dubya to involve the USA in an unjustifiable regime change in Iraq. There were lies to the citizens of the USA, lies to the UN.
I don't doubt Assad has chemical weapons, but there is some credible evidence both sides possess them. What does not make sense in the context of the explanation we have bee offered is why TRump would make such a hasty decision in advance of better information and analysis, but especially why TRump would do so with notification to Putin and Assad - the two are inseparable - BUT NOT notify or discuss such a decision with Congress. And this is a Republican controlled Congress, one where TRump supporters control the pertinent committees that could be expected to advise and support Trump's decision --- if, BIG IF -- it was based on factual evidence and analysis.
Without the precedent of Dubya, I would be less willing to entertain such an idea, but TRump has demonstrated a far lower level of integrity than his most recent Republican predecessor, and worse, there seems no capacity to learn from Dubya's mistakes. (We have only to look at TRump's proposed tax plan filled with corporate welfare and "wealth-fare" to see that.). And to many of the Dubya swamp rats are holding power in the Republican controlled Congress and the TRump administration.
Doubling down on Dumb and Dubya seems to be the order of their president, and if that is true, then the press, including citizen journalists like those who write blogs like this one, should be asking more hard questions, and looking for answers that fit the observable facts better in the context of 21st century history, both US and international history.
We cannot afford to let TRump's odd actions in Syria disappear from our consciousness without more rigorous and persistent examination.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Ossoff wins Special Election in Georgia
Georgia has so-called jungle primaries. To win outright you have to get 50% of the vote or better.
The democratic candidate Ossoff only won 48.1%, well ahead of the next candidate, a Republican, with less than 20%.
So now Ossoff will be in a runoff in June for the congressional seat once held by Nut/Newt Gingrich.
What makes this a significant win, considered widely to be a referendum on Trump specifically and Republican governance generally, was the unusually high voter turnout for a primary, with a mix of Democrats, Independents, and defecting disaffected Republicans in the mix of Ossoff voters. Following an unexpectedly good showing in the bleak Brownback Kansas political landscape, where the Republican governor is an epic failure and where many of the far right tea parties in the legislature have been ousted already, the trend seems to be dissatisfaction with Republicans, their policies, (both proposed and in practice) and their inability to govern.
As Trump continues to flame out, with polls showing steep declines in support for his promises ever manifesting and with rampantly growing disbelief in both his integrity and competence, as the right is shown up generally for their utter lack of real solutions, the 2016 GOP victories have gone bitter failures.
America was scammed by Trump, and as that reality dawns, the country doesn't like it. This bodes well for Dems in 2018.
The democratic candidate Ossoff only won 48.1%, well ahead of the next candidate, a Republican, with less than 20%.
So now Ossoff will be in a runoff in June for the congressional seat once held by Nut/Newt Gingrich.
What makes this a significant win, considered widely to be a referendum on Trump specifically and Republican governance generally, was the unusually high voter turnout for a primary, with a mix of Democrats, Independents, and defecting disaffected Republicans in the mix of Ossoff voters. Following an unexpectedly good showing in the bleak Brownback Kansas political landscape, where the Republican governor is an epic failure and where many of the far right tea parties in the legislature have been ousted already, the trend seems to be dissatisfaction with Republicans, their policies, (both proposed and in practice) and their inability to govern.
As Trump continues to flame out, with polls showing steep declines in support for his promises ever manifesting and with rampantly growing disbelief in both his integrity and competence, as the right is shown up generally for their utter lack of real solutions, the 2016 GOP victories have gone bitter failures.
America was scammed by Trump, and as that reality dawns, the country doesn't like it. This bodes well for Dems in 2018.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Who Laffers last laffs best
Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing while expecting a different outcome. Governor Sam Brown back just moved up from most hated governor, to second most hatd governor. Chris Christie replaced Brownback. Brownback had previously replaced Gov. Bobby Jindal as the most hatd governor, who was so bad he just up and quit.
In krazy Kansas, right wing Governor Sam Brownback's former supporters, now Brownback haters, voted for Don the Con for president and another right wing pro-Trump representative to
take the place of Mike Pompeo who joined the Trump illegitimate administration.
Where this becomes funny is that the good but dim and too-trusting voters in Kansas believed against overwhelming evidence, that Brown back and the architect of his economic policies, one Arthur Laffer, were going to make Kansas great again. The result was not just failure but epic failure. Brown back sold this failure as a great experiment in Republican governance, with a radical right state executive branch and a radical right legislature.
It was a radical right wing failure by every metric.
And WHO did then candidate Trump invite to advise him on HIS economic plans? If you guessed the evil klown team of Laffer and Brownback, you would be correct.
So kray kray krazy Kansans expect from policies EXACTLY like those at home, and exactly like the same policies which have been tried and which failed repeatedly, over more than a century (see the policy under the horse and sparrow label) that their president Trump will do the same darn thing for which they despise Brownback and his Igor-clone lab assistant, but this time the result will be flying unicorns farting rainbows of prosperity across the whole country this time.
Insanity. Insanity combined with ignorance.
The only sparkle of hope that the good but misguided citizens of Kansas are recovering from their epidemic of insanity compounded by ignorance is that in the special election last week, the election was far closer than expected. In the state legislature a week or so before that, moderate Republicans had joined with Democrats and very nearly undid some of the Brown back evil.
Change is coming, slowly and surely. We can expect to see it, I hope, by 2018. That is about how long it should take to throw off the insanity and ignorance the rest of the way.
Republican governance is bad governance. That is true at the local, state and federal levels. The proof is in Kansas, and now in DC.
In krazy Kansas, right wing Governor Sam Brownback's former supporters, now Brownback haters, voted for Don the Con for president and another right wing pro-Trump representative to
take the place of Mike Pompeo who joined the Trump illegitimate administration.
