Sunday 2 October 2016

It's Saturday Night...


So it's time for a comedy mashup.  And, of course, it being an election year here in the States it is political.  


Advice is given..








But people don't always listen.




I tried with Hillary...*sigh*





The thing about political humor, is that there is a grain of truth to be found.



124 comments:

      Lee C.   ―  U.S.A.      said...

 
I don't generally post YouTube vids, but…

Trump vs Hillary 7 minutes.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Chuck Todd just on NBC's ‘Meet the Press’ was showing us data that says, in potential swing states voter registration is up in ‘white-working-class’ counties where Trump can be expected to do well, but it was up less than the state-wide averages.

Upshot being, more people are registering to vote, but; more people are registering to vote against Trump than for him.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

lol! I loved it!

I heard it was the new season for Saturday Night Live, so that's kind of why I did the post. And, it was time for something a little lighter. :)

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

One thought I had this morning when I was listening to Fareed Zakaria's show this morning. It's this idea that Trump is an anti-elite protest vote by many here in the States. I have to say that I find that rather insulting. It seems to imply that those who are not "elite", and I would include myself in that, approve of someone who is so derogatory to so many. Really? Some of the nicest, kindest people I know are not wealthy, they are not famous, they are hard working people who would never, ever consider uttering such hate speech against women, immigrants, or those of other faiths.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Well, supposedly Bernie Sander's vote was also heavy on the ‘anti-elite’ sentiments.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
LA Times says the assault on Mosul is neigh.   They do not shed any light on who's gonna hold and govern Mosul and Nineveh Provence after Da’esh is driven out.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Over in Makhmour, Camp Swift provides a more literal example of the United States’ central role: Nestled between two other bases, it is the link binding the Iraqi army’s Nineveh Operations Command to the Kurdish peshmerga.

I think that, like it or not, we will need to be there to help. At least until it is settled.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
By the way, while we're watching the Trump show, Germany's Deutsche Bank is close to collapsing and Merkel doesn't seem inclined to bail them out.  European bankers are semi-confident that she'll be forced to change her mind on that score, but then again….

Large European financial institutions going down the tubes may, or may not, pose a danger to the American economy.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Ezra Klein at Vox elaborating on why Trump is particularly unfit to occupy the Oval Office.

However little enthusiasm I might have for a Hillary Presidency on its own merits; NeverTrump!

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Large European financial institutions going down the tubes may, or may not, pose a danger to the American economy.

Great, just great. First I read that our health insurance premiums are going up between 50 - 67%, with the number of policies issued being capped, and then I hear that the economy may be on borrowed time.

And I was in a good mood after going to see "Sully" this weekend. (Great movie, btw.) *sigh*

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

The problem isn’t that Trump is cruel, though he is. The problem isn’t that Trump is boorish, though he is. The problem isn’t that Trump is undisciplined, though he is.

The problem is that Trump is predictable and controllable.


Of course he is. He is all of the above. Those who believe that he has the Holy Grail for governing are sadly mistaken.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Trump better than a woman in the White House Rudy Giuliani

Seriously? I used to like him. My mistake.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "I used to like him."

He used to pretend to be somebody different from who he's pretending to be these days.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Julian Assange has canceled his balcony appearance for tomorrow, and supposedly the Great Reveal which will torpedo the Hillary Clinton Campaign is gonna take place in Berlin, Germany--still tomorrow though.  I think he's supposed to appear by tape or relay or some such thing at a Berlin conference and make the Great Reveal at 2:00 a.m. Central Standard time (early/middle afternoon in Germany).

We'll not be holdin’ our breath here.  If he really had anything he'd have hit her with it already is my thinkin’.  But, we shall see what we shall see come The Great Reveal.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Do you ever get the feeling that there are various people who would like nothing better then to screw with the US election process?

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
All they gotta do is raise some doubts, then in a close election….  Our Republican friends are not going gently into that good night; one of these days they may refuse to accept defeat.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Well, it appears there was no "surprise" to air, if there is any surprise it's that he doesn't appear to have even a pretense at a surprise.  "Live streaming interview" is ongoing even now at about 5:00 a.m. Central Standard (U.S.) time.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I've mentioned before that Trump scammed his own investors to make his millions (billions?).    TalkingPoints gives us a succinct explanation of how that worked.

And the clowns in the Republican Party want the American voter to now invest their future in Trump--nothing short of amazing.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

lol! Of course he has something to hide by not making his tax returns public. That isn't just a talking point that Hillary Clinton came up with.

How people could be taken in by someone so obviously phony is beyond me.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump’s campaign manager said
      viewers could expect a “fiery” performance from Pence Tuesday night
      in which the Indiana governor will offer forceful attacks against Clinton.
"
      Politico.com

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

British pound at 31 year low

I have a feeling we really haven't seen the end of the Brexit repercussions, despite Marcus' belief it was a good thing.

(That export/import graphic in the article is interesting.)

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I don't usually watch the VP debate, but we'll see. I have pretty much made up my mind, anyway, and the VP choice will not change that. I will have to start looking at the other races now.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I think I'll tape it and then maybe look at it later if the news indicates there's something to see there.

Marcus said...

Really nasty new rape case here on Gotland where a 30-yo woman in a wheelchair followed/was brought by a man into a house where she was then raped brutally for several hours by as many as 6 men. 5 are in custody one was released but is still under suspision. Our Police has, for the first time ever, seen fit to use the brand new opportunity to withhold any information about the suspects. First court appearence I believe is tomorrow and then we'll find out more. Names will come out then.

