Politics-What's on your mind?

[kittygrrl]

This is a thread to exchange ideas and views on what is happening currently in U.S. I would love it if everyone stays positive but even if you can't try to understand the other person's point of view. Differences of opinion are fine but let's be kind about it. Also another rule, no rehashing of 2016. It's only relevance is that the propaganda against some of the candidates kept people home and felt their vote didn't count. Let's not let that happen again!!!@@ Understanding each other's point of view is so important. Being heard is important. We don't have to agree but while we breath we are capable of listening & digesting other points of view. There is nothing to be afraid of but fear itself. Fear & Anger are the mind killers. Let's win in 2020!!!@@ Oh.....and ALL opinions are Welcome!!@@ You don't have to be U.S to come here and have a point of view! Welcome!!!@@

[kittygrrl]

My thoughts...i haven't been too involved in any of the political threads of late for personal reasons. Mostly having to do with the passionate defence and offense i took with certain points of view and one candidate in particular in 2016. I was insufferable and full of angst and where did it get me? Nowhere. I like to think I can learn from my mistakes. I miss Anya. I wish she were here to share how she feels. I've no real favorites at this point. I was really into Senator Kamela Harris at one point but lately she just comes off as smug and commercial...Warren is just out there with her latest idea of breaking up all the big tech companies. We are not living in Utopia and it's a pretty extreme point of view. I can see where facebook needs government oversight at this point because they keep using the personal information they gather to make money. ie, the latest, is our personal phone numbers they are selling...all of this seems out of control with Trump's attack on our freedom and the big tech companies trying to grab the rest...what are we supposed to do???? How can we protect ourselves???@@ Currently i'm more in the mood of asking questions and hearing what others think.....this helps me to think more clearly...is this weird??..don't know but it works for me..

[homoe]

I think I may enjoy posting in this thread more than the other political ones simply because it's called.........

Politics-What's on your mind?

What might be on my mind won't necessarily be on yours, and that's perfectly fine! I, like Kittygrrl, hope we can stay on the positive and kind side!

[kittygrrl]

just woke up ..just thinking of beto documentary on himself..umm i am just wondering why he made it? maybe he believes he's an icon or reincarnated kennedy?...he has a lot of oil & gas money behind him...so climate change isn't his thing. i'm curious why he was so popular and why he thinks he would be a good president?..just seems like more of the same, from here.:confused:

[kittygrrl]

CNN Townhall w/ Pete Buttigieg! LKTlVH2EKIg

[cathexis]

What I'm concerned about is US involvement in other country's business, particularly Venezuela. I think we need to get out and stop trying to have a coup de tat against Meduro. It seems that most Venezuelans don't want us there interfering with their Sovereignty.

The US "humanitarian aid" was blocked by their people. They don't want to deal with the strings attached. Our Country is causing the blackout. Do we actually want people to be so gullable as to believe that a country with that much oil/natural gas is unable to keep their grid up! PLEASE.

Venezuelans want us out, Cuba has assured them that they won't face this alone. Bolivia is with them, as well. The US needs to bug out of Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. If they want to change their government, let them be. Countries in South America have been trying to have Socialist revolutions since before Che Guevara started working with them.
How can we prevent the US from making war in the region?

[Martina]

Maduro needs to go, but we're making it worse. So rare for US intervention to make it better. When it could help but it's not in "our interest," we don't bother, like in Rwanda. I get that the UN and Europe are worse than useless, but we almost never help. Maybe Haiti in 94, but Clinton admits he wouldn't have intervened there if he hadn't just royally screwed up re Rwanda. It's rare that we help and common that we spread destruction and death.

[kittygrrl]

On my mind-Should we impeach? In a perfect world, yes but to be honest I don't think it would ever clear the Senate. The extreme left would like to do it anyway..i don't think they are thinking too clearly. The moral high ground doesn't really work in the real world. The House would have enough votes, the Senate would cancel them out and who would win? If history is any indication, Trump would become even more popular. It seems the populus {at large) has gotten use to a lying, greedy, amoral President as the norm. The best we can do is get a decent candidate to run against him and concentrate on turning out the vote.

Also i keep hearing about Beto running...i'm so over it!!!@@

[Martina]

I don't like agreeing with Pelosi, but I agree that impeachment is a waste of time. Better to concentrate on electing Democratic Senators as well as a new President.

[MsTinkerbelly]

I’m not certain if ANYONE would be worse than Trump, but should he be impeached we will have Pence as President (unless they prove crimes against him), and we (the gays) would be under attack.

It’s like asking if you want to be tortured by electrocution until dead, or if you want to be water boarded until dead...you are still dead!

With the House under control of the Democrats, Trump is a little more limited in the damage he can do; voting him out seems our best avenue at the moment. That could change, if the crimes found by Mueller are enough to force him to be indicted and tried as the criminal he has always been.

[~ocean]

I agree tinker totally ~ Pelosi said it perfect impeachment of Trump ~ He's just not worth it.

[homoe]

I don't like agreeing with Pelosi, but I agree that impeachment is a waste of time. Better to concentrate on electing Democratic Senators as well as a new President.



:goodpost:.......

[Orema]

I agree tinker totally ~ Pelosi said it perfect impeachment of Trump ~ He's just not worth it.

I think he’s not worth the effort only because it would be a useless effort.

And it’s exactly what he and his following would use to position him as a victim.

Still, history will not be kind to Trump, McConnel, Graham, Collins, Ryan, the lot of them. There is that.

[kittygrrl]

saw Beto rollout....hohum...but i'm possibly jaded...i like mayor pete best so far..he answers directly..i like that..and it's hard for me to like anything about politics these days...

[tantalizingfemme]

I am pretty politically active in my state. There has been so much infighting that there is a huge divide within the democratic party. Splinter groups are created regularly. If this is indicative of what is happening nationally, I believe we will have Trump back for 4 more years.

[C0LLETTE]

I'm curious. What exactly is so appealing about Beto except that he is tall ? What desperate battle has he ever fought; what position has he ever defended that would have have threatened his position of white (tall ) privilege?

Non- Americans may have no say in the voting in American political elections. But I assure you we have a huge stake in the outcome.

[Kätzchen]

I'm choosing to believe in people making a better choice, come the next presidential election. I know that for me, I will be voting a democratic ticket, for whoever the Democratic nominee turns out to be.

I don't believe that Americans will stand by and watch out country go down in flames. It's seems fairly obvious, each day that goes by, that journalists are keeping Americans apprised of the highly politically charged issues our country is facing.

It's never too late to do the right thing, so that's what's been on my mind and it's what I'm choosing to believe in.

I also feel that Democrats in the US House are working a relentless schedule, and keeping on top of things that needs the attention it deserves, as well as The Press.

<<<<<<<~~~ Voting Blue (Democratic Ticket).

[CherylNYC]

I’m not certain if ANYONE would be worse than Trump, but should he be impeached we will have Pence as President (unless they prove crimes against him), and we (the gays) would be under attack.

It’s like asking if you want to be tortured by electrocution until dead, or if you want to be water boarded until dead...you are still dead!

With the House under control of the Democrats, Trump is a little more limited in the damage he can do; voting him out seems our best avenue at the moment. That could change, if the crimes found by Mueller are enough to force him to be indicted and tried as the criminal he has always been.

I disagree. A person who commits a crime should face legal consequences. Any/every person. When, (or if), the Mueller report ever comes out the legislature must act in accordance with the US Constitution. No matter what. Trump has been undermining so many of our institutions on a daily basis that I fear for our future. Failure of the legislative branch to act as a co-equal branch of government with appropriate oversight of the Executive branch further undermines the rule of law.

Yes, Pence is scary. No, I don't think acting as if he's an insurance policy against impeachment is the right plan. Excusing a sitting President from responsibility for his crimes would be remarkably shortsighted. Let's remember that this is all playing out against a backdrop of howling mad keyboard warriors from the left who started calling for Trump's impeachment before that evil f*ck even took office. Impeachment is a drastic action taken against someone who has committed high crimes and misdemeanors WHILE IN OFFICE! Those premature calls for impeachment undermined the credibility of anyone who has legitimately called for impeachment ever since.