Where this becomes funny is that the good but dim and too-trusting voters in Kansas believed against overwhelming evidence, that Brown back and the architect of his economic policies, one Arthur Laffer, were going to make Kansas great again. The result was not just failure but epic failure. Brown back sold this failure as a great experiment in Republican governance, with a radical right state executive branch and a radical right legislature.
It was a radical right wing failure by every metric.
And WHO did then candidate Trump invite to advise him on HIS economic plans? If you guessed the evil klown team of Laffer and Brownback, you would be correct.
So kray kray krazy Kansans expect from policies EXACTLY like those at home, and exactly like the same policies which have been tried and which failed repeatedly, over more than a century (see the policy under the horse and sparrow label) that their president Trump will do the same darn thing for which they despise Brownback and his Igor-clone lab assistant, but this time the result will be flying unicorns farting rainbows of prosperity across the whole country this time.
Insanity. Insanity combined with ignorance.
The only sparkle of hope that the good but misguided citizens of Kansas are recovering from their epidemic of insanity compounded by ignorance is that in the special election last week, the election was far closer than expected. In the state legislature a week or so before that, moderate Republicans had joined with Democrats and very nearly undid some of the Brown back evil.
Change is coming, slowly and surely. We can expect to see it, I hope, by 2018. That is about how long it should take to throw off the insanity and ignorance the rest of the way.
Republican governance is bad governance. That is true at the local, state and federal levels. The proof is in Kansas, and now in DC.
Monday, April 10, 2017
More guns = more road rage incidents: why you should oppose misnamed constitutional carry
Conservative pro-gun extremists are trying to make Minnesota a so-called Constitutional carry state, meaning no one requires a permit or any training whatsoever to carry a loaded handgun concealed or otherwise.
These crackpot extremists would have you ignore -- or as they do, deny -- the considerable body of evidence that more guns, and more lax gun regulations, result in significantly more gun violence with no corresponding decrease in any levels of crime, violent or otherwise.
In short, guns are impulse violence weapons, and there is no upside in trying to subvert or pervert the US Constitution to accommodate the gun huggers' obsession with carrying around deadly weapons in a civil society.
Guns are weapons of impulse violence, both in aggression towards oneself, in suicides, and towards others where anger and frustration are present. Thetrace.org study found the incidence of road rage, for example, have doubled since 2014, as reported "Road Rage Shootings Surge on America's Highways and Byways."
There is no upside to (not)Constitutional Carry. Nothing in the Constitution says this kind of dangerous demand by gun nuts has to be indulged. No rational evidence says that desire to be armed in public should be indulged either, either.
What makes us safer is fewer guns, most of all fewer guns in the hands of the angry and impulsive who are more prone to misuse them. In a 2015 study, quoted in the Trace article, Jeffrey Swanson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, studying the relationship between anger and guns, found 1 in 10 who self-reported owning and carrying guns, with destructive behavior patterns, including getting into fights and breaking and smashing things. And a 2006 study from the Harvard Injury Control Research Centerš¢
These crackpot extremists would have you ignore -- or as they do, deny -- the considerable body of evidence that more guns, and more lax gun regulations, result in significantly more gun violence with no corresponding decrease in any levels of crime, violent or otherwise.
In short, guns are impulse violence weapons, and there is no upside in trying to subvert or pervert the US Constitution to accommodate the gun huggers' obsession with carrying around deadly weapons in a civil society.
Guns are weapons of impulse violence, both in aggression towards oneself, in suicides, and towards others where anger and frustration are present. Thetrace.org study found the incidence of road rage, for example, have doubled since 2014, as reported "Road Rage Shootings Surge on America's Highways and Byways."
There is no upside to (not)Constitutional Carry. Nothing in the Constitution says this kind of dangerous demand by gun nuts has to be indulged. No rational evidence says that desire to be armed in public should be indulged either, either.
What makes us safer is fewer guns, most of all fewer guns in the hands of the angry and impulsive who are more prone to misuse them. In a 2015 study, quoted in the Trace article, Jeffrey Swanson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, studying the relationship between anger and guns, found 1 in 10 who self-reported owning and carrying guns, with destructive behavior patterns, including getting into fights and breaking and smashing things. And a 2006 study from the Harvard Injury Control Research Centerš¢
Friday, April 7, 2017
Trump bombing Syria was a cheap fraud, a political stunt
Trump desperately needed something to boost his image in the face of his steeply declining approval ratings, and the failures of his executive orders and legislative attempts.
I started to be suspicious this was like fake scripted reality TV when the number of bombs was announced, 59 missiles at the cost of more than $70 million a piece, the taxpayers money used for political stunt theater.
It was more obvious as it became clear the Russians knew in advance, and therefore the Syrians knew too, as reports showed personnel and important equipment was evacuated well ahead of the attack. And there was even less question this was political theater after the post bombing photos showed minimal damage, with in particular both runways remaining intact.
How do you rain down 59 Tomahawk missiles loaded with that much explosives and do such minimal damage, including leaving functional runways if this was a real, serious attack?
This stinks to high heaven.
I have no faith Trump gives a gold plated damn about suffering or dying children. He didn't care about civilian losses, including children, dead from drone attacks or the special forces attack in Yemen.
Trump, or more probably Putin (the better thinker of the pair) desperately needed to at least give the appearance of distance from Putin. Putin suffered no losses, the manipulator still has his hand up puppet Trump's ass. The probable collusion and probable blackmail hasn't gone away.
But for too many, the easily distracted, the shallow thinkers, the distraction, the change of narrative, was successful.
Just substitute "squirrel" for distracting a dog, or 'noisy' for 'shiny' for distracting the shallow, uncritical thinkers.
