I never, ever thought I would do this.
It is an election year and due to the current circumstances we
haven't really been seeing as many political ads as we normally
would. In fact the media have barely seemed to cover it. With the
pandemic raging it is understandable. But I have seen a few ads and
one stood out. Yes, that's right, I am going to post a political ad.
What struck me about this ad and the reason I sit and listen to it
when it comes on, rather than tune out, is that it is spot on
regarding what America needs now. It is a Biden for President ad,
but even if you don't like Biden and have no intention of voting for
him, listen to what he says. Because he is absolutely right.
The world is in a world of hurt right
now. It needs smart people who really care about something more than
themselves and their own petty agendas to pull us through. And it
needs all of us to care. To care about taking responsibility for our
actions. To care about other people.
If we all care and open our hearts we
can do amazing things. If you don't believe me listen to Emmanuel
Kelly, who has faced a challenging path in life to rise above. Or listen because it's just a beautiful song sung by a man with an amazing voice. ;)
125 comments:
"Trump is now trying to block money the Senate (Republicans mind
you) is trying to allocate for testing and contact tracing of Covid-19."
I decided to bring this forward because it seemed particularly applicable to the title and subject matter of this new posting.
I understand Trump's argument that less testing means less disease (less confirmed disease anyway). I even understand his argument that asymtomatic disease shouldn't be counted in the official totals (even though those asyptomatic are modern day "Typhoid Marys", infecting the vulnerable).
What I don't understand is how he thinks he's going to get Republican Senators to go along with that with an election looming.
I can't figure out how he thinks he's gonna be able to corral the votes for that one.
(Granted, they're not going to be caught complaining about his efforts to quash testing and tracing; complaining about Trump on the record is pretty much verboten within the party these days, but not complaining in public still doesn't mean they'll vote that way.)
What I don't understand is how he thinks he's going to get Republican Senators to go along with that with an election looming.
I have wondered what would happen if the Senate Republicans would actually vote to override any veto Trump may do. Is this what will break the hold Trump has over them?
It appears that Trump has finally realized that not wearing a mask is hurting his chanced of reelection. Or perhaps it is his new campaign manager that has finally got that across to him.
So, now that it is a threat to his reelection chances he has donned a mask. Not because it may curtail the virus, preventing many more deaths, but because it is to his advantage. He still has not done any federal mandate.
One has to wonder how long it will take to sink in that sending in federal "law enforcement" to various cities, like Portland and most recently apparently Chicago, is also counterproductive to his reelection chances? That maybe Americans will not sit still for the kind of draconian measures that are more a characteristic of Putin's Russia?
"Is this what will break the hold Trump has over them?"
No. There'll be no public break with Trump over this.
They'll simply not follow him on the issue of tracing and testing. McConnell will want a token effort by the federal government, at least that, and they'll simply follow McConnell on this one and ignore Trump--just not notice what he wants. But, that leaves me still wonderin' why Trump thought he could pull this one off in the first place.
It is possible that McConnell will find some other item that he can convince Trump is the proper hill to die on instead of testing and tracing, something they can both embrace. And then they can gridlock over that. But McConnell won't go for locking things up over testing and contact tracing.
"…Americans will not sit still for the kind of draconian
measures that are more a characteristic of Putin's Russia…"
His "base" probably will go along with it. They may even cheer. He'll push it until he finds out they won't, assuming they won't, and I'm guessing they'll not only go along, they might even cheer for him on that one.
(I've begun to think he's preparing now to try to set the country on fire after he loses in November.)
"Last October, the Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Johns Hopkins
Center for Health Security compiled a ranking system to assess the
preparedness of 195 countries for the next global pandemic.
Twenty-one panel experts across the globe graded each country in
34 categories composed of 140 subindices. At the top of the
rankings, peering down at 194 countries supposedly less equipped to
withstand a pandemic, stood the United States of America.
"It has since become horrifyingly clear that the experts missed
something."
NewYorkMag
They expound a bit on what it was the experts missed. Basically, the Republicans have abandoned education, science and reason. Starting with Ronald Regan.
NBC News opened their nightly 22 minutes (30 minutes on clock, less 8 minutes of commercials) with a review of Trump's solo "news conference" from today. Trump has done a 180 on several items, advocating universal use of masks in public for one thing--leaving several Republican governors hangin' out there all on their own.
Trump has done a 180 on several items, advocating universal use of masks in public for one thing--leaving several Republican governors hangin' out there all on their own.
This should come as no surprise. Trump only really looks after Trump.
"I've begun to think he's preparing now to try to set the
country on fire after he loses in November."
Just to be clear, I think his move to send Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents into Democratic cities, bearing no insignia, are practice runs for using them later this fall as his own private militia come bad news for Trump in November.
He's training up his own squads of "little green men" to be used against Democratic political strongholds should their population rebel against him seizing executive power after the November elections. The military fairly clearly will not support him if he does that. The CBP just might. So, they need to get practiced up for the coming moment of Trumpian need.
Lynnette, Lee C., and Marcus,
I've collected a series of short video clips for your viewing and commentary. Here's the first one:
Vanguard of the Proletariat.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
He's training up his own squads of "little green men" to be used against Democratic political strongholds should their population rebel against him seizing executive power after the November elections. The military fairly clearly will not support him if he does that. The CBP just might.
I certainly hope it doesn't come to that.
I've collected a series of short video clips for your viewing and commentary.
That video shows a symptom of a serious problem in our country. They have the right to protest, but not the right to infringe on the rights of others. In this case the people who live and work in that neighborhood. Protest, yes, occupy, no.
Having said that I believe it is the the local community's responsibility to deal with it. Which I believe they had started to do. That means I don't believe that Trump should be sending in troops of any sort to interfere. I say this because I am hearing that Trump is intending to send in federal troops to Seattle just like Portland. That is a mistake, big time.
One more thing, did you SEE that guy's hair at 2:25? I mean, seriously!
There are those in the medical community who are saying we should shut the whole country down again. That means only leaving the house for essentials.