Frankly, I doubt that Pelosi intends to protect Trump from impeachment. I think she's positioning herself for maximum credibility when the Mueller report is finally released. Assuming that the Mueller report finds criminal malfeasance on Trump's part, (treason, obstruction of justice, etc.), I expect Pelosi to initiate impeachment at that point.

[kittygrrl]

It’s like asking if you want to be tortured by electrocution until dead, or if you want to be water boarded until dead...you are still dead!



I am absorbing all the interesting comments in this thread...compact thought (with intelligence) said beautifully!!@@

I especially love MsTinkerbell's funny observation about choosing!@@..I'm going to use it in rt, hope she won't mind!:byebye:

[MsTinkerbelly]

I am absorbing all the interesting comments in this thread...compact thought (with intelligence) said beautifully!!@@

I especially love MsTinkerbell's funny observation about choosing!@@..I'm going to use it in rt, hope she won't mind!:byebye:

I disagree. A person who commits a crime should face legal consequences. Any/every person. When, (or if), the Mueller report ever comes out the legislature must act in accordance with the US Constitution. No matter what. Trump has been undermining so many of our institutions on a daily basis that I fear for our future. Failure of the legislative branch to act as a co-equal branch of government with appropriate oversight of the Executive branch further undermines the rule of law.

Yes, Pence is scary. No, I don't think acting as if he's an insurance policy against impeachment is the right plan. Excusing a sitting President from responsibility for his crimes would be remarkably shortsighted. Let's remember that this is all playing out against a backdrop of howling mad keyboard warriors from the left who started calling for Trump's impeachment before that evil f*ck even took office. Impeachment is a drastic action taken against someone who has committed high crimes and misdemeanors WHILE IN OFFICE! Those premature calls for impeachment undermined the credibility of anyone who has legitimately called for impeachment ever since.

Frankly, I doubt that Pelosi intends to protect Trump from impeachment. I think she's positioning herself for maximum credibility when the Mueller report is finally released. Assuming that the Mueller report finds criminal malfeasance on Trump's part, (treason, obstruction of justice, etc.), I expect Pelosi to initiate impeachment at that point.

** kittygirl i’m Flattered

I did not advocate that Trump NOT be charged or impeached, I only pointed out that you (collective you) should be careful what you wish for.

[Kätzchen]

Yesterday, late in the evening, I had come across a channel on YouTube, authored by Robert Reich. I like what he is doing, by creating videos to help educate the general public on what is factual vs what is not factual.

Here's a few of his videos, in case anyone would like to see what Robert Reich is up too, lately. It's timely, I think, because currently factual information is hard to come by, when a person doesn't really know the backstory of how America has gone from point A to point B, then from point Z back to point C, and so forth.

Here's four videos I felt answered some questions I had about missing elements in oft repeated stories we hear in the news concerning taxes, the deficit, privatization, etc.

See what you think about the message Robert Reich is making via his videos in order to counter misinformation or disinformation we often encounter while reading news articles or while listening to news on the radio or TV.

Video 1: What's The Real American Story? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvCtwDAQta0)

Video 2: The Monopolization of America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLfO-2t1qPQ)

Video 3: The Truth About Privatization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wYHRWo2Ins)

Video 4: The Yuge Republican Lie About The Deficit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuG_2SSNj-o)

[dark_crystal]

I am pretty politically active in my state. There has been so much infighting that there is a huge divide within the democratic party. Splinter groups are created regularly. If this is indicative of what is happening nationally, I believe we will have Trump back for 4 more years.

I feel like that divide is very generational, and we have to address it as generational

I listened to two episodes of Chapo Traphouse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapo_Trap_House) this week-- one where the hosts had attended CPAC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Political_Action_Conference) and one where Costas Lapavitsas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costas_Lapavitsas) explained how the EU is undemocratic.

One thing that stood out in each podcast was their observation that Generation X is missing from the extremes on both sides: CPAC was all Boomers or Millennials, and the Socialist movement in Europe is the same-- either young folks or older folks, no Xers.

Both Boomers and Millennials are overrepresented in the online discourse, bc one group has lots of time and one group has lots of skills. Xers are underrepresented.

This has allowed the extremes to disproportionately drive the discourse.

This has worked out OK for Republicans, bc they are ultrapartisan, and vote in lockstep even if they have to hold their nose-- but it is NOT going to work for Democrats. We are tribal, too, but on a much smaller scale.

Tons of Dems held their nose and voted for Hillary, but i believe even more Republicans were holding their nose for Trump.

That is why we're screwed. Republicans can elect a hold-your-nose candidate. Dems can't.

[tantalizingfemme]

I feel like that divide is very generational, and we have to address it as generational

I listened to two episodes of Chapo Traphouse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapo_Trap_House) this week-- one where the hosts had attended CPAC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Political_Action_Conference) and one where Costas Lapavitsas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costas_Lapavitsas) explained how the EU is undemocratic.

One thing that stood out in each podcast was their observation that Generation X is missing from the extremes on both sides: CPAC was all Boomers or Millennials, and the Socialist movement in Europe is the same-- either young folks or older folks, no Xers.

Both Boomers and Millennials are overrepresented in the online discourse, bc one group has lots of time and one group has lots of skills. Xers are underrepresented.

This has allowed the extremes to disproportionately drive the discourse.

This has worked out OK for Republicans, bc they are ultrapartisan, and vote in lockstep even if they have to hold their nose-- but it is NOT going to work for Democrats. We are tribal, too, but on a much smaller scale.

Tons of Dems held their nose and voted for Hillary, but i believe even more Republicans were holding their nose for Trump.

That is why we're screwed. Republicans can elect a hold-your-nose candidate. Dems can't.

Bingo. This is exactly what is happening.

[cathexis]

I feel like that divide is very generational, and we have to address it as generational

I listened to two episodes of Chapo Traphouse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapo_Trap_House) this week-- one where the hosts had attended CPAC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Political_Action_Conference) and one where Costas Lapavitsas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costas_Lapavitsas) explained how the EU is undemocratic.

One thing that stood out in each podcast was their observation that Generation X is missing from the extremes on both sides: CPAC was all Boomers or Millennials, and the Socialist movement in Europe is the same-- either young folks or older folks, no Xers.

Both Boomers and Millennials are overrepresented in the online discourse, bc one group has lots of time and one group has lots of skills. Xers are underrepresented.

This has allowed the extremes to disproportionately drive the discourse.

This has worked out OK for Republicans, bc they are ultrapartisan, and vote in lockstep even if they have to hold their nose-- but it is NOT going to work for Democrats. We are tribal, too, but on a much smaller scale.

Tons of Dems held their nose and voted for Hillary, but i believe even more Republicans were holding their nose for Trump.

That is why we're screwed. Republicans can elect a hold-your-nose candidate. Dems can't.

Many of us who were Boomer activists, observed in the '80s that Gen X had dropped the Left political baton, not wanting to be active. Some tried to analyze this apathy. One of the prevailing theories was that Gen X had seen how much energy their parents had put out with mixed results, and did not wish to "waste" their energy.

[dark_crystal]

Many of us who were Boomer activists, observed in the '80s that Gen X had dropped the Left political baton, not wanting to be active. Some tried to analyze this apathy. One of the prevailing theories was that Gen X had seen how much energy their parents had put out with mixed results, and did not wish to "waste" their energy.

The boomers dropped the baton when they turned into yuppies.

Gen X saw all the hippies turn hypocrite and then a whole bunch of hippie parents chose their kids' childhood as a time to "find themselves," embracing divorce like sliced bread.

The generation that said "never trust anyone under 30" turned 40 while we were watching and it wasn't pretty.

[Martina]

I'm a boomer, and my friends are all teachers, social workers, admins at colleges, plus an under employed architect and an MPH who works construction. I have one friend in tech, so there's an exception. She makes a ton of money, but never seems to have a dime. Living in the Bay Area, I guess.

We never became real yuppies IMO. We never owned McMansions or bought new cars or valued that stuff. Good thing. We could not have afforded it.