Any one want to take bets on whether the last names of the rapists end with -sson?

Or whether this is a direct consequence of politicians flooding Gotland with rapefugees?

I'd bet the latter. I'll even give 10-1 odds. Any takers?

Marcus said...

Lynnette: "I have a feeling we really haven't seen the end of the Brexit repercussions, despite Marcus' belief it was a good thing."

It was a vote on immigration more or less. Other stuff made the news but that was the single issue it was really all about. I would pay a not small price to get rid of mass immigration to Sweden, stop it completely and reverse most of it from the last decade if we somehow could. Why should I deny the Britons the right to want the future of Britain to be British?

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Nationalism raises its hoary head in Europe.  The elite had thought they'd gotten rid of it.  Not so.  Globalization has been painful for some, and they're lookin’ for relief in the resurrection of nationalism--if not out ant out tribalism.  George Friedman has written on this just the other day.  I'd thought ‘bout making the link before, but I let it go.  Subject's come up without my help, so there's the link after all.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
@ Lynnette,

Friedman revised and edited his essay for the American audience.  That version is located here.

Marcus said...

No bet then?

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I usually hesitate take up another man's bet.  Grandpa learned me better at a fairly young age.

Marcus said...

C'mon. You get 10 I told you so's to my one I told you so if you bet against me Lee.

Unless... unless you already feel quite certain the odds are still way too bad for taking that bet.

OK, a hundred to one. I'll give you a hundred to one if you bet against me. Surely you can't pss on that?

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
(That's a general rule, not an ironclad.)

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "Surely you can't pss on that?"

Hundred to one suggests you already know more than you're tellin’, and you're situated to make that possible.  I'll stick with Grandpa's rule under those circumstances.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I wound up near a TV just after the Veep debate began.  So far Kaine's kickin’ ass.  Pence is feisty though, he could make a go of it, but Kaine's kickin’ ass right off the beginning.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Pence is recovering.  He's discovered that he can simply reiterate Republican (and Trumpkin) talking points with fervor, and at least look like he's holding his own.  (I strongly suspect that he'll have a lot of folks calling him a liar of the first order tomorrow morning, but that's in the morning, for now, he's found a way to stand up in front of the camera--just spout nonsense with fervor whether or not it's grounded in fact.  And it's workin’ for him.)

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
They're wrappin’ it up.  I'm gonna havta give a narrow win to Kaine, although Pence held in there.

Pence, did not, however, do what he had to do, which was turn the narrative from Hillary's gutting of Trump.  Pence did Pence a lot of good tonight; he didn't do Trump much good, and that was what he needed to do.  Kaine had less he had to do (and was probably overly aggressive in doing it, but he did hit his licks).

Marcus said...

Lee: "Hundred to one suggests you already know more than you're tellin’, and you're situated to make that possible."

I know that there's no record in our modern criminal history of 5-6 swedish men ever raping a woman together. Whereas it's a not too uncommon thing for rapefugees to get up to. So it's basically a best guess based on logic, but one I feel very, very certain is in fact correct.

But it might just be my nationalist hoary mind thinking like that. You, being an enlightened globalist, must surely know better than to jump to such outrageous conclusions as I tend to do.


   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "I know that there's no record in our modern criminal history of 5-6
      swedish men ever raping a woman together.
"

At a hundred to one, I'm guessing you also recognize the address of the crime, or recognize the source pushing the publicity as an outlet that concentrates on immigrant offenses, or something along those lines.

                           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
      "You, being an enlightened globalist,…"

I'm not much of a globalist, more like an enlightened pragmatist.  The .01% have discovered their ability to outsource production and they have discovered cargo containers.  They're not gonna forget either of those things.  We're gonna havta deal with livin’ in a world in which they know what they now know.

                           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
      "Pollsters have looked far and wide and deep into their methodology
      and they say they have struggled to unearth evidence of the shy Trump
      voter theory advocated among others by Kellyanne Conway, Mr
      Trump’s campaign manager
[and also favored by Marcus the Swede].
                                              ***
      "Faced with an unconventional candidate such as Mr Trump, pollsters
      have been mindful of the so-called Bradley effect — named after a
      mayoral candidate in Los Angeles for whom polls misstated support.
      However, Douglas Schwartz, director of the respected Quinnipiac
      University Poll, said the primaries earlier this year had proved the
      theory of the shy Trump supporter wrong.
"
      Financial Times  [Yeah, that one]

In fact, I suspect there's a defiance variable in operation and that Trump's public polling is perhaps coming in a bit higher than the percentage of people who'll actually be able to bring themselves to vote for him when the time comes and it comes down to it.

                           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Trump's tax accountant says Trump ain't all that brilliant.  Accountant says, "I did all the work; he just signed what I put in front of him."

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
The most recent issue of the Da'esh's online magazine shows a jihadi knocking the cross off the top of a church.  This has drawn the interest of two American newpapers (so far), and they offer analyses of the Da'esh view on Christianity and their duty to destroy it, in the New York Times and in The New York Daily News.

Marcus said...

Lee: "At a hundred to one, I'm guessing you also recognize the address of the crime, or recognize the source pushing the publicity as an outlet that concentrates on immigrant offenses, or something along those lines."