"I certainly hope it doesn't come to that."
I hope it doesn't come to that either. I hope Trump loses significantly enough that even his dedicated Trumpkins won't be tempted. But…
We should keep in mind that the Customs and Border Police occupy a unique position in federal law enforcement. Their employment "standards", their required qualifications for employment are significantly lower than those of the FBI or ATF or the U.S. Marshal's, or any other federal law enforcement group--they come in at the dead bottom.
And theirs was the only federal employees' union to support Trump in the 2016 election.
You may be certain that Trump had not forgotten either of these things when he chose them to send in as his strike force without insignia.
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"I've collected a series of short video clips…."
I presume you are the author of the caption "Vanguard of the Proletariat". Quick check with the dictionaries to make sure those words still mean what I thought they meant. I find:
¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
vanguard
***
NOUN
1 A group of people leading the way in new developments or
ideas.
***
2 The foremost part of an advancing army or naval force.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
proletariat
(also proletariate)
***
NOUN
treated as singular or plural
1 Workers or working-class people, regarded collectively
(often used with reference to Marxism)
Oxford definitions
¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯
Your caption translates to your nominating the denizens of the Portland "protest zone" as, "Leaders of the American working class". This begs the question. "Are you entirely nuts"?
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On another subject, a rather more relevant subject I think, I've become curious of late.
You originally reappeared on these pages expressing an interest in how the United States was handling the coronavirus pandemic. It's not a subject you mention much anymore (which I find curious in and of itself, but that's not the subject of my question.)
Looks to me like our federal government has thoroughly botched the federal response to this pandemic virus.
How does it look to you?
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Off topic: Trump has today decreed the cancellation of his planned late August public appearance in Jacksonville, Florida for an acceptance speech for the 2020 Republican Presidential nomination. (It was beginning to look like he'd be addressing a largely empty stadium.) So, he's backing down from the coronavirus pretty much across the board these days. The dedicated Trumpkins must be starting to notice.
"Which I believe they had started to do."
Perhaps I should point out that they had more than "started" to deal with the encampment. They'd gone in and cleaned the "occupiers" out of the area and reëstablished normal conditions several weeks before Trump sent in his "little green men". Around June 18th I believe. So it's been shut down for about a month now.
Lynnette,
That video shows a symptom of a serious problem in our country. They have the right to protest, but not the right to infringe on the rights of others. In this case the people who live and work in that neighborhood. Protest, yes, occupy, no.
I agree. The CHOP only lasted a couple weeks. By then, the locals wanted their neighborhood back and got it. When I have time, I'll dig into the details on that. I think Mayor Durkan may have actually paid off Raz Simone and his gang to vacate the neighborhood. So the CHOP could be viewed as just another hustle.
Having said that I believe it is the the local community's responsibility to deal with it. Which I believe they had started to do.
Trump was smart to let Mayor Durkan clean up her own mess. He could have sent federal troops in. Instead, he simply told her that she had the option to call him for help if she needed it. Good move.
That means I don't believe that Trump should be sending in troops of any sort to interfere. I say this because I am hearing that Trump is intending to send in federal troops to Seattle just like Portland. That is a mistake, big time.
Yep, could be a mistake. Should Trump use the same tactic with Portland as he did with Seattle? Do nothing? Let the mayor own the protesters? Every situation is a little different. Is Portland similar to Seattle?
By the way, for the last six weeks I've followed the daily news for the first time in over a decade and I remember why I stopped following the news. It's a damned waste of time and a joke. Who remembers CHOP or Raz Simone anymore -- and that was just a few weeks ago! I loathe journalists and the media -- media on both the left and the right. I haven't watched TV news, of course, being here in China, and the only newspaper I've read for the last six weeks was the Guardian in London. Even that little exposure turned my stomach. I'm going back to zero news media.
One more thing, did you SEE that guy's hair at 2:25? I mean, seriously!
Being young and protesting against mom and dad and authority is a basic stage of life in America. Yes, the two "enforcers" are sad and pathetic -- but to me mostly funny. They're young. They'll grow out of this stage. As I've said before, a good proportion of the protesters are involved in their personal inner protest theater, where they tell mom and dad they're not happy.
*
Lee C.
The phrase "vanguard of the proletariat" comes from one Vladimir Lenin, who created the concept in a moment of inspiration. Lenin was himself not a member of the working class, so how could he legitimize his position at the head of the workers' party? Well, he reasoned that the working class itself is too stupid to lead themselves so they needed an intellectual group to do that -- the vanguard of the proletariat. That simple reformulation of Marx changed everything, legitimizing the position of the intellectual elite within the workers' revolution. Yes, Lenin was fiendishly clever.
Anyway, I was of course lathering on the irony by titling my video featuring the two feckless enforcers -- one with outsized plug earrings and a gun without a clip and the other with orange spiked hair and a plastic shield attached to his arm -- with the title "Vanguard of the Proletariat."
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
You appear to now be conflating Marx's "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" and Lenin's "Vanguard of the Revolution", and coming up with a unique notion that neither of them ever had.
Be that as it may….
What's your take on the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic?
Lynnette and Lee C.,
Oh, think about this. The two CHOP enforcers are in fact children of real parents. What do you think they see when Plug Earrings and Spike Hair return home for Thanksgiving?
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
Lee C.,
Conflation was intended.
I think Trump has done a fantastic job. What's not to like?
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"Conflation was intended."
Odd then that you'd ascribe your own conflation to Lenin alone. But, I reckon those who believe the "conflation was intended" are apt to believe odd things.
"I think Trump has done a fantastic job."
I guess that's clear enough.
Ciao for now.
Lynnette, Lee C., Marcus, and Petes,
Okay, here's the second short video clip.
Social Justice Warrior.
I had heard about this type of person, but had never actually encountered one. I think this woman is representative. You tell me.
*
Lee C.,
Of course, about Trump I was just yanking yer chain.