We swim at public pools and go camping for vacations. I do think everyone has taken their kids to Europe once or twice, which is a privilege lots of folk do not have. People in my circle found work arounds for paying for their kids' college. Two of them got work at colleges so their kids could get free tuition. Two families relied on grandparents to help fund it. One was poor enough that her kids got good financial aid. That's it. The rest of us don't have kids.

My point is not all boomers became yuppies. Most of my friends did things like devoting huge amounts of time to their food coops or la leche league or slightly alternative institutions.

I do have connections, friends of friends, who did the yuppie transformation. They became lawyers, and after ten years at the ACLU or being a public defender, took a job at a firm and made serious money. Probably the most politically radical guy from my graduate school ended up at Harvard Law and then afterwards became a labor lawyer who helps big corporations fight discrimination lawsuits. What was that? A brain transplant? Actually he was originally from wealth. None of the rest of my friends were. One had lawyer parents but they grew up poor.

I am very wary of the entrenched upper middle class. They will do whatever it takes to keep their status, and they seem very anxious about it. I had an acquaintance, a lawyer, who didn't have a generous bone in his body. He ripped his ex-wife off in a divorce settlement. His lawyer daughter was the same. She lied on a mortgage application, which could have gotten her disbarred, to save a few bucks. One of his kids made a shitload of money in software, but didn't help another sister when she was transitioning out of a relationship. When my acquaintance's house got robbed, and his insurance didn't cover an expensive bike, his family members all made him feel like a fool. Right after he got robbed. Lovely people.

From my point of view, yuppies are a different breed. I know that a lot of people in my circle are relatively privileged. Home owners, health insurance, etc. But that is not the same as being wealth and status obsessed.

[cathexis]

The boomers dropped the baton when they turned into yuppies.

Gen X saw all the hippies turn hypocrite and then a whole bunch of hippie parents chose their kids' childhood as a time to "find themselves," embracing divorce like sliced bread.

The generation that said "never trust anyone under 30" turned 40 while we were watching and it wasn't pretty.

Perhaps, some Boomers turned into yuppies. Folks I went to college with did so on full financial aid (tuition, books, fees, housing) with part-time jobs in the evening and weekend hours. We still found time to protest the Vietnam Conflict, attempt to get the E.R.A. passed, work with NARAL for women's right to choose, participate in actions for racial equality, and other causes that needed help.

Very few of the people I went to school with, were able to buy houses or have a stock portfolio. We lived in rehabbed areas of cities with used or given furniture. Yes, I had 7 bookcases in my place, but they were of the sort bought at Wal-mart and assembled with a screwdriver and 2 friends.
I rode a bike most places, if I didn't ride the bus on my discounted bus pass.
Worked my tail off for a double degree, Marxist Studies/Political Philosophy and Professional Nursing at the same time.

I have known several months of homelessness, not knowing where an open couch would be or how we would get something to eat. Have spent many a day panhandling at the end of freeway exits for food or a bed. Lived in a homeless shelter for a month, and had to make "midnight moves" to leave apartment to avoid court eviction leaving a majority of my belongings behind. This is just a sample of one Boomer. I have several friends with similar stories. Most of us were not well off, and did not live a privileged life.

We did; however, make a difference and improve the lives of who we could.

[dark_crystal]

I spent the 90s clerking in bookstores, record shops, and coffeehouses-- while attending art school. I met TONS of aging hippies. The women were cool. The men were universally pervs.

"Hippies and Yuppies are two different groups" coming from Boomers is awfully similar to the "we never lived in the South" language that lets white people claim they can't be complicit in white supremacy.

Boomers cannot freeze their legacy at the 60s. Gen X met the baby boom in the 70s and 80s.

Generation X As children and adolescents (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X)
Demographers William Strauss and Neil Howe, who authored several books on generations, including the 1993 book specifically on Generation X 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?, reported that Gen Xers were children at a time when society was less focused on children and more focused on adults. Gen Xers were children during a time of increasing divorce rates, with divorce rates doubling in the mid-1960s, before peaking in 1980.

Strauss and Howe described a cultural shift where the long-held societal value of staying together for the sake of the children was replaced with a societal value of parental and individual self-actualization. Strauss wrote that society "moved from what Leslie Fiedler called a 1950s-era 'cult of the child' to what Landon Jones called a 1970s-era 'cult of the adult'."

The "Me" generation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_generation)

The "Me" generation in the United States is a term referring to the baby boomers generation and the self-involved qualities that some people associate with it. The 1970s were dubbed the "Me" decade by writer Tom Wolfe; Christopher Lasch was another writer who commented on the rise of a culture of narcissism among the younger generation of that era. The phrase caught on with the general public, at a time when "self-realization" and "self-fulfillment" were becoming cultural aspirations to which young people supposedly ascribed higher importance than social responsibility.

The cultural change in the United States during the 1970s that was experienced by the baby boomers is complex. The 1960s are remembered as a time of political protests, radical experimentation with new cultural experiences (the Sexual Revolution, happenings, mainstream awareness of Eastern religions). The Civil Rights Movement gave rebellious young people serious goals to work towards. Cultural experimentation was justified as being directed toward spiritual or intellectual enlightenment. The mid to late 1970s, in contrast, were a time of increased economic crisis and disillusionment with idealistic politics among the young, particularly after the resignation of Richard Nixon and the end of the Vietnam War. Unapologetic hedonism became acceptable among the young, expressed in the Disco music popular at the time.

The new introspectiveness announced the demise of an established set of traditional faiths centred on work and the postponement of gratification, and the emergence of a consumption-oriented lifestyle ethic centred on lived experience and the immediacy of daily lifestyle choices.

By the mid-1970s, Tom Wolfe and Christopher Lasch were speaking out critically against the culture of narcissism. These criticisms were widely repeated throughout American popular media.

The 1970s have been described as a transitional era when the self-help of the 1960s became self-gratification, and eventually devolved into the selfishness of the 1980s

The Me Decade was toxic as hell, and the hippies are implicated, i'm sorry.

Xers are never going to remember the Boom the way the Boom remember themselves. We were there for the 70s. The 60s are a story.

We watch Millennials squaring off against the Boom, and-- while we are crossing our fingers for them-- we suspect they've underestimated just how ugly the response is going to be.

Like, the Millennials didn't watch an entire generation of their brothers die. Someone who came of age under Obama is going to have a different idea of what's possible than people growing up under Reagan-- who, I know, was not a Boomer, he would be 109 y/o by now.

But Rush Limbaugh was a Boomer, and that's what pushed me into activism. I was behind the counter when a flood of Boomers bought his first book, and wanted to tell me about it while they wrote their checks.

I was in ACT-UP, I was in the Lesbian Avengers, I was on Q-Patrol, I protested the Iraq War,
I spent the night before election day 1990(?) driving around Shreveport Louisiana, stealing David Duke signs out of people's yards.

Millennials know that the government killed a bunch of queers, but they did not watch it. The idea that the US could descend into theocracy is mostly hypothetical to them. Xers agree with Millennials' goals, but we have less confidence in the methods-- extremes make us nervous.

Like the girl who confronted Chelsea Clinton at the memorial last week. She was wearing a Bernie shirt. That makes this Xer nervous.

[Martina]

I'm a late boomer, born 1958. I certainly saw a generation die.

My friends who had kids conformed to another stereotype, suddenly becoming serious householders, super concerned with their kids and being good parents. Of the friends I've known for thirty plus years, none of those who married got divorced. One, a gay male without kids, really needs to. I think my experience is a little different.

[kittygrrl]

Perhaps, some Boomers turned into yuppies. Folks I went to college with did so on full financial aid (tuition, books, fees, housing) with part-time jobs in the evening and weekend hours. We still found time to protest the Vietnam Conflict, attempt to get the E.R.A. passed, work with NARAL for women's right to choose, participate in actions for racial equality, and other causes that needed help.

Very few of the people I went to school with, were able to buy houses or have a stock portfolio. We lived in rehabbed areas of cities with used or given furniture. Yes, I had 7 bookcases in my place, but they were of the sort bought at Wal-mart and assembled with a screwdriver and 2 friends.
I rode a bike most places, if I didn't ride the bus on my discounted bus pass.
Worked my tail off for a double degree, Marxist Studies/Political Philosophy and Professional Nursing at the same time.