Classic Trump.
Be smarter than to accept that facile manipulation.
I started to be suspicious this was like fake scripted reality TV when the number of bombs was announced, 59 missiles at the cost of more than $70 million a piece, the taxpayers money used for political stunt theater.
It was more obvious as it became clear the Russians knew in advance, and therefore the Syrians knew too, as reports showed personnel and important equipment was evacuated well ahead of the attack. And there was even less question this was political theater after the post bombing photos showed minimal damage, with in particular both runways remaining intact.
How do you rain down 59 Tomahawk missiles loaded with that much explosives and do such minimal damage, including leaving functional runways if this was a real, serious attack?
This stinks to high heaven.
I have no faith Trump gives a gold plated damn about suffering or dying children. He didn't care about civilian losses, including children, dead from drone attacks or the special forces attack in Yemen.
Trump, or more probably Putin (the better thinker of the pair) desperately needed to at least give the appearance of distance from Putin. Putin suffered no losses, the manipulator still has his hand up puppet Trump's ass. The probable collusion and probable blackmail hasn't gone away.
But for too many, the easily distracted, the shallow thinkers, the distraction, the change of narrative, was successful.
Just substitute "squirrel" for distracting a dog, or 'noisy' for 'shiny' for distracting the shallow, uncritical thinkers.
Classic Trump.
Be smarter than to accept that facile manipulation.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Friday, March 31, 2017
Conservative catch phrase " what everybody knows"
I have been struck by how often Trump supporters I encounter use the phrase "everybody knows" to assert statements which are factually false, often obtained from fake new sources.
This has been especially true about the ACA, aka Obamacare. They insist, in particular, that everyone knows Obamacare is collapsing and that everyone is experiencing unaffordable, catastrophic increases in premiums with high deductibles. They
also assert that no insurers are remaining in the market, that they have left or are in the process of leaving.
Reality is that while there are problems for some of those on the Obamacare plans, that is mor anecdotal than widespread, and varies widely by geography.
Insurance companies have pretty universally been reaping unprecedented profits. Where a problem exists it can substantially be tracked back to 2015 legislation by Republicans that gutted guarantees to make good on losses to insurers.
Paul Ryan has said he wants Americans to have "patient centered care'" not government centered care. Yet what the Congress Republicans have proposed takes care away from Americans, and can only accurately be described as corporate profit care, without any genuin concern for patients at all.
This has been especially true about the ACA, aka Obamacare. They insist, in particular, that everyone knows Obamacare is collapsing and that everyone is experiencing unaffordable, catastrophic increases in premiums with high deductibles. They
also assert that no insurers are remaining in the market, that they have left or are in the process of leaving.
Reality is that while there are problems for some of those on the Obamacare plans, that is mor anecdotal than widespread, and varies widely by geography.
Insurance companies have pretty universally been reaping unprecedented profits. Where a problem exists it can substantially be tracked back to 2015 legislation by Republicans that gutted guarantees to make good on losses to insurers.
Paul Ryan has said he wants Americans to have "patient centered care'" not government centered care. Yet what the Congress Republicans have proposed takes care away from Americans, and can only accurately be described as corporate profit care, without any genuin concern for patients at all.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Condolences to the UK on the terrorist attack
I applaud the UK for their typical response to events like the attack this week near Parliament. They live the motto, Remain Calm, and Carry On.
I deeply admire this fierce, brave and resolute response, and I would like to see the USA behave more like our allies.
On behalf of the blog I wish to offer special, additional condolences to the family and friends of American Kurt Cochrane, who was killed, and our sympathies to his wife Melissa, who was injured in the terrorist attack.
I deeply admire this fierce, brave and resolute response, and I would like to see the USA behave more like our allies.
On behalf of the blog I wish to offer special, additional condolences to the family and friends of American Kurt Cochrane, who was killed, and our sympathies to his wife Melissa, who was injured in the terrorist attack.
Update2: Nunes and the House Intel debacle
Now Nunes via a spokesperson has retracted everything he said in his press conference but less publicly than his original statement.
He reluctantly apologized to the Democrats on his committee, but he initially tried to avoid the issue entirely.
And now others on the committee are -- quite properly -- accusing Nunes of trying a cover up for Trump. Nunes is also taking a lot of heat for cancelling public Intel committee hearings on Tuesday, without providing a reason. He is being blamed, reasonably, that it was to protect Trump.
Stories have begun circulating that the source of the documents held by Nunes came from Trump. While not yet confirmed, it has the ringvof truth, given Trump's past behavior, including pretending to be his own PR guy.
He reluctantly apologized to the Democrats on his committee, but he initially tried to avoid the issue entirely.
And now others on the committee are -- quite properly -- accusing Nunes of trying a cover up for Trump. Nunes is also taking a lot of heat for cancelling public Intel committee hearings on Tuesday, without providing a reason. He is being blamed, reasonably, that it was to protect Trump.
Stories have begun circulating that the source of the documents held by Nunes came from Trump. While not yet confirmed, it has the ringvof truth, given Trump's past behavior, including pretending to be his own PR guy.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Updated!
TRUMP: Evidence exists, and it is not circumstantial evidence
Update: Rep. Nunes has first tried to dodge addressing the events of his conduct yesterday, but when unable to avoid it, eventually apologized. It has now come out that Nunes shared the information with his Republican committee members, who asked him not to hold that press conference, and not to go to the president. Nunes did it anyway.
Worse Nunes still has not shared that information, provided to the Republicans, with the Intel committee Democrats. He indicated he would, eventually, but would not say when. Those Democrats have every right and responsibility to access to that information. There is no legitimate justification for it not being provided yesterday.