If you'd like to tell me what Trump and Fauci should have done, please do. I'm listening.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"I was just yanking yer chain."
Is that what you think you were doing? You flatter yourself.
Lee C.,
Hey, because you and Lynnette have been so unified in your condemnation of Trump, I decided to check out at least one book on him. I chose The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump by Dan P. McAdams, an academic psychologist.
McAdams argues that Donald Trump is unique, not just among politicians but among humans, due to his score on one of Big Five personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
Which one? Take a guess.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"Vanguard of the Proletariat".
With this title the subtle implication that the protesters we are seeing out on the streets of, for example Seattle, will be the start of turning America into a socialist "paradise".
Our only options for government then being between that or the Putinism that Trump embraces, which is closer to fascism.
Personally I believe there is still a middle ground and currently that is Biden.
I hope Trump loses significantly enough that even his dedicated Trumpkins won't be tempted.
You and me, both.
I received an application for a mail in ballot. They are encouraging that here because of the difficulty in getting workers for polling places and to prevent long lines at them. I would do it in a heartbeat but am hesitating because I want very much for my vote to be counted, and I am concerned, not about fraud, but the reliability of the mail.
Perhaps I should point out that they had more than "started" to deal with the encampment.
Well, yes, they did do that. I guess what I meant was that they will still have to deal with the underlying issues that created the protest in the first place.
Should Trump use the same tactic with Portland as he did with Seattle? Do nothing?
Yes.
Yes, the two "enforcers" are sad and pathetic -- but to me mostly funny.
That part was amusing, yes. So was the reporter's reaction..."I think he's following me...why is he following me..."?
The two CHOP enforcers are in fact children of real parents. What do you think they see when Plug Earrings and Spike Hair return home for Thanksgiving?
Their little boys. For parents they never grow up.
If you'd like to tell me what Trump and Fauci should have done, please do. I'm listening.
Trump should have listened more to Fauci and Fauci has done everything he could have done, given the constraints he operates under.
I'll have to view the over video later...things to do...
American deaths from the coronavirus topped 1,100 on Friday (fourth consecutive day that daily deaths exceeded 1,000). WashingtonPost
"What's not to like?"
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China @ Thu Jul 23, 11:47 pm ↑↑
Lee C.,
Death comes for everyone. Even you.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
Lynnette,
When you have time, let me know what's going on in Minneapolis now. Have all the businesses been rebuilt and re-opened?
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"Death comes for everyone."
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China @ Sat Jul 25, 10:29 pm ↑↑
I take it then that you are an atheist.
"…And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
James 11:26 KJV
You have my condolences on the account of your own inevitable death.
Lee C.,
Whoa, rockin' the King James. You really are in the Bible Belt.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
Lee C.,
Oh, there is one personality trait that you and Trump share. Can you guess which one?
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
You seem to have fixated on me over the course of this weekend. (Quick scan of this thread to this point will bear that out.)
That might give folks a hint as to who did get his chain yanked.
I had heard about this type of person, but had never actually encountered one. I think this woman is representative. You tell me.
No clue. But I think there are actually people out there who really do care about social justice and will fight for it. She is just a little louder than most.
Have all the businesses been rebuilt and re-opened?
No. FEMA has refused any aide to that area, so it will need to be rebuilt with local money and money from any other investors who are interested. Cub has set up temporary grocery stores for the neighborhood. There is or will be a temporary post office set up in one of the old big box stores that closed. Some of the smaller markets have started to open, those that weren't too damaged. Like any neighborhood that has been destroyed it will take time to rebuild. But they do intend to rebuild.
Of course, this comes with the constraints from the Covid-19 outbreak.
"FEMA has refused any aide to that area…"
I understand there's been a suggestion of imposed "aid" from the Customs and Border Police instead.
Lynnette,
No. FEMA has refused any aide to that area, so it will need to be rebuilt with local money and money from any other investors who are interested.
I think that's the right decision. Incentivizing trashing of your own business district is not a good idea. If I recall correctly, Trump offered the mayor federal enforcement and the mayor declined. So then we US taxpayers should not be asked to dig into our pockets to pay for the mayor's mess.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"Incentivizing trashing of your own business district is not
a good idea."
Incentivizing? You're implying that federally backed loans are somehow an incentive to those who would have to pay back those loans?
Where the hell did you learn your theories of economics?
(Not to mention that you obviously do not "recall correctly" the full-on defensive crouch the Trump administration went into in the days after the murder of George Floyd.)
Lynnette,
She is just a little louder than most.
I don't think she cares about real social justice at all. It's all about her own feeling of self-righteousness. She places herself on the highest level of value. Only SHE can fix the problem for the people she calls "black, white, and fucking brown."
And what kind of woman wears what looks like a swimming suit to a protest? The funniest part is that she holds her cardboard "Police the Police" sign close to her breasts as though it were a wash cloth in a shower room.
You can see that she's trying to cover the tops of her breasts from the eyes of the Black police officers, as though they won't be able to control themselves if they see her White flesh. This woman is a true racist.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
Lee C.,
Let the mayor and the city dig into their own pockets and extend the loans. They didn't need the help when offered and it's better if they keep rebuilding a local matter.
You could move to Minneapolis and start handing out loans to those business owners.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
"Let the mayor and the city dig into their own pockets
and extend the loans."
Ah, we now disclose a punitive motivation behind withholding FEMA loans. Well, that's at least more honest than promoting the pretense of an economic basis behind your position.
We'll call that an improvement, small improvement, but an improvement.
Here in China, this morning the US consulate in Chengdu lowered the Stars and Stripes and vacated the premises.
Well, last week I went to the US consulate in Shanghai to pick up a new passport. Hm. Maybe cutting that a little close.
Let the decoupling proceed.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
By the way, closing the US consulate in Chengdu hurts far more Chinese than closing the Chinese consulate in Houston hurts Americans. There are far more Chinese who want to come to the US than there are Americans who want to come to China.
China shoots itself in the foot. Typical.