I have known several months of homelessness, not knowing where an open couch would be or how we would get something to eat. Have spent many a day panhandling at the end of freeway exits for food or a bed. Lived in a homeless shelter for a month, and had to make "midnight moves" to leave apartment to avoid court eviction leaving a majority of my belongings behind. This is just a sample of one Boomer. I have several friends with similar stories. Most of us were not well off, and did not live a privileged life.

We did; however, make a difference and improve the lives of who we could.

quite a story cat..so interesting

[dark_crystal]

I'm a late boomer, born 1958. I certainly saw a generation die.

My friends who had kids conformed to another stereotype, suddenly becoming serious householders, super concerned with their kids and being good parents. Of the friends I've known for thirty plus years, none of those who married got divorced. One, a gay male without kids, really needs to. I think my experience is a little different.

My partner was born in 1961. She does not seem like a boomer to me at all.

Ya'll are in Generation Jones (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones)
Generation Jones is the social cohort of the latter half of the Baby boomers to the first years of Generation X. The term was first coined by the cultural commentator Jonathan Pontell, who identified the cohort as those born from 1954 to 1965 in the U.S. who came of age during the oil crisis, stagflation, and the Carter presidency, rather than during the 1960s, but slightly before Gen X. Other sources place the starting point at 1956 or 1957. Unlike older baby boomers, most of Generation Jones did not grow up with World War II veterans as fathers, and for them there was no compulsory military service and no defining political cause, as opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War had been for the older boomers.

The name "Generation Jones" has several connotations, including a large anonymous generation, a "keeping up with the Joneses" competitiveness and the slang word "jones" or "jonesing", meaning a yearning or craving. It is believed that Jonesers were given huge expectations as children in the 1960s, and then confronted with a different reality as they came of age during a long period of mass unemployment and when de-industrialization arrived full force in the mid-late 1970s and 1980s, leaving them with a certain unrequited "jonesing" quality for the more prosperous days of the past.

The generation is noted for coming of age after a huge swath of their older brothers and sisters in the earlier portion of the baby boomer population had come immediately preceding them; thus, many complain that there was a paucity of resources and privileges available to them that were seemingly abundant to older boomers. Therefore, there is a certain level of bitterness and "jonesing" for the level of freedom and affluence granted to older boomers but denied to them

My parents are Silent Generation (born '39 and '43, married late and did not have me until 1970, when dad was 31 and back from 2 deployments)

I recently found a book about the Silents called The Lucky Few: Between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boom (https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781402085406).

Born during the Great Depression and World War Two (1929 – 1945) - between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boom - an entire generation has slipped between the cracks of history. Yet behind the scenes, these Lucky Few became the first American generation smaller than the one before them, and the luckiest generation of Americans ever.

As children they experienced the most stable intact parental families in the nation’s history. Lucky Few women married earlier than any other generation of the century and helped give birth to the Baby Boom, yet also gained in education compared to earlier generations. Lucky Few men made the greatest gains of the century in schooling, earned veterans benefits like the Greatest Generation but served mostly in peacetime with only a fraction of the casualties, came closest to full employment, and spearheaded the trend toward earlier retirement.

More than any other generation, Lucky Few men advanced into professional and white-collar jobs while Lucky Few women concentrated in the clerical "pink-collar ghetto." Even in retirement and old age the Lucky Few remain in the right place at the right time. Here is their story, and the story of how they have affected other recent generations of Americans before and since.


These folks are ages 70-90 now. They are ALLLLLLLL Republicans at this point, it seems. These are the people Republicans were going for with the Southern Strategy. Lucky Few and Greatest Generation people who were Democrats peeled off when the Dems blew off the unions.

Anyway, this particular digression was about generational fractures among anti-Trump voters.

I say "anti-Trump" because today it does not feel useful to talk about Democrats. The candidate who runs against Trump will need to understand that we are building a coalition of Republican defectors (optimism), moderates, centrists, liberals, progressives, socialists, and leftists.

Only about half of those find "beat Trump" to be sufficient motivation. The other half want a revolution. The moderates, centrists, and liberals keep yelling at everybody else about how to beat Trump and not understanding why they don't seem terrified by the possibility of another 4 years.

I think that is our generational issue-- older moderates/centrists/liberals (plus most minorities of all ages) are terrified of a Trump win and prioritize beating him above all else.

Progressives, Socialists, and Leftists aren't motivated by the fear of another 4 years. They want a candidate who beats Trump on the way to changing the world.

To me, that's Bernie. The media has successfully ghettoized him as appealing only to white Millennials, though. His path to the nomination has to get him out of that ghetto.

[kittygrrl]

u7SHQSGesyMit's a good sign...news commentators are pronouncing mayor Pete's last name better...he has a good sense of humor about it..i really wish he had a chance...i think he is the best kind of person..there are others of course, but his light is the brightest..to me

[dark_crystal]

it's a good sign...news commentators are pronouncing mayor Pete's last name better...he has a good sense of humor about it..i really wish he had a chance...i think he is the best kind of person..there are others of course, but his light is the brightest..to me

There has been a two-week Mayor Pete honeymoon but i predict it stalls starting either today or tomorrow, based on comments to his social media.

The progressives don't like his immigration, foreign policy, and NatSec/Manning/Snowden stances and the Hillary voters are starting to complain about sexism in his media coverage vs Warren's.

Warren is not going to make it because her hair color is too close to Hillary's. I am serious.

[MsTinkerbelly]

There has been a two-week Mayor Pete honeymoon but i predict it stalls starting either today or tomorrow, based on comments to his social media.

The progressives don't like his immigration, foreign policy, and NatSec/Manning/Snowden stances and the Hillary voters are starting to complain about sexism in his media coverage vs Warren's.

Warren is not going to make it because her hair color is too close to Hillary's. I am serious.

I cannot stand to hear Warren speak, and that other blonde woman running (can’t even remember her name), needs get some confidence and speak up! Do you suppose I (we) are so used to male politicians, that we hear a female voice and we want to slap someone? Hilary’s voice was like nails on a chalk board...but, I “hear” Kamala and Amy without cringing, soooooooooo?

Why is it that hair color/style and voices matter so much when they belong to a woman? Are we conditioned to expect women to be “pretty” and in their “place”? Am I considered a sexist pig, or am I conditioned by society to see things in a slant toward men?

[dark_crystal]

I cannot stand to hear Warren speak, and that other blonde woman running (can’t even remember her name), needs get some confidence and speak up! Do you suppose I (we) are so used to male politicians, that we hear a female voice and we want to slap someone? Hilary’s voice was like nails on a chalk board...but, I “hear” Kamala and Amy without cringing, soooooooooo?

Why is it that hair color/style and voices matter so much when they belong to a woman? Are we conditioned to expect women to be “pretty” and in their “place”? Am I considered a sexist pig, or am I conditioned by society to see things in a slant toward men?

For me, the issue with Warren and Clinton is that i associate them with second-wave feminism, and i associate the second wave with a lot of negative stuff. The second wave sidelined lesbians and second-wave lesbians sidelined butch-femme.

PLUS i just feel like they all want us to be Diane Keaton from the Baby Boom, pre-baby.

[C0LLETTE]

Forgive me but could someone post a chart showing a different "Generation" title for every 2 years from 1945 to 2019. Would be most helpful .

And please don't forget to differentiate "early" and "late" within those 2 year slots.

Oh, and don't forget to mention to which Continent, Hemisphere, Country, State, Province. Time Zone you are attaching your heady analysis.

Don't know about you but I could have been a full-fledged "hippie"if only I hadn't let the fear of not finding a parking spot prevented me from going to Woodstock. That's how we "late" Baby Boomers roll.

[Martina]

I def want a candidate who will beat Trump on the way to changing the world. I think inequality and climate change are so extremely impinging on quality of life around the world that we can't keep waiting.

BUT, any Dem who can beat Trump will do. I am worn out and just can't take another four years of Trump.

[BullDog]

I haven't closely scrutinized the candidates but I do like Kamala Harris the best. However, I'm not sure this pathetic country will elect a woman or a person of color as president right now, let alone someone who is both. It would be nice if I were wrong.