So says Congressman and lawyer Adam Schiff, ranking democrat on the House Intelligence committee, about Trump and his government swamp rats. I have no reason not to believe Schiff, a lawyer who uses and understands the term circumstantial fully as legal terminology. Schiff, (unlike Trump and those who step 'n fetchit for him by lying), has an excellent truth track record.
The chair of that committee of which Schiff is the ranking (most senior) democratic member, the House Intelligence committee, is Utah Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes. Nunes turns out to have his own connections to the Russians, and was part of the demonstrably dishonest, corrupt, Trump transition team himself.
Just as bad, Nunes was one of those who did the White House lying for them about the Rump Russian scandals, calling journalists trying to squelch the stories. That was wrong, that was dirty, and that was reported by the WaPo back in February.
Wednesday Nunes behaved not just oddly but inappropriately in sharing anonymous, LEGALLY collected "incidental" information on Trump and his transition team , per his unexpected urgently called press event, information which he did not share with his own committee. As Schiff noted this was a violation of procedure and highly inappropriate.
While Nunes was part of that transition team, he did not indicate if he was included in the new information. Vice President Pence headed that transition team, and Nunes was part of the executive committee of the transition per the LA Times last November. Many of those brought into the Trump adminiustration by that committee ALSO have questionable business ties to Russia, specifically Putin, include Sec State Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Ross who chaired a Russian bank in Cypress involved with money laundering Russian oligarch dirty money.
If it walks and quacks like a duck.....well, in my opinion Trump and his administration, and those who carry water for him (or quack) for him in Congress are like a row of dirty paddling Baikal Teal ( a type of Russian ducks).
I would describe it as more like barely controlled panic on the part of Nunes, who has as his primary financial involvement a winery, Alpha Omega, with distribution connections to Russia, per the previously reliable Palmer report, in turn citing the LA Times, a source as gold standard as the New York Times, on the east coast.
Nunes has done everything in his power to try to give cover to Trump, and apparently to cover his own dubious backside.
Likewise in the Senate a potential conflict of interest with his own Russian involvement in a dubious pyramid scheme called Nu Skin, Chaffetz largest donor. I personally have a substantial moral objection to pyramid schemes as scams, but they seem very popular with right wing wealthy scammers who make big bucks exploiting people. Again a hat tip to the Palmer Report blog, citing Open Secrets, who list over $100,000 from Nu Skin for his two election campaigns, and lists other credible sources. Chaffetz has received so much funding, he is described as practically owned by Nu Skin, which has branched out into Russia and the Ukraine while receiving cover from Chaffetz, in spite of YUGE fines for illegal business practices from the federal government.
Given how many Republican senators have seniority higher than relative newbie Chaffetz, other than his willingness to pursue pointless, endless investigations without merit, what I would call witch hunts, his position, and how he has used it, raises red flags. Clinton investigations I would argue were pursued for purely political reasons, making Chaffetz impartiality is AT BEST suspect and at worst politically corrupt, and tainted with the same corruption stain as not-my-president (arguably not anyone's president) Donny J for jackass Trump.
Make America great again; deport all the Russian controlled or influenced or owned right wing swamp rats out of government, out of the country, and dump them in Vlad Putin's lap where they belong.
Worse Nunes still has not shared that information, provided to the Republicans, with the Intel committee Democrats. He indicated he would, eventually, but would not say when. Those Democrats have every right and responsibility to access to that information. There is no legitimate justification for it not being provided yesterday.
So says Congressman and lawyer Adam Schiff, ranking democrat on the House Intelligence committee, about Trump and his government swamp rats. I have no reason not to believe Schiff, a lawyer who uses and understands the term circumstantial fully as legal terminology. Schiff, (unlike Trump and those who step 'n fetchit for him by lying), has an excellent truth track record.
The chair of that committee of which Schiff is the ranking (most senior) democratic member, the House Intelligence committee, is Utah Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes. Nunes turns out to have his own connections to the Russians, and was part of the demonstrably dishonest, corrupt, Trump transition team himself.
Just as bad, Nunes was one of those who did the White House lying for them about the Rump Russian scandals, calling journalists trying to squelch the stories. That was wrong, that was dirty, and that was reported by the WaPo back in February.
Wednesday Nunes behaved not just oddly but inappropriately in sharing anonymous, LEGALLY collected "incidental" information on Trump and his transition team , per his unexpected urgently called press event, information which he did not share with his own committee. As Schiff noted this was a violation of procedure and highly inappropriate.
While Nunes was part of that transition team, he did not indicate if he was included in the new information. Vice President Pence headed that transition team, and Nunes was part of the executive committee of the transition per the LA Times last November. Many of those brought into the Trump adminiustration by that committee ALSO have questionable business ties to Russia, specifically Putin, include Sec State Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Ross who chaired a Russian bank in Cypress involved with money laundering Russian oligarch dirty money.
If it walks and quacks like a duck.....well, in my opinion Trump and his administration, and those who carry water for him (or quack) for him in Congress are like a row of dirty paddling Baikal Teal ( a type of Russian ducks).
I would describe it as more like barely controlled panic on the part of Nunes, who has as his primary financial involvement a winery, Alpha Omega, with distribution connections to Russia, per the previously reliable Palmer report, in turn citing the LA Times, a source as gold standard as the New York Times, on the east coast.
Nunes has done everything in his power to try to give cover to Trump, and apparently to cover his own dubious backside.
Likewise in the Senate a potential conflict of interest with his own Russian involvement in a dubious pyramid scheme called Nu Skin, Chaffetz largest donor. I personally have a substantial moral objection to pyramid schemes as scams, but they seem very popular with right wing wealthy scammers who make big bucks exploiting people. Again a hat tip to the Palmer Report blog, citing Open Secrets, who list over $100,000 from Nu Skin for his two election campaigns, and lists other credible sources. Chaffetz has received so much funding, he is described as practically owned by Nu Skin, which has branched out into Russia and the Ukraine while receiving cover from Chaffetz, in spite of YUGE fines for illegal business practices from the federal government.