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
The presence of heavy-handed federal agents in Portland has drawn out bigger crowds of protesters, effectively trapping Trump's shock troops inside the federal buildings when they're supposed to be "dominating" the streets for Trump.
So, the Trump administration is now in the process of upping the ante, sending reinforcements to the CBP agents in place in Portland to allow them to once again take to the streets in pursuit of protesters. WashingtonPost
They're hoping to be able to retake the offensive by this coming weekend.
Jeffrey:
Liked your posts, but this quote:
“ You can see that she's trying to cover the tops of her breasts from the eyes of the Black police officers, as though they won't be able to control themselves if they see her White flesh. This woman is a true racist.”
Nope. The “Dems are the real racist” meme is tired and washed out. She probably just instinctively cover and protect herself even against her will BC she instinctively feel that posing sexually as a white woman among several black men is hazardous. Not racist, but a biological survival instinct.
Lee
“ The presence of heavy-handed federal agents in Portland has drawn out bigger crowds of protesters, effectively trapping Trump's shock troops inside the federal buildings when they're supposed to be "dominating" the streets for Trump.”
The problem for Trump is not his feds combatting rioters. But that Barr won’t let the Justcice Department prosecute such rioters. Give ten or twenty of em a lengthy jail sentence for actual crimes committed, such as attacking law enforcement officers, and the rest would just go home.
Now they are operating with impunity with little to lose, so of course even if the Feds haul em off they’ll be back wi5hin a matter of hours, to continue rioting.
Marcus, the last two posts, in case you didn’t guess.
"Barr won’t let the Justcice Department prosecute such rioters."
Well, the rioting was declared in Seattle, and the CBP agents were "protecting" federal buildings in Portland, 180 miles away (290 klicks). Barr's not so much got a problem with "letting" his people prosecute such rioters--he's got a problem with "getting" his people to prosecute. They seem to be reluctant to file the charges, and he's not been able to enforce his will on this one (not so far at least).
However, Trump has found a solution (or thinks he has), he's sending CBP agents in as "reinforcements" to a non-existent garrison of FPS agents in Seattle, and they're hoping to incite another riot in the next couple of days that they can then enforce against.
You can see that she's trying to cover the tops of her breasts from the eyes of the Black police officers, as though they won't be able to control themselves if they see her White flesh.
She probably just instinctively cover and protect herself even against her will BC she instinctively feel that posing sexually as a white woman among several black men is hazardous.
Strange, I'm a woman and I didn't notice anything like that. I guess I will have to go back and review the video. What I noticed was her raising the sign so people would notice it.
(Hmmm...maybe it's a guy thing, they seem more conscious of certain body parts...)
... they're hoping to incite another riot in the next couple of days that they can then enforce against.
That does appear to be the case...maybe a good old fashioned sit in...
Lynnette,
Yeah, it could be a guy thing. Look at the clip again. What is she wearing? Is that a swimming suit or a yoga outfit or what?
Jeffrey -- Ningbo, China
*
Right-winger media is still trying diligently to sell the idea that Trump's recruitment of the CBP to be his preferred "law and order" enforcers is necessary and desirable (FoxNews is going along with that story--more or less--more on that later…). However, it appears that this effort is falling flat with any who aren't already among the dedicated Trumpkins (and they don't need to be sold on Trump, so the story is wasted on them). It's not gaining him voter-share 'cause most folks just ain't buyin' it.
Or so the recent polling appears to indicate.
What is she wearing?
It looks like some sort of workout outfit.
It's not gaining him voter-share 'cause most folks just ain't buyin' it.
It sounds like some sort of agreement has been reached between Oregon and the feds to remove the troops they have in Portland. However, just about in the same breath the government has said they will send troops to other cities.
I would hope this is still America and not Russia lite. That we would object to such unasked for interference by the Trump administration in Trump's effort to look "strong" for his base.
It appears that Trump is making good on his idea of withdrawing forces from Germany. Another poor decision on Trump's part that will waste more taxpayer money. Kind of like his "Great Wall of Trump". There is a reason the man went bankrupt so many times.
It's not at all clear to me that Trump can get enough of those troops moved fast enough for his fit of pique to have much in the way of real world consequences. The damage he can do with that move before 21 January 2021 rolls around may be minor.
Op-Ed by Stuart Stevens in the NewYorkTimes: It's a distillation of his recent book, “It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump”. Stevens is a long-time Republican political maven and most recently a member of The Lincoln Group.
"Mr. Trump has served a useful purpose by exposing the deep flaws
of a major American political party. *** [H]e has made it impossible
to ignore the long-developing fault lines of the Republican Party. A
party rooted in decency and values does not embrace the anger that
Mr. Trump peddles as patriotism."
NYT: In an apparent concession to reality, the CBP agents in Portland, Oregon are preparing to pull out of Portland under cover of darkness (whilst the Trump administration will continue to deny that they're withdrawing).
The Trump administration will now look at other places, hoping to find an easier target, a weaker target, and try again. Got three months 'til the election; he ain't done with this gambit yet.
Ah, you got out in front of me on that one.
Lynnette @ Wed Jul 29, 01:14 pm ↑↑
Lynnette
“ It appears that Trump is making good on his idea of withdrawing forces from Germany. Another poor decision on Trump's part that will waste more taxpayer money. Kind of like his "Great Wall of Trump". There is a reason the man went bankrupt so many times.”
A bit confused here. How is removing 12K active troops from foreign deployment a waste of money?
I mean, if you argued it was detrimental to world security that’d be one thing, but surely you cannot mean it’s an economic waste? Still you seem to do just that, so please explain how it will be more costly to America not to have those 12K troops deployed abroad than keep them in place. And why the US taxpayer is benefiting from paying for something that Germany, a far richer country, could do themselves?
Ok as to “far richer” (since I realize that’s the rabbit hole Lee will enter) lets just say equally rich. The US has a higher GDP per capita, the Germans have less impoverished people and a lower national debt. That the US is bouoyed in GDP/capita by insanely rich people like Bezos hardly make the country itself any richer. So let’s say Germany is about equally rich as the USA.