I like Elizabeth Warren a lot but don't think she can get elected as president - again I would love to be wrong.

I can't stand Sanders and don't think he has any chance against Trump. If he switches over to being a Democrat just to run for president like he did last time (and then switched right back after he lost) and he won the "Democratic" nomination - yes, of course, I would vote for him. I would much rather have Harris or Warren. Warren is every bit as progressive as Sanders is but actually gets things done, can work with people, actually belongs to the Democratic party, and is way more consistent. It's not as if I don't like progressives.

I do have a friend who follows politics closely who thinks Joe Biden would have the best chance to beat Trump - white male with at least some blue color "cred" who can be sarcastic and up in the face of Trump and openly mock and laugh at him. She could very well be right.

Beto and the mayor are totally meh to me, but who knows. I want someone with more experience than that.

I don't know who has the best chance to beat Trump - another white male, battle of the testosterone - aka Biden - or someone completely different than Trump who maybe would throw him off - Kamala Harris? Something totally different than those two things?

I think America is in an ugly and cynical place and some sort of inspiring message of Hope and Change or the Bernie thing is not going to fly this time around. Then again, could be I'm the one that's a lot more cynical than the overall country. I don't want soaring inspirational messages or someone promising me things that are totally implausible. I want a responsible adult with experience who is actually capable of doing the job. But yes, most of all, beat Trump. Whoever that has to be.

Hopefully, enough people on the left-hand side will be inspired enough to at least go vote. Who knows what the next year and a half will bring.

[BullDog]

I do have a friend who follows politics closely who thinks Joe Biden would have the best chance to beat Trump - white male with at least some blue color "cred" who can be sarcastic and up in the face of Trump and openly mock and laugh at him. She could very well be right

Sorry too late to edit. I mean blue collar - not color, lol. Although, go blue!

[Kätzchen]

What's on my mind tonight is that it's imperative for American's to dig in for a big fight to regain control of our government again. I just completed two VERY different types of intrusive Census Bureau forms (one online, one in paper form), and it's never been more obvious to me that we need to OCCUPY the living sh*t out of the fascist dictator-wanna-be's in charge of our government. I'm downright angry tonight that the census form in no way shape or form is designed to help allocate funding for social programs or for voting issues or anything useful it was formerly designed to do.

I've got time on my hands and I can see no better way to spend it that to join the ranks of other American's who won't put up with that lying POS in the WH or with the other's that person has appointed to destroy American democracy.

And, that's exactly what I think they are doing: Destroying our country and destroying every single landmark case on the books, so they can take over the country and run it into the ground.

I won't stand by and watch it go down like that.

I'm going to sink my energy into recovering our country and the democratic values that is supposed to support every person in our country, regardless of orientation, color, religious beliefs, etc. I am going to make it count, just like those before us who stood up and did something about it.

[homoe]

What's on my mind tonight is all these talking heads and pundits speculating about the Mueller Report!

Why Rachael Maddow felt the need to interrupt her vacation by jumping out a trout stream and her hip waders to break her neck to get to some TV station in Knoxville so she could broadcast live on air Friday evening has me wondering as well!

I'm not picking on her, others did as well including Lawrence O'Donnell.

[kittygrrl]

Noticing Pete Buttigieghttps://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BBSCPrQ.img?h=624&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1077&y=764 is being mentioned on msnbc...he's @ 4%..which doesn't sound like a lot but it's amazing considering a few weeks ago nobody outside of Indy knew who he was:hangloose:

[kittygrrl]

Pete Buttigieg is getting a lot of buzz. He made 7 million this weekend and he hasn't officially announced. I think that is around the corner.

[Martina]

Pete Buttigieg is getting a lot of buzz. He made 7 million this weekend and he hasn't officially announced. I think that is around the corner.

Buttigieg raised $7 million in two months, not in two days. And he already announced, back in January.

[kittygrrl]

Buttigieg raised $7 million in two months, not in two days. And he already announced, back in January.
..you're right about the 7 million for the quarter i guess but they made it sound like it was in a weekend...as for announcing i researched it and he did announce an exploratory in late January...and as of today listening to morning joe they were talking about the fact that it wasn't official yet but i will look further into it..now i'm curious!:praying:

[kittygrrl]

By NATASHA BACH 1:09 PM EDT
He hasn’t officially announced his campaign yet, but South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg has met the criteria to get on stage for the first two Democratic Party presidential debates, to be held in June and July. Buttigieg tweeted Monday that he raised more than $7 million in the first quarter of this year.

And while Sunday’s first-quarter fundraising deadline prompted increased calls for money from all of the 2020 candidates, it’s not just quantity of money they’re seeking—it’s the quantity of donors.

In order to appear in the first two debates, the Democratic National Committee has added new criteria: Candidates must either earn 1% support in multiple polls or receive campaign contributions from 65,000 individuals and a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 U.S. states. Last May, the Republican National Committee voted to disband its debate committee, suggesting that the party does not have plans to host its own presidential debates.......

[kittygrrl]

Pete Buttigieg
✔
@PeteButtigieg
I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future. Are you ready to walk away from the politics of the past?

Join the team at http://www.peteforamerica.com .

24.9K
6:13 AM - Jan 23, 2019

[kittygrrl]

just a thought...i hope he announces before Biden......o.m.g. Biden is in a bit of trouble regarding kissing a girl during a campaign...it's likely she isn't the only one...sigh.....men

[cathexis]

Are we sure "the Biden kiss" didn't involve a sister, niece, daughter/in-law, or the daughter of a bereaved constituent?

Let's just make sure we don't repeat some scandal like Gary Hart D-CO 1978-87 had during his Presidential bid. We don't need to ruin anyone else's political career over crap.

[Kätzchen]

I think one of the nagging things on my mind is the 'tone-deaf' smuggery by people under the microscope in the current WH administration. I mean come on, I don't buy that 'tone-deaf' crap for one second.

Here's what I think: I think there's gonna be a proverbial blood bath of epic proportions. You can't fuck over people, and not get caught or pay the price. And the price, I hope, will be a huge price because if it's not, then white collar crime will look easier and easier to commit, unless the biggo brakes are applied and remedies are doled out. Remedies like making tax evasion artists pay back all the million-billion's of dollars they've scammed from the US. Remedies like enforcing Anti-trust law and prosecuting big business and nameless corporate board and share holders for robbing the daylights out of everyone, when they should have been held accountable all this time.

I have a massive list of grievances a mile or two, or in some cases thousands of miles long; but I'll stop there tonight, because I am guessing lots of others have massive lists of grievances as well.

I'm sick to death of never hearing about how these types of criminal scam artists never get what they actually deserve, punitively.

The last big personality that was held accountable was Madoff; and you-know-who in the WH is eerily just like them (to me, in my mind).

I'm tired of the wretched 'rags to riches' crap that is foisted upon American public and touted as the ultimate goal anyone can achieve. That's a load of Bull-sh*t. I don't buy those long-held myths, or social scripts.

I will believe justice is truly served when the occupants of the WH and their cronies, members of the crooked GOP, are held accountable for every last horrible deed they've done over their lifetimes.



We don't need a proverbial 'Savior' or a 'Hero' or somesuch thing.

We Don't Need Another Hero (Tina Turner, from Mad Max of Thunderdome): That song has been stuck in my mind, for days now.

What we need are people who really care about the treachery being committed against the will of the people and for those people to band together and support the people who care and support the social causes that denounce this type of unpardonable behaviors which hurt not only us in America, but people in general around the world.


That's what has been on my mind lately.


**** Tick Tock, Tick Tock ****

[Kätzchen]

Today, and yesterday, I have been listening to a radio station that airs NPR programming, usually the hosts of the radio shows I hear are hosted by Ari Shapiro and another person, but an interesting segment on one of the 'pod cast' like interviews spoke to the problem of "Moving The Goal Posts" -- which is typical of individuals who are terribly controlling, abusive and most likely have a gross case of narcissism. They were talking about WH admin and the usual suspects who've dodged responsibility, don't tell the truth, make demands that are akin to (….). Mostly they talked about how people are polarized by all the vitriol coming from you-know-who. I couldn't help but think of how all these horrid behaviors are like looking upon a mega-case of what it's like to live with someone who has such crippling toxic controlling behaviors and I found myself nodding my head in agreement to much of the subject of discussion.