Given how many Republican senators have seniority higher than relative newbie Chaffetz, other than his willingness to pursue pointless, endless investigations without merit, what I would call witch hunts, his position, and how he has used it, raises red flags. Clinton investigations I would argue were pursued for purely political reasons, making Chaffetz impartiality is AT BEST suspect and at worst politically corrupt, and tainted with the same corruption stain as not-my-president (arguably not anyone's president) Donny J for jackass Trump.
Make America great again; deport all the Russian controlled or influenced or owned right wing swamp rats out of government, out of the country, and dump them in Vlad Putin's lap where they belong.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
King of Distraction and Little Else
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Al Franken (again). I've met him a few times before. I asked him one substantive question, probably shouldn't have, he's trying to relax on a plane ride at the end of the day, but I couldn't help myself. My question was, "Does the Democratic Party leadership recognize that the claims against President Obama are merely a distraction, an intentional distraction, by President Trump to take focus off the very serious allegations about collusion between Trump and Putin?"
His answer was essentially, "Yes, it's clear to all of us."
I was pleased to hear it and in watching James Comey's testimony, specifically the questions and the answers to those questions, it was clear that the Democrats finally seem to be showing some wisdom regarding Trump. They still (incorrectly) blame the FBI for Clinton's loss, they still (equally incorrectly, imho), think Trump won because he's a man and she's a woman. They didn't realize that feeling "trumps" fact when people vote and Trump made people feel like they were winners, like they'd "win" their jobs back, like they'd be prosperous if the prosperous man won. That he's mostly just playing a confidence game wasn't something they wanted to believe.
And then along came his rather obvious association with Vladimr Putin. Trump is an inveterate blowhard, he demeans anyone and anything he feels he can get away with in order to pump himself up. We're not "winning" in Iraq, demean our military leadership, John McCain doesn't like his comments on torture, demean McCain's military service. So, when Russia is involving itself in propping up Bashar Assad, normally a man like Trump would have been all over Obama, he never restrained himself before where President Obama was concerned, but with Russia, with Putin, all you ever got was crickets. He clearly had been to Russia, he certainly has ties to that part of the world (he has a large hotel in the capital of Azerbaijan, a dictatorial state run by a Putin puppet). That didn't happen out of thin air nor coincidence. He had reputed/alleged ties to Russian "suppliers" of concrete at a time when those suppliers shut down every other construction project in Manhattan. In fact, the list of ties to Russia for Trump is so long, this post would be three pages before I stopped naming simply the first and second tier (ties through an immediate family member or close associate) between Trump and Russia.
And then there's the fact that Trump was SILENT on the nature of the Wikileaks attacks except to at one point encourage them. This may have telegraphed his myopic understanding of the law and of the gravity of any collusion which may exist. Remember, the first thing he said was (paraphrase), "If Russia can find those missing e-mails, be my guest." Perhaps he wasn't even aware such attacks weren't just an illegal attack on Ms. Clinton but would rightly be seen as an attack on the United States. He's flouted the law in the past, perhaps he felt cyber attacks, which happen all the time, are no big deal. After he was admonished, his line then became, "Well, you don't know it's Russia." A line he continued up until recently when he was advised and it was made very public, that we in fact do know. His mockery of our intelligence community on this point undoubtedly was a catalyst which lead to the leaks he so despises, for undoubtedly that intelligence community took a look at the man and decided if he was going to attack them for doing their job correctly, they had ways of letting him know they knew his secrets.
The story at this point goes then to this. Trump has close ties to Putin and Russia and the various ex-KGB, oil oligarchs who surround Putin. Those ties are deep, they include Mike Flynn (taking payments from Russia during the campaign it is alleged) and Paul Manafort, his campaign chair until the news about Russia started to leak and Trump fired him to save himself and for no other reason.
All of the things that have come up, from investigating leaks to blaming Obama for the investigation, they are all distraction, distraction meant, vainly tried, to take the focus off of Trump himself, off of what may well prove to be collusion between Trump's senior staff (and so almost certainly Trump) and hackers, hackers very likely directed by and employed by the Russian government. If that turns out to be true, it would make Trump a guilible tool, a useful fool to use the Russian/KGB terminology. It would make him facile and feckless, a pawn to be exploited. If true, Trump will be guilty of something for which he not only should be impeached but should be in prison. Some might even call him a traitor, and if it proves to be true he helped Putin either before or after the break into DNC servers, if he colluded after the fact with Putin's men, then I'd be one of those looking long and hard at what we call treason and whether we should apply it to Donald John Trump. The man who may well have the shortest Presidency in history where he did not die in office, and rightly so, if true.
His answer was essentially, "Yes, it's clear to all of us."
I was pleased to hear it and in watching James Comey's testimony, specifically the questions and the answers to those questions, it was clear that the Democrats finally seem to be showing some wisdom regarding Trump. They still (incorrectly) blame the FBI for Clinton's loss, they still (equally incorrectly, imho), think Trump won because he's a man and she's a woman. They didn't realize that feeling "trumps" fact when people vote and Trump made people feel like they were winners, like they'd "win" their jobs back, like they'd be prosperous if the prosperous man won. That he's mostly just playing a confidence game wasn't something they wanted to believe.