"And why the US taxpayer is benefiting…"
That's a different matter than that "waste of money" argument. But, in response to the "benefiting" question, Germany is paying part of the costs of those troops' forward deployment. If we were to move them to another forward base in another country we might find the natives less inclined to share the costs.
WashingtonPost": The trial judge in the Michael Flynn case refused to dismiss the charges against Flynn at the request of the DoJ. (Flynn had already pled guilty--further prosecution was not required.) The D.C. Appellate Court, in an opinion by Neomi Rao, a noted "conservative" judge appointed Trump himself, ordered the trial judge to dismiss the case on the DoJ's request anyway. The trial judge asked for the matter to be re-heard by the entire D.C. Appellate Court sitting en banc as they call it.
That request for a rehearing was granted today.
(I'm keeping an eye out for the Supreme Trumpkins to perhaps seize the case, take it away from the appellate court.)
How is removing 12K active troops from foreign deployment a waste of money?
Have you ever moved 12,000 people and their equipment? And found somewhere else for them to live? For those who return to the US are they going to continue in the military or will they be discharged? What of jobs for them in a struggling Covid-19 economy?
The national security argument should be self evident, so I didn't go there.
Although if we had to bring back troops for any reason that too would cost money.
An interesting article in my paper this morning regarding vaccination's for children. Mayo clinic is suggesting that some of the routine vaccinations given to children at the beginning of the school year may prove of some benefit to protecting against Covid.
I didn't get a chance to read it all, but I will tonight and see if I can link to it here.
"Mayo clinic is suggesting that some of the routine vaccinations…"
They may be mistaking a "cross-reaction", where the coronavirus is setting off an immune response left over from prior bouts of corona-related "common cold" infections. Recent observations have led some medicos to believe there's some of that "cross-reaction" going on among a portion of the population, and kids are more likely to have had a case of the common cold recently than are somewhat more resistant prime-of-life type adults.
Three ex-Presidents spoke at John Lewis' funeral today.
Trump didn't even attend.
(John Lewis being John Lewis, Trump would have been welcomed by Lewis and by his surviving family. Trump did hope to attend the funeral of John McCain--who was less inclined to be the forgiving sort, as was McCain's surviving family who publicly disinvited Trump, although they did (somewhat reluctantly) allow Trump's daughter to attend But Trump showed no interest at all in attending Lewis' funeral.)
Trump's tweeted speculation today about requesting the November election be postponed came within minutes after the government announced the largest quarterly economic contraction on record--topping both the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Great Recession of 2008.
Within minutes Trump was on Twitter speculating about putting off the Presidential elections until later.
It's called, grabbing peoples' attention away. Seems to have worked too, some anyway, although not as well as that sort of thing used to work for him.
Here's a link to that article about routine vaccines maybe helping with Covid.
Vaccines for everything from influenza to measles provide partial protection against COVID-19, according to new Mayo Clinic research, suggesting that parents should get children up to date on shots before school this fall, and senior citizens should schedule their vaccinations before the winter flu season.
People showed a 28% reduction in COVID-19 risk if they received the PCV13 pneumonia vaccine in the past year compared with those who didn’t, and a 43% reduction if they received the polio vaccine before travels to at-risk locations, the study showed.
While the population-based study has limitations and was posted online Tuesday without peer review, Mayo officials said there is little harm in using the results to encourage people to seek shots that are recommended anyway.
Lynnette
“Have you ever moved 12,000 people and their equipment? And found somewhere else for them to live? For those who return to the US are they going to continue in the military or will they be discharged? What of jobs for them in a struggling Covid-19 economy? “
No I have never moved 12k troops and their equipment. But I do know the USA can handle that in a matter of weeks. If they can deploy tens of thousands of troops to go to war, surely they can re deploy them in peace time.
So in your analogy really what you should do is ship a few million troops overseas bc then they won’t be adding to that Corona scare unemployment back home and for some magical reason it’s free of costs to have troops deployed overseas? That about right?
(The most achy thing here is it it was Obama who brought troops home you’d be salivating at it, but now that it’s Trump doing it it’s the worst thing ever)
It's called, grabbing peoples' attention away. Seems to have worked too, some anyway, although not as well as that sort of thing used to work for him.
Yes, well, the economic degradation will last longer than his words on delaying the election. It's not going anywhere for a while.
Republican lawmakers are still using their positions to attack Dr. Fauci. In this case Jordan was trying to get Fauci to say that the government should limit protests because of the spread of Covid-19. I think Fauci did a decent job of holding his own in this exchange. But it is just another case where Trump supportors in government are running over for his poor choices, such as sending federal forces to various cities to "quell unrest".
"Here's a link to that article about routine vaccines…there is
little harm in using the results to encourage people…"
Well, I'm not currently due for any routine vaccines. And I don't reckon I'll rush out to get scheduled for any unusual vaccinations either. Not on the basis of that data.
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"Yes, well, the economic degradation will last longer than
his words on delaying the election."
Nevertheless, Trump is an opportunist. He's always lookin' for an unexpected advantage to grab at amidst the chaos that he causes. (May not be any opportunities open up, but he's always lookin', just in case.)
So it was necessary that the system push back against his trial balloon about putting off the election. Otherwise he'll take the lack of push back for weakness on that front and start actually planning something along those lines.
"Trump supportors in government are running [c]over for his poor choices…"
There are a few starting to pull away just a little, as the magnitude of 2020 becomes nearer and clearer to them. None of them want to go far enough to draw Trump's attention though. Not yet.
There will be a Republican reckoning after the election if (as I now think more likely than not) Trump costs them their Senate majority as well getting himself soundly rejected by the remaining American "swing" voters. Gonna get interesting to watch starting in mid-November, maybe earlier.