I had no more info than I wrote when I wrote it. But since then one thing supporting my guess has come to light. The police conducted an investigation at the scene, the scene was photographed and published and with Google maps and adress-sites some Internet sleuths found out that the two men living at that adress have very un-swedish names. There's no proof any of those are involved as suspects but I think we can safely bet that it's a longshot 5-6 swedes would rape that handicapped woman in a house where the tenants are of arabic sounding names. A real longshot, even furter a longshot than 5-6 swedes committing that crime at all, which in itself is a HUGE longshot as it would be a first (in modern times). All in all, you not taking my bet seems like a prudent decision right about now.

Lee: "The .01% have discovered their ability to outsource production and they have discovered cargo containers. They're not gonna forget either of those things. We're gonna havta deal with livin’ in a world in which they know what they now know."

Globalism in trade is one thing, in the large movements of people it's another. I think there are problems with the first but I can resign myself to adapt to those. The second I'll fight in any capacity I leagally can. To protect the country, culture and people I identify with.

Take a quick glance at this short thought on completely open borders and think about what it means:

https://archive.is/1SCXr

And that's from an immigrant author seemingly way less concerned than I am about preserving our national coherence.


Lee:
"Pollsters have looked far and wide and deep into their methodology
and they say they have struggled to unearth evidence of the shy Trump
voter theory advocated among others by Kellyanne Conway, Mr
Trump’s campaign manager [and also favored by Marcus the Swede].

I already admitted I might be wrong on that as I based my reasoning on the situation in Sweden with the Sweden Democrats and said plainly that it might well be different with Trump in the USA. Regardless of your source I am not yet convinced either way.

Marcus said...

Lee: "This has drawn the interest of two American newpapers (so far), and they offer analyses of the Da'esh view on Christianity and their duty to destroy it"

One of their slogans as I remember it goes something like: "First we'll take out the Saturday people then we'll take out the Sunday people." That they have mostly focused on the "Sunday people" so far is probably a matter of proximety and ability.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "…the large movements of people it's another."

Europe has been the recipient of swarms of new people who overran the old people since the Neandertals got swarmed over by the Sapiens-Sapiens.  It's repeated at intervals ever since.  That's a function of location rather than globalization.  Whole different thing.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Interesting morning reads on the Kaine/Pence debate.  Republicans, as a group, are completely unperturbed by the fact that Pence lied through his teeth last night.  They're almost universal in concluding Pence won the debate on account of he lied without flinching--cool as a cucumber.  (Never mind that the lies were so easily pierced by anybody who wants to check the record; this is not a consideration for them.)

Marcus said...

Lee: "Europe has been the recipient of swarms of new people who overran the old people since the Neandertals got swarmed over by the Sapiens-Sapiens. It's repeated at intervals ever since."

Ergo, if you're a European and see a "swarm" coming you'd better fight it off. Unless you wanna go the way the Neanderthals did. Right?

Of course when all of that happened it was a superior culture outfoxing and outfighting a lower culture - and killing it off. The africans and/or arabs could never accomplish that towards the Europeans if we resisted it today. In the era you think off they'd be slaughtered at the borders.

Now we have traitors in our midsts welcoming in lower cultures to outbreed the higher culture already in place.

And I take your own, quite surprisingly honest, assessment of Somali culture as a case in point.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "Of course when all of that happened it was a superior culture
      outfoxing and outfighting a lower culture - and killing it off.
"

Not always the case.  Sometimes it was just superior numbers.  Sometimes it was merely a technical military advantage that didn't translate into "superior culture".

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reportedly seriously ill and quite possibly dying after being poisoned.  Links all over Google by now.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Other stuff made the news but that was the single issue it was really all about.

Yes, I understand. But what was unfortunate was that it seemed as if the leaders of the Brexit movement were rather misleading in their view that Britain could close it's borders with the rest of Europe yet still have the same status in trade. I don't think that will be the case, from what I have read. If they want to close their borders totally they may have to resign themselves to having a lesser trade relationship with their neighbors than they would otherwise have.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I wound up near a TV just after the Veep debate began.

I watched a little bit before I fell asleep. It was pretty much as I expected. Kaine was attacking and Pence was trying to act the gentleman, an obvious anti-Trump persona.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
New Clinton advertisement out this morning.  Pence denying Trump ever said "X"; followed by film clip of Trump saying "X". Link  Gonna be more of these in the next couple of days I'd reckon.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is reportedly seriously ill and quite possibly dying after being poisoned.

I can certainly see where poisoning him and his entourage would be appealing to some people in Daesh.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "…Pence…lied without flinching--cool as a cucumber."

I have to wonder if this has something to do with him being a Bible Thumper.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

From Lee's globalization aritcle:

In this context, the Euro-American opposition to immigration can be understood. There is a growing rejection of interdependence, and that is not only a trade issue, but a question of the preservation of the nation. A massive influx of immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, is a danger to the lifeboat that was left after 2008 -- the nation-state, the people I know and whose fate I share. Hostility toward immigration is simply one minor dimension of a massive shift in values and beliefs.

When we feel threatened we tend to pull up the ladders and huddle behind the castle walls. These are uncertain times, not just economically but climatically as well. I still feel that part of the massive movements of people we are seeing is not just because of the wars in the Middle East or terrorism in general but also because of climate change.