And then along came his rather obvious association with Vladimr Putin. Trump is an inveterate blowhard, he demeans anyone and anything he feels he can get away with in order to pump himself up. We're not "winning" in Iraq, demean our military leadership, John McCain doesn't like his comments on torture, demean McCain's military service. So, when Russia is involving itself in propping up Bashar Assad, normally a man like Trump would have been all over Obama, he never restrained himself before where President Obama was concerned, but with Russia, with Putin, all you ever got was crickets. He clearly had been to Russia, he certainly has ties to that part of the world (he has a large hotel in the capital of Azerbaijan, a dictatorial state run by a Putin puppet). That didn't happen out of thin air nor coincidence. He had reputed/alleged ties to Russian "suppliers" of concrete at a time when those suppliers shut down every other construction project in Manhattan. In fact, the list of ties to Russia for Trump is so long, this post would be three pages before I stopped naming simply the first and second tier (ties through an immediate family member or close associate) between Trump and Russia.
And then there's the fact that Trump was SILENT on the nature of the Wikileaks attacks except to at one point encourage them. This may have telegraphed his myopic understanding of the law and of the gravity of any collusion which may exist. Remember, the first thing he said was (paraphrase), "If Russia can find those missing e-mails, be my guest." Perhaps he wasn't even aware such attacks weren't just an illegal attack on Ms. Clinton but would rightly be seen as an attack on the United States. He's flouted the law in the past, perhaps he felt cyber attacks, which happen all the time, are no big deal. After he was admonished, his line then became, "Well, you don't know it's Russia." A line he continued up until recently when he was advised and it was made very public, that we in fact do know. His mockery of our intelligence community on this point undoubtedly was a catalyst which lead to the leaks he so despises, for undoubtedly that intelligence community took a look at the man and decided if he was going to attack them for doing their job correctly, they had ways of letting him know they knew his secrets.
The story at this point goes then to this. Trump has close ties to Putin and Russia and the various ex-KGB, oil oligarchs who surround Putin. Those ties are deep, they include Mike Flynn (taking payments from Russia during the campaign it is alleged) and Paul Manafort, his campaign chair until the news about Russia started to leak and Trump fired him to save himself and for no other reason.
All of the things that have come up, from investigating leaks to blaming Obama for the investigation, they are all distraction, distraction meant, vainly tried, to take the focus off of Trump himself, off of what may well prove to be collusion between Trump's senior staff (and so almost certainly Trump) and hackers, hackers very likely directed by and employed by the Russian government. If that turns out to be true, it would make Trump a guilible tool, a useful fool to use the Russian/KGB terminology. It would make him facile and feckless, a pawn to be exploited. If true, Trump will be guilty of something for which he not only should be impeached but should be in prison. Some might even call him a traitor, and if it proves to be true he helped Putin either before or after the break into DNC servers, if he colluded after the fact with Putin's men, then I'd be one of those looking long and hard at what we call treason and whether we should apply it to Donald John Trump. The man who may well have the shortest Presidency in history where he did not die in office, and rightly so, if true.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
The alternative reality of the right collides with the real world
Trump and GOP members want Americans to believe they have a better plan for health care and health insurance.
They don't.
For starters you don't rationally use an increase in the cost of insurance after a lapse by making that insurance more expensive. It is likely that the increase in premiums will cause people to lose coverage, and Trumpcare makes it much harder to regain insurance, only adding to the numbers of uninsureds, not cover more people or make it more affordable.
The idea they embrace is to screw you and enrich themselves and the special interests who own them. The obscenely rich jerk, the hedge fund manager, by the name of Mercer, who holds the leash to Steve Gannon's collar, openly believes the amount of money you make is the only important measure of human worth. To him and those rich bastards on the right like him, ordinary everyday Americans are of little or no value, expendable and disposable.
According to the CBO and the Census Bureau, while somewhere between 20 and 28 million people currently insured under Obamacare will become uninsured, with overall uninsured numbers rising to 52 million Americans, higher than the previous high under Dubya in 2001, of 52 million.
Don't believe Trump, don't believe the GOP; don't believe in leprechauns and unicorn magic solutions. People won't be insured by cutting taxes for the wealthy, and giving cuts to corporations either.
Wake up, you are going to be more screwed than under Dubya's economic collapse.
They don't.
For starters you don't rationally use an increase in the cost of insurance after a lapse by making that insurance more expensive. It is likely that the increase in premiums will cause people to lose coverage, and Trumpcare makes it much harder to regain insurance, only adding to the numbers of uninsureds, not cover more people or make it more affordable.
The idea they embrace is to screw you and enrich themselves and the special interests who own them. The obscenely rich jerk, the hedge fund manager, by the name of Mercer, who holds the leash to Steve Gannon's collar, openly believes the amount of money you make is the only important measure of human worth. To him and those rich bastards on the right like him, ordinary everyday Americans are of little or no value, expendable and disposable.
According to the CBO and the Census Bureau, while somewhere between 20 and 28 million people currently insured under Obamacare will become uninsured, with overall uninsured numbers rising to 52 million Americans, higher than the previous high under Dubya in 2001, of 52 million.
Don't believe Trump, don't believe the GOP; don't believe in leprechauns and unicorn magic solutions. People won't be insured by cutting taxes for the wealthy, and giving cuts to corporations either.
Wake up, you are going to be more screwed than under Dubya's economic collapse.
Monday, March 20, 2017
First Day of Spring, news in brief
Trump is still a liar, and looks ridiculous; Trump has a problem with Russia being behind his silly Brit spy surveillance claim, and the hearings in Congress show it never happened. It looks more every day as if Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russians to cheat in order to win.
In other news more and more Americans disapprove of Rump, and more Americans view Rump as illegitimate. (I do too.)
In other news Trump continues to fail on promises and performance, playing golf and pissing away the goodwill and loyalty of our allies.