"The most achy thing here is it it was Obama who brought
troops home you’d be salivating at it…"
She might not; I'm the one who thinks we're too invested in NATO. However, one thing we do know and that's if Obama had decided to draw down troops from Germany it'd have been after a reasoned analysis of the costs, benefits, and needs of the country. You may or may not have agreed with the conclusion, but it'd have been a rationally based decision.
Trump did it just to "show the bitch", on impulse, no further thought than to just "show the bitch". That's just bad leadership. (Even you should be against patently bad leadership decisions.)
It’s still good policy for America. It will save you a whole bunch of money and will be a signal to NATO allies they can no longer go cheap on their “alliance” and expect Uncle Sam to pick up the slack. Which you as well as I know they’ve been doin for many years now.
And if Obama would have thought seriously and started committees and whatnot, sure, fine, but after all he didn’t do nuffin.
Trump saw it and did something. And that’s what a leader is supposed to do.
"…and will be a signal to NATO allies they can no longer go
cheap on their “alliance” and expect Uncle Sam to pick up the slack."
More than likely it will be a signal to not make fun of Trump in an election year, which is what Merkel did that set Trump off this time. (The troops are being redeployed to Belgium and Italy, neither of which have met Trump's declared minimum of 2% of GDP for defense spending. I don't think either of them even match Germany's defense investment. So it's unlikely anybody else is gonna draw the erroneous conclusion you've apparently been spoon-fed.)
Huh! I missed that comment from Marcus earlier. It snuck in when I was posting.
So in your analogy really what you should do is ship a few million troops overseas bc then they won’t be adding to that Corona scare unemployment back home and for some magical reason it’s free of costs to have troops deployed overseas? That about right?
Nope. I believe the status quo should be maintained. Not just because Lee is right and I don't believe we should abandon an ally, but because it's really, really a bad time to be making major moves like that. There being a raging pandemic and economic collapse taking place...
(The most achy thing here is it it was Obama who brought troops home you’d be salivating at it, but now that it’s Trump doing it it’s the worst thing ever)
Wrong again. I didn't always agree with Obama on foreign policy, Syria being a case in point. So, no, if Obama had wanted to withdraw troops from Germany, which he was smart enough not to do, I would not have agreed with him.
It’s still good policy for America.
It's good policy for Russia, which comes as an added bonus for Trump.
And, just incidentally, now we have to build bases in Belgium and Italy to replace the facilities in Germany that we're not gonna use now.
This is something I've been wondering about all along.
One big mystery: Why do some people get very sick and even die from their illness, while other similar people show no symptoms and may not realize they've been infected at all?
"Why do some people get very sick…"
I haven't run across any credible speculations in answer to that. Still a mystery to me.
By the way, federal CBP agents in Portland, Oregon have been confined to their posts for three nights in a row now, not allowed to hit the streets to "meet and greet" supposedly advancing Antifa revolutionaries bent on doing damage to the Portland federal court building.
The result has been three nights of peace (if not quiet) in the streets. The protests have been peaceable and the night-time protests have even been winding down, crowds getting smaller each night.
It all appears to endorse the views presented by Oregon state and City of Portland officials, that most of the night time protesters were out in the streets because the feds had been seizing protesters off the streets. And they just didn't like that.
The result has been three nights of peace (if not quiet) in the streets. The protests have been peaceable and the night-time protests have even been winding down, crowds getting smaller each night.
Yup. Trump was just stirring the pot.
Lynnette, I watched the Biden promo video you posted. Doesn't it scare you? In an advertisement that should have the highest production qualities, Biden slurs his words multiple times. "Leadership that can UNINE us ... That's what the PREZZIZZIZZY is ... It's all SSISSSTAKE". I hope to god it's his badly fitting teeth and not dementia. Otherwise your choice in November is between senility and moronism. God help America!
Biden suffers from a fairly common, and fairly widely known, speech impediment. He's been so afflicted since early childhood.
Some people still try to promote that fairly minor disability as proof of a mental deficiency. Most of us know better. I presume Lynnette knows better.
You seem to be afflicted by the delusion that the comment was addressed to you. I've no doubt that arrogance goes back to childhood too. I'm sure Lynnette is pleased with yer perennial need to answer for her.
"You seem to be afflicted by the delusion that the comment
was addressed to you."
Nope, no such affliction. Rather, I just didn't give a damn about your preferences.
"WASHINGTON — On the second Friday in June, a group of political
operatives, former government and military officials, and academics
quietly convened online for what became a disturbing exercise in the
fragility of American democracy.
"The group, which included Democrats and Republicans, gathered to
game out possible results of the November election…. How far could
[Trump] go to preserve his power? And what if Democrats refuse to
give in?
"'All of our scenarios ended in both street-level violence and political
impasse,'
"Using a [war game model] that is a fixture of military and national
security planning [war game Trump] and his Republican allies used
every apparatus of government — the Postal Service, state
lawmakers, the Justice Department, federal agents, and the military
— to hold onto power, and Democrats took to the courts and the
streets to try to stop it."
BostonGlobe
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
"The success of a victim leaving an abuser depends largely on her
willingness to anticipate her abuser's violent reaction when she tries
to get out. Having a clearly thought-out escape plan can be the
difference between getting away successfully or getting hurt.
"Similarly, Americans will need an escape plan to get away from
Trump. Even if our institutions successfully hold up well enough that
a new president takes office in January, the amount of damage
Trump can do to the country in his scorched-earth efforts to hang
onto power is terrifying to contemplate. We need to understand that
he will not be held back by conscience or decency from doing
physical harm to Americans or destroying even backbone institutions,
and plan accordingly."
Salon
Lynnette:
“ Wrong again. I didn't always agree with Obama on foreign policy, Syria being a case in point. So, no, if Obama had wanted to withdraw troops from Germany, which he was smart enough not to do, I would not have agreed with him.”
First os all not ALL US troops are to be removed from Germany. Second, what is it that you worry so about really? Do you think that the Russians are willing and able to come storming through the Fulda gap with a tank army and take over Germany and Western Europe, like the Soviets at one point in time probably could have wanted but probably couldn’t have accomplished.