I know, I know, I tend to harp on climate change a lot, but it is still lurking in the background of all we experience and will eventually make our struggles with terrorism look like child's play.

The Paris Accord

But Kerry also agreed that the clock is ticking.

“We’re behind the curve,” he said. “We’ve got to move faster, because the rate of change is just so dynamic it’s scary.”

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "Hostility toward immigration is simply one minor dimension of a
      massive shift in values and beliefs.
"

There is also a difference in circumstances, one which Mr. Kerry cavalierly ignores.  We no longer have vast expanses of unpopulated landscape.  We don't need more people, not anymore. 

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
And, quite simply, Arabs in deserts are repopulating at a rate that their land and resources cannot support and maintain.  I don't particularly need them over here, still reproducing at a rate our land and resources cannot maintain either.

Marcus said...

Lee: "Not always the case. Sometimes it was just superior numbers."

As I said: "Now we have traitors in our midsts welcoming in lower cultures to outbreed the higher culture already in place."


Marcus said...

Lee: "And, quite simply, Arabs in deserts are repopulating at a rate that their land and resources cannot support and maintain. I don't particularly need them over here, still reproducing at a rate our land and resources cannot maintain either."

True. But the future huge problem with that is the population growth in Africa.

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/07/un-projects-world-population-to-reach-8-5-billion-by-2030-driven-by-growth-in-developing-countries/

On Monday and Tuesday the Italian coast guard picked up 5600 Africans in unsafe boats in the Med and shipped them back to Italy (which is insane - we should have an Australia like policy in place here). That makes 37.000 so far this year the Italian Coast guard brings into Europe, not to mention the ones who manage the trip on their own. And in Libya an estimated Million more are waiting to cross:

http://unvis.it/dn.se/nyheter/varlden/i-libyen-vantar-en-miljon-manniskor-pa-att-ge-sig-av-1/

This is an invasion, nothing less, and not even bleeding-heart-Lynnette ought to have any real problems envisioning what happens if we do not forcefully put a stop to this, given the population trends I linked to above.

This is now. Imagine a Billion more Africans in Africa and just think how that will play out.


   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

  
      "Imagine a Billion more Africans in Africa and just think how that will
      play out.
"

My guess is that they take to Europe by stages, starting with the southernmost countries, Spain, Italy, Greece, maybe along the Dalmatian Coast.  Small bites.  While the various nationalist elements withdraw further from E.U. participation, abandoning the southern countries to the influx, in the hopes that the alligator eats them last.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

  
Obama's job approval rating just keep goin’ up.  Folks have been treated to a long look at the alternatives.  Obama starts lookin’ better and better.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
In out last thread I mentioned that Monica Crowley was ‘clearly delusional’ in her belief that Trump had won the first debate (@ Thu Sep 29, 03:55:00 pm)  Well, she's at it again.  This time she's telling us that what Trump needs to do is ‘attack and inflame [sic] her’.  This she says he is free to do ‘without being penalized’.

First off, I think she mistook the internet term about 'flaming’ as a derivative of some sort from the infinitive verb 'to inflame’.
Second thing, she, like Marcus, is delusional enough to think the propaganda film ‘Clinton Cash’ is anything more than a public joke outside of their restricted right-winger fantasy worlds.

Third thing:  That's really bad advice and a really bad idea, as several of Hillary's opponents have discovered over the years, and I really hope he follows it.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
@ Lynnette,

You're gonna love this one.  Trump says his many past derogatory remarks towards women weren't serious, they were just ‘for the purpose of entertainment, there's nobody that has more respect for women than I do’.

Okay then…  Yeah, right.  That's gonna help a lot when that one gets around.

Marcus said...

I think we can all get a chuckle out of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlqKFlU7YAs

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Looks nothing like Trump.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Trump says his many past derogatory remarks towards women weren't serious, ...

lol!

Oh, yeah? Tell that to the women who worked at his casino that he wanted to fire because they weren't attractive enough.

That falls right in there with that "do you wanna buy a bridge?" question.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

My guess is that they take to Europe by stages, starting with the southernmost countries, Spain, Italy, Greece, maybe along the Dalmatian Coast. Small bites. While the various nationalist elements withdraw further from E.U. participation, abandoning the southern countries to the influx, in the hopes that the alligator eats them last.

Hmmm...that might happen, given enough time. They may not have it though.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I think we can all get a chuckle out of this:

lol!

Maybe someone should suggest that Trump take that approach and see what happens. Maybe they would give him credit for being honest. ;)

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Obama starts lookin’ better and better.

I am starting to get a little nostalgic and he hasn't even left office yet!

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Word's going out that Clinton is preparing to start spending some big bucks on what they call ‘organization’, basically, get-out-the-vote operations, critical swing states.  She's gonna try to out-hustle the Republicans on the ground and pick up those few swing states they think they can pull out for Trump.  This will have the likely consequence of upping the Democrat's take in the Senate contests as well.  And, she could use all the Democratic Senators she can get.

Major money is also gonna be spent on advertising, but it's not gonna be national advertising.  She's intending to spend only where she thinks she's got a shot.  But she does intend to blow Trump off the airwaves this final month. 

Here's where we see if that month she took off from campaigning, and devoted to fundraising pays off.  Trump pulled almost even with her in the public polls during that month.  Now she intends to spend the cash she picked up while he picked up points in the polls.  So, we'll get to see if that was a smart move on her part or a dumb one.  And, we'll see shortly.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
One thing I wanna know is why have we heard so little about Trump's cameo appearance in a real porn movie?  (No, he didn't 'participate' in any of the porn, but he did put in a cameo appearance.  Why haven't we heard the Republicans howlin’ ‘bout that?)