And then I began to think of all the brilliant people who are working day and night around the clock, dealing with all this horrible stuff in DC and beyond. Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and a host of other elected senators, mostly Democratic Senators and Representatives in the House and those serving on Intelligence Committees and elsewhere in places of government who are under siege by the crooked GOP and the occupants of what used to be the WH.

And all I could think of, while listening to all this coverage on issues that are of critical interest to every person living in America, and abroad, is when will it all end? What will it take for people to see that it's more than a civic lesson, as observed by every person being assaulted by the crimes committed by that horrid person (s) in the WH and in branches of government? It feels like an apocalyptic end of the world type sh*t show that is stuck on the same fucking tv channel. Dominated absolutely by the lunatic of all lunatics, who can't get enough attention for all the horrible crap they're committing against not only American's but against the whole entire world.

And then I drifted back to Ari Shapiro, and his parents here in town, and how they never probably get to see their son or spend time with him or how he most likely has no life except to report all the news about this horrible situation our nation is enduring.

By the time I finished listening to today's deeply concerning news, I pulled into the driveway, turned off the radio, then coasted to my parking spot and sat behind the wheel, numb from everything I listened to on the radio.

That's what was on my mind today, concerning national politics.

[kittygrrl]

I am liking Biden a little more these days...i'm all for the Me too movement but they are getting way out of their lane...and i am becoming disenchanted with AOC...she's mean

[kittygrrl]

DM8Tm9ycGz4you can't just care about the people who look like you, who think like you...you must care about those who are different...we can do it

[homoe]

I am liking Biden a little more these days...i'm all for the Me too movement but they are getting way out of their lane...and i am becoming disenchanted with AOC...she's mean


I happened to catch her on a re-run of Seth Meyer's. I'm not sure about mean but she's full of herself that's for sure IMHO!

[kittygrrl]

I happened to catch her on a re-run of Seth Meyer's. I'm not sure about mean but she's full of herself that's for sure IMHO!
she's mean, and very intolerant of anyone who doesn't hold her views..id even say nasty..i know the type

[Martina]

I can't tell if she's mean. She's getting a lot of attention, and she has shown consistency and poise. I am shocked she has made as few blunders as she has, given the amount of scrutiny she's getting.

I love it that she calls out all the bullshit that is part of the Washington establishment. And I love that conservatives hate her.

One thing I'd say is that she has to realize she's not an activist now. She's a leader. Pelosi keeps making digs at her re that, and as little as I like to agree with Pelosi, I think she's right.

On the day Barr's summary of the Mueller report came out, an Octavio-Cortez quote was making the rounds. She said it doesn't matter if Trump is defeated or not if we don't take on the big money and the corruption that put Trump in power in the first place. She had said it before the release of Barr's summary, but to see that quote the day the summary came out felt like a gut punch.

It does fucking matter whether Trump is president or not, and it mattered very deeply to most of us that day. I expect Democratic politicians to show up and fight back when bullshit like the Barr summary happens. Octavio-Cortez sounded like an outsider criticizing government, not someone we've put in a position to make a difference. A vow to take on these interests would have sounded better than the fatalistic way she phrased it.

Octavio-Cortez also refused to be on a phone call for Democrats that Pelosi organized. I can't even remember what it was about. But I didn't like that. She is a Democratic congressperson. She doesn't seem to get that.

She's put a lot of energy into legislation, the Green New Deal, that she knew wouldn't make it through Congress in order to get Dems running for President to support it. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing, but it also feels a little like fiddling while Rome burns.

[Martina]

Her name's Ocasio-Cortez. Senior moment.

[kittygrrl]

Mayor Pete, is definitely getting known..he posted 3rd in a few polls...which surprised some news commentators...he's the polar opposite of Trump in just about every way and would make a great contrast to what Trump is and has to offer ...but there are still people who i respect who believe Trump could win another term ....i really can't bear that thought:praying:

[nhplowboi]

Well I listened to (low) Barr's prepared remarks this morning. I found him hard to understand with all that slurping going on and Donald's phallus in his mouth. :|

[~ocean]

Well I listened to (low) Barr's prepared remarks this morning. I found him hard to understand with all that slurping going on and Donald's phallus in his mouth. :|

oy it's a mental pic that's instilled lolol

[BullDog]

Does anyone have any theories on why Burr subpoenaed Junior? I mean obviously Junior lied and should be questioned again but Burr has been a Trump supporter and Republican of course. Maybe get to him before the House does? Intriguing.

[Kätzchen]

Does anyone have any theories on why Burr subpoenaed Junior? I mean obviously Junior lied and should be questioned again but Burr has been a Trump supporter and Republican of course. Maybe get to him before the House does? Intriguing.

Not sure, but I've always wondered why it seems like T***p is not being held accountable for the massive, in-your-face practice of Nepotism. Which to me, if any other organization or commanding officer of an organization was found to be sh*t deep in Nepotism, they'd be ousted, tried and convicted and be serving time in jail (massive punitive fines, included).

In fact, I have come across news articles by journalists who have been reporting concerns about this very type of thing, by the T***p administration: Nepotism.

Nepotism has a legal definition: "Nepotism means the act of hiring, promoting, or advancing a family member in state government or recommending the hiring, promotion, or advancement of a family member in state government, including initial appointment and transfer to other positions in state government. Laws forbid nepotism in the executive branch."

(definition & citation source: Nepotism Restrictions for State Legislators
www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-table-nepotism-restrictions.aspx)



Here's an interesting recent article published by Vanity Fair:

How Congress Is Tightening The Trap Around The Trump Kids (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/house-democrats-oversight-trump)
(March 21st, 2019; author: Abigail Tracy).


And, here is another article, by NPR, which talks about Nepotism being passed into law by Congress, back in 1967, during the Kennedy era:

NPR: Anti-Nepotism Laws (https://www.npr.org/2016/11/18/502637785/jared-kushner-and-the-anti-nepotism-statute-that-might-keep-him-from-the-white-h) (…..) (sadly, it was published back in 2016, but it brings to front and center, Nepotism practices by T***p, and BTW, it's still a red hot button issue which needs to be publicly addressed. Jared & Ivanka, Don Jr, TP, Sr. etc ).

[dark_crystal]

Mother Jones: Michael Cohen Fixed Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Problem. Then the Evangelical Leader Went to Bat for Trump. (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/05/michael-cohen-fixed-jerry-falwell-jr-s-problem-then-the-evangelical-leader-went-to-bat-for-trump/)

Donald Trump’s onetime lawyer and fixer helped line up a crucial endorsement for his boss on the eve of the Iowa caucuses in 2016, securing the support of prominent evangelical Jerry Falwell Jr. According to Reuters, Falwell’s endorsement came months after Cohen had done him a very big solid: Cohen helped Falwell and his wife prevent racy “personal” photos from becoming public.

Cohen, who reported to prison earlier this week to serve a three-year sentence for federal campaign violations and lying to Congress, told comedian Tom Arnold, who surreptitiously recorded the conversation on March 25, that he had prevented someone with compromising photos of the Falwells from releasing them to the public.

Before Falwell officially endorsed Trump, he was featured in a 60-second radio advertisement from Trump’s campaign. Falwell made an appeal to evangelical voters, who were expected to vote for Ted Cruz, by comparing Trump to his father, popular conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., who founded Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the world. “I see a lot of parallels between my father and Donald Trump,” Falwell says in the ad, which used audio from Falwell’s introduction of Trump at a rally at Liberty University. “He speaks the truth publicly, even if it is uncomfortable for people to hear.”

Falwell continued to support Trump even after the leak of his lewd comments about women in a tape from Access Hollywood, blaming the leak on a conspiracy to harm the Republican candidate. Although he called Trump’s comments “reprehensible,” he did not rescind his endorsement, saying, “We’re all sinners, every one of us. We’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t.”