Or is it that you fear if you stop being the protector of Germany they will decide to use their compared to Russia far greater industrial sector to arm up themselves and a new Hitler will rise?
What is it that you’re worried about, So much that you absolutely want US tax payer money to be poured into the protection of Germany. please explain bc I don’t get it.
Doesn't it scare you? In an advertisement that should have the highest production qualities, Biden slurs his words multiple times.
Sometimes the message and the messenger come in unusual forms. You needed to listen closely with your heart to the message, in both videos, to understand.
Do I fear a Biden presidency? Not at all. Do I fear a continuation of a Trump presidency? Most definitely.
This is far more than just an election. This is a choice all Americans must make on the continuation of their democracy as they know it. Marcus mentions Hitler in a later comment. How did Hitler come to be? Because good people did nothing.
God help America!
This part of your comment I agree with entirely.
Btw, it's nice to see you are well. Too many people are disappearing due to Covid-19.
What is it that you’re worried about, So much that you absolutely want US tax payer money to be poured into the protection of Germany. please explain bc I don’t get it.
I fear perception, Marcus. Those 12,000 soldiers are a drop in the bucket compared to what Russia has on hand to throw into any kind of incursion into Europe if they so chose. Do I think they are going to do that any time soon? Probably not. But, what I want our allies in Germany and elsewhere to understand is that America still stands for democracy and not something else. Even more do I want our adversaries to understand that as well. So, yes, I want those soldiers to stay at taxpayer expense to make that clear to all of the world. It is a waste of taxpayer money to bring them home, if at some point in time they will need to go back to make what I just said clear.
All of our scenarios ended in both street-level violence and political
impasse
I sincerely hope they are wrong in that. I am thinking they did not look at all scenarios.
But I will read those links tonight...
I started Mary Trump's book last night. I have just read the prologue and will let you know what I think when I have finished. It is a short book, but it is well written and I suspect holds critical information. She seems an intelligent person, unlike her Uncle.
Lynnette
“ I fear perception, Marcus. Those 12,000 soldiers are a drop in the bucket compared to what Russia has on hand to throw into any kind of incursion into Europe if they so chose. ”
Oh my sweet summer child.
Really, Lynnette, there is NOTHING of a threat to Western Europe, even without your so called forward deployed troops, that Russia could ever muster. Yes, of course after a nuclear first strike they could rule the ruins, but why would they want to (as they would be nuked too)
Look, the only reason the Germans lost in ww2 was bc their oil reserves ran out and they fought a 2 front war. The Germans are perfectly capable of beating back any Russian offense all of there own. And they wouldn’t even be on their own, they’d have the EU backing them. They surely don’t need the USA for protection against them evil russkies.
"Look, the only reason the Germans lost in ww2 was bc their oil
reserves ran out and they fought a 2 front war."
Our armchair general thinks he's fighting the last war. It's a common mistake. But seldom are the generals so up front and enthusiastic about making that mistake.
Trump's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niv7v7w9qWU>Axios interview</a> was like the flaming Hindenburg falling on a car crash that got mixed up in a train wreck. Someone needs to tell him the world is looking at the American Covid situation and shaking its head. Mind you, the UK is doing a lot of tut-tutting and its far worse per capita than any of the countries it's tut-tutting about, including the US.
Oops! Lack of practice ;-)
This one is better. When I say "better" I mean it better shows that the elected president of the United States is a complete moron, god help us. And if he loses the election you're gonna get the most senile preznit since Reagan (who was younger than Trump, let alone Biden, when he took office). Oh well, gotta just hope that Biden's handlers keep US debt under $30 trillion and 150% of GDP ... and hope the world doesn't notice that y'all's writin' rubber cheques.
"just hope that Biden's handlers keep US debt under $30 trillion
and 150% of GDP ... and…"
There's a pattern, consistent at least since the Nixon Administration. The Republicans both cut taxes and spend money like drunken sailors when there's a Republican in the White House.
They immediately become major budget hawks upon the installation of a Democratic administration, opposing both the return to taxation levels that might pay off the debt they ran up, and also opposing pretty much all non-defense spending.
This pattern will almost certainly continue post-Trump.
The top ten preznits for debt increases by percentage are evenly split between Dems and GOP. Eight of them are from Nixon onward, and they're evenly split too. (The other two -- Wilson and Roosevelt -- had WW1 and the Depression as excuses). Nope, the US is not so partisan when it comes to profligacy.
"The top ten preznits for debt increases by percentage…"
A bogus, meaningless statistic. As you point out, eight of the ten are "from Nixon onward", which means all eight of them since Nixon except Gerald Ford, who didn't even serve a full term (having taken over the office from Nixon when Nixon resigned). Nixon was the 37th President--Trump is the 46th; the math is easy.
You're just taking advantage of the intervening monetary inflation to pump up an otherwise meaningless data point into a pretense of significance.
We realise from past experience, of course, the extent of yer mathematical iggerance. So this will fall on deaf ears, but the exponential nature of inflation makes percentage increases in debt the only useful metric. Maybe y'all imagine that comparing the absolute increases under Wilson and Trump makes some kinda sense. (Hint: it dudn't). In any case, yer lack of a counterargument shows you up fer a zealot havin' a whinge. When ya got somethin' other than a whinge, I'm listenin'. (Only jokin'... I don't give a rat's ass what ya got to say. That's from past experience too).
Really, Lynnette, there is NOTHING of a threat to Western Europe, even without your so called forward deployed troops, that Russia could ever muster.
The Russians have become adept at cyber warfare. Their new form of attack is to undermine from within. We saw it in Ukraine, we saw it in our 2016 election, and I believe we saw it in the run up to Brexit. They have always been more adept at propaganda than are we and they have taken that to the next level via the internet.
The only way to combat that is to encourage and educate people on critical thinking. That is, not to take things at face value. Always double check facts and form your own opinions rather than be led by the thundering herd.