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

So, we'll get to see if that was a smart move on her part or a dumb one. And, we'll see shortly.

I always liked the come from behind horses at the track. Some of those with early leads tended to fade at the end.

I just wanted to make one point about Hillary Clinton. Everyone likes to make fun of her long standing desire to be President of the United States. But there is something to be said for persistence and hard work. She has both. Those are actually qualities I admire.

Trump, on the other hand, has made a habit of cutting and running in his business deals, usually leaving other people holding the bag.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Major Hurricane slamming into our east coast after bulldozing over Haiti. We are hoping for a wobble sending it out to sea, rather than further inland.

Marcus said...

The prosecuter in Visby has released the alleged group-rapists because the handicapped woman apparently didn't resist enough against the 6 men for rape to be proven. She's now being treated in a psych ward as she's "completely broken down". The investigation is ongoing though so perhaps there will be a reckoning. Or perhaps there will be street-justice instead. The police seem to fear so and additional police from Stockholm have been dispatched to Gotland.

The accused seem to be Afghans, at least 4 of them. They were confronted by an angry Nazi and admitted it was they who had been in custody. There's a film from it but it's on an actual Nazi website (Nordfront) so I won't link to it directly. Also it shows their faces and since they aren't under arrest it's a grey area to out them. Blurred pics can be seen here:

http://nyheteridag.se/polisbevakning-efter-gruppvaldtakten-migranter-pekas-ut-pa-hogerextrem-sajt/

There have been demonstrations in Visby and the situation appears to be quite tense. This was the culmination of a lot of other migrant related crap and some people have had just about enough, it seems.

Marcus said...

The BBC has an iteresting article about Sweden:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37578919

It ends with a question which I myself would answer with a resounding YES!

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

  
      "Everyone likes to make fun of her long standing desire to be
      President of the United States.
"

That's mostly pushed by men who'd not think twice about a man who'd held such a ‘long standing desire’ as long or for years longer than she's thought about it.  I mean, come on, we all know that most men who run for President these days have wanted to be President since they kids in school.  (Trump may be an exception; but he's got an attention deficit, which is rare among serious Presidential candidates.)

                           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 
      "The prosecuter in Visby has released the alleged group-rapists
      because the handicapped woman apparently didn't resist enough…


He probably thought the customary Swedish rules apply.  You guys only prosecute about 6% of your rape allegations, right?  Prosecutor probably forgot the political implications here and applied standard rules to the case, as if they'd been blond white men.

                           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
      "Sweden's massive housing shortage and long waits for rent
      controlled apartments in the centre of town mean that many new
      arrivals end up here, and stay here.
"

So, where is ‘here’ other than somewhere in Gothenburg?  Do they not have a roof there in Gothenburg?  Are they sleeping in the streets, or the local soccer stadium, or what?

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
And, the BBC article has the final question wrong.  Integration is a rather different thing than is ‘Sweden's experiment with multiculturalism’.

That should be an ‘or’ there in that last sentence, not an ‘and’.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "He probably thought the customary Swedish rules apply."

Actually, my first thought was ‘WTF?’  And then I remembered that Sweden doesn't prosecute a very high percentage of its rape allegations in general.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      [Donald Trump has alleged that]"the federal government is allowing illegal
      immigrants to flow into the U.S. so they can vote, fueling his own
      argument that November’s presidential election will be rigged against him.
"
      Politico.com

Okay, at some point ya gotta admit that this guy knows what he's doing and he's firing up the Republican base to contest the election after he loses, and he's doing it on purpose.
That's dangerous and definitely unpatriotic; that's where people start getting the idea that he's already playing up to Putin for the day after the elections--figuring to get himself some of that Russian financing that's currently flowing to European right-winger organizations and political parties I'd reckon.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "…the federal government is allowing illegal immigrants to flow into
      the U.S. so they can vote…
"

It has occurred to me, if I get the chance, I wanna listen to Sean Hannity today to see if he deals with this one.  He owes his listeners an explanation on this one I would think.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Russian lobbyist is (was?) one of Trump's foreign policy advisors.  Politico.com  Registered lobbyist for Russia even--they must have forgotten he'd registered. 
Apparently they're now pretending to not really know him after all, that was just a mistake listing him as one of their advisors--didn't happen; don't know the guy after all.

And then there was Carter Page….

Marcus said...

Lee: "He probably thought the customary Swedish rules apply. You guys only prosecute about 6% of your rape allegations, right? Prosecutor probably forgot the political implications here and applied standard rules to the case, as if they'd been blond white men."

I've never said "blond white men" should be treated any different in rape cases. I hate, HATE, any rapist fucker. But then again we've never had 6 blond white men ganging up on a woman, handicapped or not, and rape her. This seems like a peculiar Middle Eastern thing. Gang-raping women does seem to be a mostly muslim thing. A sort of male bonding for sexually insecure muslims maybe. In any case, we can't have that here. They must go.

Lee: "So, where is ‘here’ other than somewhere in Gothenburg? Do they not have a roof there in Gothenburg? Are they sleeping in the streets, or the local soccer stadium, or what?"