And last but not least, Trump wants to fund the military on the backs and wallets of children, the old and the poor. At the same time Rump advantages and gifts the wealthy even more than the failed Dubya tax cuts and other more devils means that harm a majority of Americans.
Neil deGrasse Tyson summed it up when he noted the Trump budget leaves the nation weaker, sicker, and more stupid.
In other news more and more Americans disapprove of Rump, and more Americans view Rump as illegitimate. (I do too.)
In other news Trump continues to fail on promises and performance, playing golf and pissing away the goodwill and loyalty of our allies.
And last but not least, Trump wants to fund the military on the backs and wallets of children, the old and the poor. At the same time Rump advantages and gifts the wealthy even more than the failed Dubya tax cuts and other more devils means that harm a majority of Americans.
Neil deGrasse Tyson summed it up when he noted the Trump budget leaves the nation weaker, sicker, and more stupid.
Friday, March 17, 2017
It's another Friday Fun Day: more Rump schadenfreude
And like the week before, we have another round of Trump failures to enjoy.
Trump's bigot ban trying to fear monger Muslims has been blocked from going into effect. Good join again AG Lorie Swanson, another good example of successful Democratic governance that correctly understands and applies the proper function of government in action.
We see tremendous push back against the horrific failure in healthcare and insurance that is Trumpcare. This as much as any other initiative could hand the state and federal government back to the adults in the room aka the Democrats.
Cutting money to schools, hurting grandma and grandpa more than those fictional death panels ever could, defunding big bird, planned parenthood, and ending many if not all meals on wheels programs, enabling the harm to our LGBT population, enriching the rich at the expense of the middle and below....and endangering the nation by diverting resources from needed security.....it is not going to play well.
The Russian scandal looms larger every day, Rump's popularity falls lower and lower every day, "their president" is caught lying more and more every day.
The pace of Rump's decline and fall is slow but inexorable. And it has the virtue of a faster pace than the fall of Nixon.
In the interim it is a joy to see the mini-me Trumps being rejected in the EU, beginning with the Dutch. Hooray for unity and strength and stability, hooray for a turn away from chaos and superficial ignorant thinking. Hooray for the choice of adults and good, thoughtful governance.
Trump's bigot ban trying to fear monger Muslims has been blocked from going into effect. Good join again AG Lorie Swanson, another good example of successful Democratic governance that correctly understands and applies the proper function of government in action.
We see tremendous push back against the horrific failure in healthcare and insurance that is Trumpcare. This as much as any other initiative could hand the state and federal government back to the adults in the room aka the Democrats.
Cutting money to schools, hurting grandma and grandpa more than those fictional death panels ever could, defunding big bird, planned parenthood, and ending many if not all meals on wheels programs, enabling the harm to our LGBT population, enriching the rich at the expense of the middle and below....and endangering the nation by diverting resources from needed security.....it is not going to play well.
The Russian scandal looms larger every day, Rump's popularity falls lower and lower every day, "their president" is caught lying more and more every day.
The pace of Rump's decline and fall is slow but inexorable. And it has the virtue of a faster pace than the fall of Nixon.
In the interim it is a joy to see the mini-me Trumps being rejected in the EU, beginning with the Dutch. Hooray for unity and strength and stability, hooray for a turn away from chaos and superficial ignorant thinking. Hooray for the choice of adults and good, thoughtful governance.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Happy St Urho's Day
St. Urho doesn't exist, never existed. He is, in a way, fake news, more St. Ersatz.
St. Urho is a joke created here in Minnesota. There is some disagreement as to where in Minnesota the joke started. Minnesota has a good sized Irish population. We also have a large Finnish population in this region.
St. Urho is the Finn answer to St. Patrick, stealing just a little of the thunder of the man who was reputed to have driven the snakes out of Ireland, by having a holiday the day before the better known St Paddy.
St. Urho's holiday celebrates the driving out of grasshoppers from Finland where they were destroying the grape crop which was the foundation for the Finland wine industry.
WHAT Finland wine industry? Now you get the joke. It is very much in the low key what you might call Prairie Home Companion-esque variety of humor.
Although.... with enough global warming there might be a real need for a modern Urho to save the day, and to reinvent the culture of saunas and rolling in snow with growing grapes and stomping them into juice for wine making that far north.
After all, we have a burgeoning wine industry right here in Minnesots where we used to be known as the icebox of the lower 48 contiguous states of the USA.
Happy St. Urho's Day, hug a Finn and have a chuckle. And watch out for drunken grasshoppers.
St. Urho is a joke created here in Minnesota. There is some disagreement as to where in Minnesota the joke started. Minnesota has a good sized Irish population. We also have a large Finnish population in this region.
St. Urho is the Finn answer to St. Patrick, stealing just a little of the thunder of the man who was reputed to have driven the snakes out of Ireland, by having a holiday the day before the better known St Paddy.
St. Urho's holiday celebrates the driving out of grasshoppers from Finland where they were destroying the grape crop which was the foundation for the Finland wine industry.
WHAT Finland wine industry? Now you get the joke. It is very much in the low key what you might call Prairie Home Companion-esque variety of humor.
Although.... with enough global warming there might be a real need for a modern Urho to save the day, and to reinvent the culture of saunas and rolling in snow with growing grapes and stomping them into juice for wine making that far north.
After all, we have a burgeoning wine industry right here in Minnesots where we used to be known as the icebox of the lower 48 contiguous states of the USA.
Happy St. Urho's Day, hug a Finn and have a chuckle. And watch out for drunken grasshoppers.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Trumpcare is a big rickety mess
Trumpcare is a giant unwieldy gold plated shit wagon badly overloaded rolling down a steep and rocky hill of reality.