Falwell has continued to stick by the president in office, even after Trump called white supremacists “very fine people,” and after he began separating children from their parents at the US–Mexico border. In an interview with the Washington Post published on Jan. 1, 2019, Falwell said of Trump, “I can’t imagine him doing anything that’s not good for the country.”

Just this week, Falwell tweeted that Trump should have two years added to his term as “reparations” for Robert Mueller’s investigation.

i know Falwell's shittiness is no suprise to anyone but i am still kinda sick over this, as an Evangelical-adjacent.

Trump never would have won without people like my family. My family are smart, decent people, except for two, and they were extremely happy with Cruz (the "except for two" are actually friends with him :superfunny: and personally delivered Montgomery County to him in his original Senate campaign)

They were all hold-your-nose Trump voters, and i believe they are sincere Christians. They put their trust in their leaders and are now implicated in the family separations, which horrify them, especially my dad, who knows about being an orphan.

To find out now that the leader their leaders trusted acted so cynically, and associated their Lord-- not just their church, but their Lord-- with atrocities that may very well hasten the deaths of millions of people-- all to cover up his likely bisexuality-- just offends me to my core.

I mean, i don't really know day-to-day what my religion is, but even seeing Jesus as a strictly historical figure, it is crazy-making how boldly people warp his legacy and turn it to purposes that would devastate him if he knew. Like, just as a fan and not necessarily a born-again or even a full believer, i still want to be shouting scriptures at these people all day every day, because they are doing the opposite of everything they claim to support.

Like, i understand my parents are adults with their own free will, but they were indoctrinated into obedience and conformity at an age when they were defenseless against indoctrination. My issue is that this obedience and conformity would not be dangerous if their leaders were faithful to the the red-letter (words of Christ) parts of the Bible, which very specifically forbid hypocrisy ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE TIMES.

But, like, if the Lamb sent to save the world becomes the banner under which the world is destroyed, that is also in line with scripture-- not with the red letters, but with the end times prophecies, which are largely outside the red letters, but which are actually far more popular among Christians?

I guess it is the irony of it all that i can't get past.

[Kätzchen]

On my mind, is how certain legislators in Washington, DC have been saying that our country's crisis is an Constitutional Crisis and I think it is, yet I wish they'd just come out and call it for what it is: That we are witnessing with our own eyes is over 200 years of American Democracy inverting and imploding into an outright explosion of an American Dictatorship.

Democracy is built upon the idea that stipulates that government is a rule ordered by The People and For The People: which means that people choose to how to discuss and implement how society is ordered by the Will of The People. It's a People Choice Model of social order: rule by the people, laws created by and for the people, toleration of all people and not blindly ignoring or segregating people or pitting sectors of people against other people (s). All this to say, that when social order is centered around the will and good of and for the people, then people have a say in what happens, etc. Democracy is a form of rule which is ordered around putting the will and good of the people first.

A Dictatorship is centered upon the idea that one person has absolute power, complete power over a country. Rule by one is commonly known as an dictatorship. A dictator typically up-ends democratic order by up-ending all former democratic methods of social ordering, so that the only order left is the only order they intend to exert upon the people. Dictator's typically remove all ways that anyone can interfere with their process of order, which is order centered upon their will, not the will of the people. Dictators typically appoint their own so-called forms of 'justice' and 'judges' and do so, so that they can re-frame social and legal order so that no one can interfere with their method of rule or process. In a dictatorship, laws favor the dictator, not the people. In a dictatorship, the rights of the people are stripped; same for the economy, too, because the economy is stripped to serve an dictator's purpose -- not for the greater good of the people. Personal freedoms and liberties vanish under a dictatorship.

In short: A dictatorship is one ruler who has absolute power to rule over a Country, or a State. Law and framing of law is reframed to rest in the hands of the dictator, who makes fast decisions -- usually not in the interest of the people, but in their own interest, with no regard for the people or humanity itself. Personal freedoms and personal liabilities are sacrificed in a dictatorship, because an dictatorship serves itself first, with no care or regard or respect for the people.

Democracy is For The People, By The People and Of The People. Power is shared by the people. Decisions are made by and for and of the people in slow ways because democratic process requires thoughtful process with care and respect for others, not just one. Justice in an democracy is safeguarded and preserved; not tossed out or changed or dismantled or upended like one sees in an dictatorship.


If the constitution is created to protect the will of the people, then it is entirely possible to say that American's have an Constitutional Crisis of epic magnitude on hand. Because what I see is the rise of an American Dictator; and a Congress elected by the People, in an outright war against that Dictator, to preserve what is left of Democracy in America.

[dark_crystal]

One discussion that has emerged this week, as we watch women's rights be dismantled in Georgia and Alabama, is the hypocrisy pro-lifers sometimes have about fertility clinics (i say "sometimes" because there has been some protest of the destruction of leftover IVF embryos, and the pro-lifers fought hard against stem cells, plus there was the whole George W. Bush snowflake-baby photo op (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake_children).)

Despite these caveats, it remains the case that you are more likely to see protesters outside planned parenthood than at the IVF place.

When we were tweeting about this over the weekend, my reply was "Because there’s no sex involved. No “sluts” to punish. Doctors created those embryos and lots of the doctors are men doing capitalism"

THEN, last night, I saw this, from a reporter who is covering the legislature's debate in Georgia:

@lyman_brian, reporter for Montgomery Advertiser, on Twitter (https://twitter.com/lyman_brian/status/1128413792801521664)
Chambliss, responding to the IVF argument from Smitherman, cites a part of the bill that says it applies to a pregnant woman. "The egg in the lab doesn’t apply. It’s not in a woman. She’s not pregnant."

(I wish there was more than a tweet from a reporter, like an actual news article, but "Bryan Lyman" is identified by the paper as covering the legislature, and the Montgomery Advertiser is a venerable paper with a 190-year history)

So, yeah. Someone said the quiet part loud. Life does not begin at conception unless that conception happens through sex. It is not about life, it is about sex.

It is about punishing women for having sex, which is STILL fucked up because they ALSO punish women for saying "no" to sex.

Like, men never stop trying to get you to have sex, and are total psychos when you resist, then they also want to go psycho on the women who do give in and give them what they want?

It just does not make sense. Like, the logical answer is that they are not penalizing women for having sex, they are penalizing women for having sex without giving up their independence. Like, what they are mad at is that women have sex with them but do not become their property by doing so?

That is the only thing that makes sense, BUT, they do not want all of that property. A man is going to seek sex from exponentially more women than he can afford to support. They seek sex from women they would never consider supporting, and they are especially not going to support all of those kids.

Men want LOTS of partners, but they are only going to take responsibility for one, then they want to limit the options of the non-primary partners who have to take responsibility for the results of their insistence on having lots of partners.

It's money, isn't it? Men want a variety of partners, but they would be broke if they had to support them. Best way to avoid that is to put women who could make claims on them in jail.

[dark_crystal]

Men want LOTS of partners, but they are only going to take responsibility for one, then they want to limit the options of the non-primary partners who have to take responsibility for the results of their insistence on having lots of partners.

It's money, isn't it? Men want a variety of partners, but they would be broke if they had to support them. Best way to avoid that is to put women who could make claims on them in jail.

We now live within a Christianity that places the fight against various kinds of sex above any other fight, although Jesus himself seems to have prized humility above all virtues and deplored hypocrisy among all sins.

One thing he did not spend much time on was any kind of sex. Christians need to leave sex alone. Even if fornication and homsexuality were wrong, their concern with these issues should not extend any further than His did. He mentioned sex twice. He mentioned hypocrisy in 159 verses, and humility in 254--more than any other topic. What would really be the consequences of laying the "biblical" sexual rhetoric on the ground and just backing away? What if they fought hypocrisy and promoted humility instead of fighting promiscuity and promoting heterosexual monogamy?

They do not do this because promoting humility and fighting hypocrisy threatens wealth, while fighting promiscuity and promoting marriage preserves wealth. The Red Letters contain 122 verses against materialism, but humans cannot resist it, so they find a scriptural justification for its continual pursuit. If our culture says that supporting one’s family is a Christian man’s highest calling, this provides an excuse to build wealth.