Troops in Europe are the physical manifestation of America's support for our allies. People still like the tangible things they can see and "touch". It's reassuring to know someone has your back. No matter how powerful your own capability.
I read both articles last night, Lee, after my nap. Both portray disturbing possibilities for our future. But I still think there is a long time before the November elections. Things can change on a dime. Trump has been playing fast and loose with a deadly virus, at least for people of his age. He is also, as Petes pointed out about his latest interview, showing himself as the incompetent person he is to a huge number of people who vote. There may come a time when enough people realize what he is and simply stand aside and stop supporting him. Troops won't always fight for someone they don't respect.
"…inflation makes percentage increases in debt the only useful metric."
Another thoroughly bogus argument. Like Trump, when you get called you just double down on stupid. (The annual budget was balanced, actually showing a surplus, by the time Bill Clinton ended his two terms as President. That's a useful "metric" by any sane analysis.)
You're too smart to be writing such stupid things. It's gotta be intentional. (You figure Marcus is still stupid enough to think you make sense is my guess. Also my guess that you're wrong, that he's got you figured out as well, but likes to pretend anyway.)
A letter in my paper the other day says it all:
In another forum, I read comments from a local supporter of President Donald Trump noting that the economy and employment were strong until Covid-19 hit, somehow endorsing Trump's management. Yes, and the pilot of the Titanic was doing fine until that pesky iceberg started causing trouble.
"I read comments from a local supporter of President Donald Trump
noting that the economy and employment were strong until Covid-19 hit."
It should be helpful to point out to the Trumpkins that the strong economy and the favorable employment trend were both created under President Obama, and that the best Trump could manage was to only slow the economic expansion by a little bit, almost not enough to notice.
But, in point of fact, nothing makes much difference to the dedicated Trumpkins.
"Troops won't always fight for someone they don't respect."
There's a second part to that I had meant to address, but I got my attention diverted.
I think it's quite probable that the Pentagon and the DoD in general won't support a Trumpian bid to hold on to office absent a win for Trump in 2020. The top generals seem genuinely appalled by him. Indeed, the officer corp in general seems to view him unfavorably (The non-commissioned officers and grunts seem to lean the other way--but the evidence is a little thin for the idea they'd back a Trumpkin coup.) I think the lower ranks are less likely to fall in behind Trump without their officer corps throwing in their support as well.
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On the question of Marcus' belief in German military prowess…
I think I might point out that Germany still doesn't have any native oil reserves, nor would Germany be able to retaliate with nukes should the Russians decide to nuke Germany. (Germany got no nukes.)
I think I might point out that Germany still doesn't have any native oil reserves...
Yes, I thought about that as well. Russia, on the other had, has quite a bit.
But, and this is a big but, it is still Russia, where things are not always well run. We always seem to talk about American weaknesses, but we never seem to discuss weaknesses within our adversaries. Maybe it's just a natural behavior, to look at ourselves first.
Of course, we do seem to be fast approaching incompetence due to our current administration.
The massive explosion at Beirut harbor apparently was caused by ammonium nitrate, which was off loaded from a Russian ship a number of years ago after the enterprise went belly up. The powers that be in Lebanon failed to heed the numerous warnings of officials at the port about the hazardous material.
Strange, that somehow sounds familiar. What other officials do not heed warnings of experts?
"The powers that be in Lebanon failed to heed the numerous
warnings of officials at the port about the hazardous material."
I was given to understand from last night's news programs that the "powers that be in Lebanon" have now responded to those numerous warnings by issuing arrest warrants for the "officials at the port"
Ezra Klein, writing in Vox, speculates on the future of the Republican Party post-Trump. Will it return to its roots as the plutocrat friendly party of Mitt Romney or will it fully morph into the white grievance party of Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson?
(This is another way, a rather more high-brow way, of looking at the inevitable Republican schism I've been preaching about for several years now.)
Klein thinks it's going all in for Tucker Carlson. I think he's probably right.
He also thinks there's a very real danger that the Republicans will be successful in their efforts to undermine the American experiment in democracy. I hope he's wrong on that one.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention, Klein's article takes the form a a book review on the book Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality.
And, another point I forgot the first time:
"The annual budget was balanced, actually showing a surplus,
by the time Bill Clinton ended his two terms as President."
Lee C. @ Wed Aug 05, 10:10 am ↑↑
And then next Democratic administration, under Barack Obama, reduced the annual deficit from the almost $1 Trillion that was the final Bush budget, to just under half that by the end of Obama's two terms, and that whilst shepherding the financial recovery that Donald Trump would later claim was his doing.
The pattern remains clear: Annual deficits go up under Republican administrations; they go down under Democratic administrations (although not as much as they go up under Republicans).
These are "useful metrics", notwithstanding the bullshit arguments of Petes to the contrary.
PBS' syndicated columist, Mark Shields, noted today that the Republican Senate has gotten suddenly parsimonious about covid-19 relief funds. Now they're suddenly all appalled at the size of the national deficit.
His analysis, with which I concur, is that the Republican Senators have determined that Trump is toast in November, and we're looking at a new Democratic administration taking office in January. (Starting at 7:10 into the segment)
So, suddenly they're resistant to authorizing the necessary funds to fight the spread of the virus and hold off economic collapse.
I've noted this pattern before:
"The Republicans both cut taxes and spend money like
drunken sailors when there's a Republican in the White
House.
"They immediately become major budget hawks upon the
installation of a Democratic administration…opposing pretty
much all non-defense spending.
"This pattern will almost certainly continue post-Trump."
Lee C. @ Tue Aug 04, 10:20 pm ↑↑
Obviously, I ain't the only one who's noticed this pattern.
PBS' syndicated columist, Mark Shields, noted today that the Republican Senate has gotten suddenly parsimonious about covid-19 relief funds.
They are leaving open the possibility that a Democratic Senate will be more generous.
If I remember right it was a Republican controlled White House that got us into a Great Depression and a Democratic controlled White House that got us out.
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