The only real questions are when will it collide with one of the many reality obstacles, how badly the rickety gold plated shit wagon will be damaged ( the shit wagon being here a metaphor for Trump and his administration) and how far the shit on the gold plated wagon will fly. The shit metaphor here being the impossible to deliver on Trump promises, in this instance Trumpcare.
Arguably the biggest metaphor obstacle in the road down the reality hill is the CBO report released yesterday. The shit wagon drivers (in this analogy, Trump spokespersons, surrogates, and those in congress supporting Trumpcare like Paul Ryan) trying to circumvent the obstacle of reality. However their attemp to avoid a reality collision consists of denials the CBO assessment is real.
But there are other less obvious rocks in the road that threaten the rickety gold plated shit wagon like the West Virginia Coal Miners who recently received letters telling them they would no longer be receiving their black lung benefits for the widows and children of miners who died from working in the coal mines or those who had retired and were currently suffering from black lung. These are angry people who voted for Trump, who believed his shit pile of lies about coal mining jobs coming back, and his lies about better, cheaper health care pots of gold. These people PAID for these benefits they are now denied by Republicans who control Congress and the White House. These people make a compelling argument to the rest of the minimally educated blue collar white people Trump bigot base who hoped to "get theirs" while taking away from the black and brown Americans they wrongly blame for their problems and for institutional inequity. It remains to be seen if the shiny but unstable shit wagon will steamroll them flat, or if they will sharpen up and obstruct and resist the shit wagon headed their way.
The gold standard for fact checking political claims, factcheck.org, is quite clear that the GOP and their shit shoveling minions are lying (or if you prefer are willfully inaccurate) when they assert that the CBO failed to analyze correctly the costs and benefits of Obamacare. Rather I would argue Obamacare did a good job of performing as predicted, the CBO was correct, and that problems with Obamacare affected relatively few people and could easily be fixed. I would further argue that the GOP has worked tirelessly to sabotage or otherwise inflict damage on the ACA but have not succeeded beyond their deluded base that dwells on that rarefied hilltop trying to avoid facts and reality that they don't like.
But like the overloaded, rickety, gold plated shit wagon, they are also going to have to head down that reality hill and will collide with sharp and painful pointy facts.
The only outcome waiting to emerge is how deep the shit is spread when it flies, who dodges it or deflects it, and who the casualties are from the collisions. Elections have consequences, and the 2018 round of the next election is looming like a mountain range horizon.
The only real questions are when will it collide with one of the many reality obstacles, how badly the rickety gold plated shit wagon will be damaged ( the shit wagon being here a metaphor for Trump and his administration) and how far the shit on the gold plated wagon will fly. The shit metaphor here being the impossible to deliver on Trump promises, in this instance Trumpcare.
Arguably the biggest metaphor obstacle in the road down the reality hill is the CBO report released yesterday. The shit wagon drivers (in this analogy, Trump spokespersons, surrogates, and those in congress supporting Trumpcare like Paul Ryan) trying to circumvent the obstacle of reality. However their attemp to avoid a reality collision consists of denials the CBO assessment is real.
But there are other less obvious rocks in the road that threaten the rickety gold plated shit wagon like the West Virginia Coal Miners who recently received letters telling them they would no longer be receiving their black lung benefits for the widows and children of miners who died from working in the coal mines or those who had retired and were currently suffering from black lung. These are angry people who voted for Trump, who believed his shit pile of lies about coal mining jobs coming back, and his lies about better, cheaper health care pots of gold. These people PAID for these benefits they are now denied by Republicans who control Congress and the White House. These people make a compelling argument to the rest of the minimally educated blue collar white people Trump bigot base who hoped to "get theirs" while taking away from the black and brown Americans they wrongly blame for their problems and for institutional inequity. It remains to be seen if the shiny but unstable shit wagon will steamroll them flat, or if they will sharpen up and obstruct and resist the shit wagon headed their way.
The gold standard for fact checking political claims, factcheck.org, is quite clear that the GOP and their shit shoveling minions are lying (or if you prefer are willfully inaccurate) when they assert that the CBO failed to analyze correctly the costs and benefits of Obamacare. Rather I would argue Obamacare did a good job of performing as predicted, the CBO was correct, and that problems with Obamacare affected relatively few people and could easily be fixed. I would further argue that the GOP has worked tirelessly to sabotage or otherwise inflict damage on the ACA but have not succeeded beyond their deluded base that dwells on that rarefied hilltop trying to avoid facts and reality that they don't like.
But like the overloaded, rickety, gold plated shit wagon, they are also going to have to head down that reality hill and will collide with sharp and painful pointy facts.
The only outcome waiting to emerge is how deep the shit is spread when it flies, who dodges it or deflects it, and who the casualties are from the collisions. Elections have consequences, and the 2018 round of the next election is looming like a mountain range horizon.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Anti-Muslim Ban Update, Sunday March 12, 2017
Last week six Attorneys General filed suit to stop it.
So far, as was the case with the previous failed ban initially, the court has requested further submission from the AGs to address specific facets.
The AGs, joined by the ACLU, and an impressive number of corporations, will be making further submissions to the court. The ban is scheduled to take effect later this week. I predict that as with the first failed ban which completely fails to deliver on its premise but is instead throwing rotten red meat to the ignorant deplorable bigots who voted in the fascist Trump.
Stay tuned for further developments.
So far, as was the case with the previous failed ban initially, the court has requested further submission from the AGs to address specific facets.
The AGs, joined by the ACLU, and an impressive number of corporations, will be making further submissions to the court. The ban is scheduled to take effect later this week. I predict that as with the first failed ban which completely fails to deliver on its premise but is instead throwing rotten red meat to the ignorant deplorable bigots who voted in the fascist Trump.
Stay tuned for further developments.
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