No, they get apartments. But many who do not qualify for "asylum" still stay on and they live in the same neighborhoods. So apartments there can be horribly overcrowded. Because if you have 5 kids and you live in a 3 room apartment and chose to illegaly take in 5 more migrants, whom you demand a steep rent from, then obviously any over-crowding is the fault of racist swedes who didn't give you a 10 room villa to begin with.

Lee: "Actually, my first thought was ‘WTF?’ And then I remembered that Sweden doesn't prosecute a very high percentage of its rape allegations in general."

That is and has been a problem. Actually a new law is being passed just right now. It aims at that sex is intended to be mutual (duh!) and that if not consent is actually given then it's rape. In theory a rapist will no longer be able to claim ignorance when the victim is so afraid she freezes and does not actually fight her aggressor.

Obviosly it'llb still remain a difficult area for the law, because often it's word against word with no other evidence. But this latest change is IMO a step in the right direction.

Marcus said...

I really, really, really, really hate rapists BTW. Swedish rapists I'd like to hang with piano wire. And foreigners raping "our" women gets me so hateful I am starting to think about torture chambers. Those are my base emotions, mind you, I a well aware we ougtn't go down that path. But I do get riled up when I hear of such stuff happening. Can't help it. I just hate 'em.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "I've never said ‘blond white men’ should be treated any different in
      rape cases.
"

Nor have I made any claim that you said such.

I merely noted that the prosecutor may have applied a rule generally applicable to ‘blond white men’ without considering the political implications that come up when the accused rapists are not blond white men.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "Gang-raping women does seem to be a mostly muslim thing."

It doesn't happen much over here, and they're still Muslims over here.  I'd reckon it to be racially inspired attack against the (mostly irreligious) white majority.  They pick out the women because they can make the case among their own people that the women were asking for it, but the real purpose is to poke a finger in the eye of native Swedes in general.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
The Russian diplomats at the United Nations have filed an unusual formal protest with the United Nations in support of Donald Trump.  Politico.com  They think U.N. personnel should be prohibited from saying bad things in public about Trump during the run-up to our pending Presidential election.  

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Trump has some explaining to do.  Audio Tape 

So far his explanation consists of asserting that he's heard worse ‘locker room talk’ from Bill Clinton while the two of them were playing golf.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
And, it appears that the worst Julian Assange and Wikileaks has on Hillary are some private e-mail discussions about her paid speeches to Goldman Sachs.  (Not even her own e-mails, but those of campaign aids.)  Not exactly breaking news there.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

The accused seem to be Afghans, at least 4 of them.

I have read recently that Europe has decided to deport a large number of Afghans (those whose asylum applications were rejected) back to their home country.

Actually a new law is being passed just right now. It aims at that sex is intended to be mutual (duh!) and that if not consent is actually given then it's rape.

Tougher sexual assault laws are a good idea. Enforcing them is also a good idea, no matter who commits the crime.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Trump has some explaining to do. Audio Tape

That's all over the news. Part of his explanation, other then the Bill Clinton distraction, was that it was just locker room talk. So how old was he at the time? I don't think he was a teenager. So that begs the question of, not just his objectifying women, but his maturity when it comes to judgement. It's just another sign of his unfitness to be President.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

And, it appears that the worst Julian Assange and Wikileaks has on Hillary are some private e-mail discussions about her paid speeches to Goldman Sachs.

I'm starting to think that Julian Asswange is just an attention hound looking to get his name in the press. A little pathetic, like the leader of North Korea.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "I'm starting to think that Julian Asswange is just an attention hound…"

I'm thinkin’ maybe the Russians promised him stuff they couldn't deliver in the end.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

From Marcus' article:

You see this built-up resentment mainly with the second-generation "non-ethnic Swedes", as they're known here.
Many of their parents fled war-torn countries in search of safety and found it in Sweden. They appear grateful for what the country has offered them. Their children, however, often feel they've been discriminated against and left out of the system. Many young people I spoke to said they felt disconnected from the country where their parents came from - but didn't feel they were Swedish either.


Perhaps part of the problem is that many of the younger generation do not really remember, or never knew, what their parent's home country was really like. Like the woman who returned to Sweden they may not understand until they actually experience it. So while they feel disenfranchised in Sweden they can imagine another place with more appeal, a place where they could fit in. Plus, it has the added benefit of being engaged in a, what they think anyway, righteous war. So there is that attraction of "home" and also that attraction of being a hero for fighting for a just cause. The reality, of course, is quite different, as the woman who returned attested to. Imagination is a powerful thing.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

From Lee's article:

The diplomats, including two U.N. officials who were familiar with the meeting between Churkin and Ban, said that the Russian complained "virulently" to Ban about Zeid's Cleveland speech and one in Europe in September.
A senior U.N. diplomat familiar with the discussion said Churkin specifically "condemned the fact that Zeid mentioned Trump."


That whole Trump/Russia relationship is weird. The hacking of the DNC by Russian operatives just lends itself to the belief that Russia is trying to interfere in the US election. This does too.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "This does too."

Some of Trump's hires are equally suspicious, specifically, Paul Manafort (since fired once the uncover cash payments to him routed through the Ukraine came to light, but only because they came to light).  And then there's Carter Page and Richard Burt, both identified as Trump ‘advisors’ and both of whom have known financial ties to the Russian government.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I see that Donald Trump has issued an official video apology in which he seems to promise to punish Hillary for this.  Gotta take his frustrations out on somebody I guess.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I am somewhat amused by the Republicans' common reaction to Trump's crude talk on that tape.  It's not like they didn't already know he was a vulgarian; it's not news that he's a misogynist.  There's nothing on that tape that we didn't already know about Trump.

What's different is that he's already losing; there's no time to turn it around; and turning it around depended, in any case, on him turning in an acceptable performance in tomorrow's debate, and there's only a snowball's chance in Hell that's gonna happen.  Trump is toast and they know it; he was already toast, and they knew it.  There's nothing he can do to pull it out; and they know that too.  (Hell, even Marcus knows it.)  That's what's different now. 

So, now they get publicly upset over stuff we already knew.  They found themselves an out and they took it, en masse.  I find that somewhat amusing.

We should also consider that Trump's voters don't have to stand for re-election in the future.  And, they already knew this about Trump.  The rank and file doesn't have the same incentives to abandon Trump now as do those who wish to be elected as ‘leaders’ in the future.  (This includes religious, evangelical leaders; they have to worry about getting tarred with Trump for the future, but their flocks do not.)  So, the break between the Republican voters and the Republican ‘Establishment’ is likely to just get worse, as the ‘leaders’ who're now abandoning Trump have to deal with voters who didn't.  Not gonna make it easier to be a Republican in the future.  Not gonna make it easier to hold the Party together for the next elections.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
And now, in mention of events that are actually more momentus than Trump (he was already losing; it was already too late for him)…     The United States has made it official.  Russia has been trying to meddle in out elections.  This cannot be borne.  This requires a response.  Even Obama will consider this an attack on vital American interests.  There will be a response!
But, Obama's not the shot-from-the-hip type.  He'll aim at something.  So, this may take a few months; he's got a few months.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Typo there should be ‘…our elections…’.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
And two 'o's in ‘shoot’.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Politico.EU reports some setbacks for the east European fascists.  It is some indication that they're not as popular as they'd hoped they were--just found the mainstream parties to be too fragmented to stand against them when they had the single-issue of immigration working their way.  But, I wouldn't make too much of these setbacks at this point.  Worth watching though.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

He sounds just like a defendant in pre-sentencing.

I rather liked this comment that was attached to that video you linked to, Lee.

My first thought was that he finally stuck to the script and actually managed to sound sincere, even if he still made clear that his objectification of women wasn't a priority. Never mind that women have made huge contributions, and still do, for the good of this country and deserve at least a modicum of respect.

As for his saying that his travels through the country have changed him, I haven't noticed much of that with his remarks about various groups of people. His statement about Hillary and "her kind", if he means as an elite, totally ignores the fact that he has also occupied that role.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I was thinking "hostage video".  Kellyanne Conway just out of sight to the side with a weapon trained on him.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Even Obama will consider this an attack on vital American interests. There will be a response!

Hopefully it will be more subtle than Putin's ham-handedness.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I was thinking "hostage video". Kellyanne Conway just out of sight to the side with a weapon trained on him.

lol!

He did have that "deer in the headlights" look.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Germany on the hunt for a possible bomber

Police in Germany are hunting a 22-year-old Syrian man in connection with a suspected planned bomb attack, Saxony Police told CNN on Saturday.

He was named by police as Jaber Albakr. He was born Jan. 10, 1994 and is from the Damascus countryside area, police said.
The details emerged during a large-scale police operation in the city of Chemnitz.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Yup, it looks like the Republicans are now trying to do what they can to save their position in Congress.

Ooo, Michelle Bachmann is trying to turn this around on Hillary Clinton(I was listening to an interview on CNN), saying that Clinton was trying to divert attention, that this was coordinated. Oh, it was a planned, pre-meditated attack by Clinton. OMG, this woman is just beyond belief! Now she's accusing the anchor of not letting her speak, when the anchor tries to get Bachmann to actually address Trump's remarks. Oh God, I am so glad that she is no longer running for anything.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Kellyanne Conway must have stood too close to Trump.  He got his tweet phone back, either when she wasn't looking, or when she was.  Either way, he's tweeting again.  And he is seemingly primed and ready. 

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

  
Rumors are circulating that Hillary has more stuff like the three minute tape to release on Trump, and that we may be in for repeated rounds of ‘Revelations for Republicans’ as the day of decision approaches.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I have to say that you may be right about the break up of the Republican party. Ryan uninvited Trump from an engagement in Wisconsin and now Pence has pulled out. We have some elected Republicans revoking their endorsement of Trump, one saying she will write in Pence instead. Actually that's not a half bad idea for those Republicans who don't want to vote for either Trump or Hillary. I will still vote for Hillary though.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I don't want Pence in there.  (I'm not sure how many exclamation points that warrants.  I'll think on that.  It surely warrants some.)

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I don't want Pence in there.

Well, I don't either, but that would soak up some of those Republican votes that might have otherwise gone for Trump. Pence would not have a chance as a write in candidate. I will have to ask one of my die hard Republican friends who can't stand Trump or Hillary if she would write in Pence.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "…that would soak up some of those Republican votes that might
      have otherwise gone for Trump.
"

Ah, I see. 
The Republican #NeverTrump movement has raised its head again, and is now campaigning for Trump to either resign or to be involuntarily replaced by on the ticket by Pence, who would then be allowed to carry the Republican banner in place of Trump (not in addition to).  I thought you were referencing that.
The Clinton campaign (always prepared) has looked into this possibility and decided that formally replacing Trump with Pence is logistically impossible at this late stage of the game, but some Republicans are still eagerly (or, at least, hopefully) exploring it.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch….  CNN has supposedly found new tapes from Trump's days on Howard Stern's radio show, but I'd heard some of that before.  Still, there are rumors that Hillary's got some real new stuff.  I think the rumors might be started by terrified Republicans seeing disaster behind every bush now, or even by the #NeverTrump Republicans who think the rumor is a weapon, but, then again, maybe it's coming out of the Hillary campaign, and maybe there's even something to it.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

SNL's new skit on the leaked audio

I have a feeling that tonight's debate may top the first in viewership.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…. CNN has supposedly found ‘new’ tapes from Trump's days on Howard Stern's radio show, but I'd heard some of that before.

Yes, I've been hearing about some of that too. The one where they are discussing Ivanka's physical attributes I honestly found rather disturbing. Or to put it another way..."gross". Using slang that may date me.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Trump has been "re-tweeting" overnight one Juanita Broddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of rape back in the 80s.  The allegations were not credible; they were bluntly put, quite incredible, he would have had to have raped her virtually in full view of several people (government people, responsible people) but they've been Radio-Right-Wing staples ever since the allegations were first made.

I think we now know where Trump is gonna take this tonight.  His advisors are against it, but he's got his tweet phone back, so they're not exactly in control of their monster anymore.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Okay, that one was funny.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Politico has by the way, begun to do their own polling (after I told Marcus they didn't do polling; well, they do now). 

      "Nearly three-quarters of Republican voters, 74 percent, surveyed on
      Saturday said party officials should continue to support Trump.
"
       Politico.com

I find that quite incredible.  But, there it is.  It does mean that Hillary's people are correct, the Republican establishment cannot dump Trump.

Marcus said...

Lee: "Trump has been "re-tweeting" overnight one Juanita Broddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of rape back in the 80s. The allegations were not credible; they were bluntly put, quite incredible, he would have had to have raped her virtually in full view of several people (government people, responsible people) but they've been Radio-Right-Wing staples ever since the allegations were first made."

I saw the video with her and I think it feels made up. The tears, the speach, the whole story. Gives me a feeling she's plain lying there. Which obviously is not possible to prove. But to me it looks like an act.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "But to me it looks like an act."

Her allegations were heavily ridiculed at the time as preposterous.  But, Sean Hannity and the rest of the Glenn Hannibaugh clan resurrect them with some regularity and have for near thirty years now--since the mid/late 80s.  They never get beyond the Radio-Right-Wing echo chamber, as responsible media has long ago decided she's almost certainly making the whole thing up.

It says something about Trump that he's going with it these days.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
      "I have a feeling that tonight's debate may top the first in viewership."

This one goes up against NBC's Sunday Night Football (New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers, and NYC is a big market share), so maybe not….

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Poisoned well…

      "[N]early all of the seats that Republicans are projected to lose…
      are those of relatively moderate lawmakers. It’s not the hyper-
      conservative members of the Freedom Caucus who are on the run.
      They’re from safely Republican districts. They’re fine. They’ll be back
      — and, proportionally, they’ll be a bigger, more forceful presence
      among the Republicans remaining in the House.
"
      NYT

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
I'm gonna havta correct my record; it seems Juanita Broddrick made her allegations in the late 90s, not the late 80s.  (‘Seems like a long time’, as the song goes…)

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
In case anyone follows these things other than me…

New observations are calling into question the existance of "dark matter". The idea was that galaxies would fly apart rotating at the speeds they rotate unless there was some unknown, unseen thing (something with gravity) helping to hold them together.

The new observations don't question that, but show that the speed of rotation in these galaxies is exactly correlated to the actual mass one can see.  This means that either "dark matter" is distributed exactly equally with normal matter (kinda unlikely), OR…  Ain't no dark matter and there's some other explanation for why the galaxies ain't comin’ apart and it has to do with real, normal matter, but nobody knows what that explanation might be--they're workin’ on that one.

I've seen this written up a couple of times and finally decided to mention it.  Link  I find it interesting; thought I'd mention it.  But, then again, I don't actually believe in quantum mechanics.  I think they're gonna eventually find a real explanation for those strange phenomena.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I think they're gonna eventually find a real explanation for those strange phenomena.

To everything there is a season. :)

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Trump's got the sniffles again tonight.  Curious.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I noticed that too. Strange.

   Lee C.  ―   U.S.A.     said...

 
Okay, I like this review.  This is from the very conservative magazine The Weekly Standard:

      "There is one important sense in which Donald Trump 'won’ the debate
      on Sunday night: He did not implode. He wasn't ‘good,’ or attractive, or
      knowledgeable. He was coarse and whiny and unpleasant. He lied
      constantly. And he became the first presidential candidate in the history
      of our Republic to promise that if elected he would attempt to have his
      opponent face criminal prosecution. Actually, he went a bit further than
      that, telling Clinton that if he is president, ‘You'd be in jail.’ Which, by
      the by, should terrify you and be disqualifying all on its own.
      "But Trump didn't have a psychotic break onstage. And clearing that
      bar might be enough to keep Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, and Reince
      Priebus from publicly disavowing his candidacy this week.
      "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a win looks like for Trump
      these days.
"