Pro-life ethics are actually pro-wealth ethics. Family planning gets women out of the home and puts them in competition with men, meaning the wealth pie gets cut into smaller slices. If the women are kept home and the man is encouraged to prove his virtue through how well she is kept, that is a license to ignore everything Jesus said about camels and the eyes of needles.

The thing that prevented me from seeing this for awhile is the fact that men are not capable of monogamy. Like, don’t they see that outlawing abortion means they are all about to get a lot more kids? And that's expensive? I now think 25% of your income is less expensive than economically competing with women. Child support is a loss leader for men.

Further, if supporting one family is virtuous, supporting multiple families can also, eventually, become virtuous. From there it’s a short step to polygamy, which takes even more women out of economic competition AND eliminates the need to pay child support to the state-- if all your co-parents are your legal wives and live in your home, you can dole out money as you see fit.

I saw this tweet (https://twitter.com/willwilkinson/status/1128717355645849600?s=12) last night (@willwilkinson):
The claim that abortion is murder implies that the conditions for women's social, political & economic equality come at an intolerable moral cost. It's no accident this view got traction with conservative Protestants as institutionalized gender hierarchy started to break down.

[homoe]

Susan Collins has faith Kavanaugh won't uphold Alabama abortion law



I'm thinking Susan Collins must be living in a fool's paradise if she really believes this..........

[homoe]

Susan Collins has faith Kavanaugh won't uphold Alabama abortion law



I'm thinking Susan Collins must be living in a fool's paradise if she really believes this..........


I suggest all the females who voted in favor of Kavanaugh pay attention as well, after all, you's are all up for re-election at some point...

[dark_crystal]

"Australia's unexpected election result is being compared to Brexit and the 2016 US election (https://twitter.com/i/events/1129711591174225926)"
Australia’s Liberal-National Coalition government has returned to power in the 2019 federal election, despite polls consistently predicting victory for the opposition Labor Party. The most surprising result for Labor came from the state of Queensland. Now, many people are comparing the shock result to the 2016 US election and the UK's Brexit referendum, which both defied opinion polls

‘Complete shock’: Australia’s prime minister holds onto power, defying election predictions (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/australia-holds-elections-with-labor-party-looking-to-regain-power/2019/05/17/f661d2ea-7705-11e9-a7bf-c8a43b84ee31_story.html?utm_term=.638a4fe8fe11)
The reelection of Morrison’s government will mean that Australia was be much less ambitious in cutting emissions of greenhouse gases. It will also be firmly supportive of U.S.-led efforts to curtain the influence of China and blocking Chinese technology giant Huawei from government contracts.

Morrison was one of the architects of Australia’s tough approach on asylum seekers, which has confined thousands to Pacific Island camps, and is expected to continue with the approach that has been condemned by human rights groups around the world.
This is very bad. All of the biggest nations are in the grip of authoritarians now. We kind of have to hope China fixes climate change unilaterally for its own interests bc US, Australia, and Russia(?*) (https://www.uaces.org/archive/papers/abstract.php?paper_id=834) are not on-board

[Kätzchen]

I read an news article the other day where certain judges have decided that it's okay to "sue the government" for particular social grievances or legal offenses. I'm not sure that this is a good thing, for particular reasons: A) the current occupant of the WH is known for their penchant for filing suit against any entity they can, to not only clog up the legal system, but to recoup $$$ they lost due to X, Y or Z reasons. Which, if this type of tom-foolery is allowed by the newer 45-appointed judges, then what comes next? 45 suing the government's already taxed-to-the-f^cking-hilt tax base of the poorest of poor and those who obviously cannot afford to be taxed anymore than they already are? Especially if 45-s stupid Florida resort (mara-Tax-0) files for FEMA help or is allowed to collect hidden tax dollars off the backs of the poor to keep that hunk of law-breaking pile of crap from being blown off the map, as a result of hurricane/weather/climate change they obviously deny exists or that their party of politics refuses to acknowledge as in need of being addressed with expediency?

How long will it take for the American public to absolutely hold the current occupants of the WH and GOP accountable for the social injustice they impose upon the largest majority of the so-called American tax base and put a giant big ole flag of "your behavior and decisions are NOT acceptable by any standard around the globe?"

That is exactly what was on my mind, the other night.

[C0LLETTE]

Just read this and think it's a great idea:

Globe and Mail Editorial Sept 1, 2019

( DENMARK COULD BUY USA )

Mr. Trump could improve the life of his own citizens if he switched his thinking and pulled off the greatest real estate transaction since Tutankhamun put a down payment on his burial plot – selling the United States to Denmark.

For starters, the sale would immediately accomplish Mr. Trump’s goal of draining the swamp in Washington. There is no swamp in Copenhagen, just a little mermaid sitting on a rock.

The sale would also free Americans from the partisanship that has paralyzed Congress. Things would get done in Copenhagen. Everyone would have health care, crime would fall, and Americans’ quality of life would rise to the top of global rankings.

Pulling off the deal would also confirm Mr. Trump’s skills as a negotiator. His work would be cut out for him. The United States is a real fixer-upper at the moment, with clashing interiors and limited curb appeal. The Danes might see all the work that needs to be done and go for something with a little more pride of ownership, such as Luxembourg or Greece.

The best selling point Mr. Trump could offer the Danes, other than the opportunity to show up Norway, would be price. If he continues his tariff war with China long enough, he can get the asking down to the low eight figures, which would make it awfully hard for Denmark to walk away.

He could also effectively dangle competing offers in the face the Danes. They will be aware that Mr. Trump has a hard time saying no to Russia, and will move quickly if they think Moscow is preparing a bully bid.

In all of this, there is an opening for Canada. After all, Copenhagen will need money to get its new property up to code; Ottawa should quietly negotiate the purchase of Greenland to coincide with the closing of the U.S. deal.

We’re good for it, Denmark."

[Kätzchen]

Are any of you like me, tired of having to read between the lines?

Did any of you see that little jarring news story about how the GOP plans to not have any primaries, because in their warped universe they think it shows 'support for T^^^P'?

Did any of you become deeply disturbed by the follow-up PSA about how those good ole white boy GOP senators might retire instead of seeking another term to fuck up America consistently like they've done for nearly a generation of time?

It pissed me the hell off. Reading all those not-so-clever PSA's this week.

Who wants to support their so-called 'retirement' (said no one, who can't see chipping in to their TAX PAYER FUNDED Retirement PLAN as the sanest thing to do EVER)????

Talk about a major WTF, blow-your-last-gasket, on your last nerve, moment.

F^ckin' A-holes.

No wonder they don't wanna hold primaries. Not surprising at all.

Especially since they've taken great care to use sharpie markers with the sharpie marker toddler-personality that is ruining our country and sinking us faster than the Titanic sank itself.

When will justice be served?

When will they and the long standing GOP do the perp walk and be held accountable for their own ever lasting version of hell inflicted on not only our society but societies around the world?

When will they be punished for the horrible crimes they commit in unbridled 'transparency' speeds in mind-numbing broad daylight?

[Apocalipstic]

They are blocking him from being "primaried"
They are blocking everything they can
Wearing down every safeguard we have in place
Eroding Freedom

[~ocean]

TRUMP ~ YOUR FIRED ~

[Kätzchen]

Did anyone read George T. Conway's outstanding Op-Ed, in The Atlantic, today?


Here is a link to it, if you would like to read it.

~~~~~>>>>>> LINK (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/)

[Orema]

Watch Out, America — The Supreme Court Is Back in Session
And conservatives could be the big winners.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/opinion/sunday/supreme-court-abortion.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

By The New York Times Editorial Board
The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.


https://i.postimg.cc/VkMddC1J/05court-super-Jumbo.jpg
CreditCreditIllustration by The New York Times; Photograph by Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin hearing cases in its first complete term since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, and the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, gave the court a newly emboldened right-wing majority.

The current five-member bloc has already started overturning decades-old precedents and remaking the law in ways that align remarkably well with conservative policy preferences.

The new term offers no shortage of opportunities for the conservative justices to block or roll back rights for certain groups — for example, women, L.G.B.T. people and undocumented immigrants brought to America as children — while bolstering rights for others, like gun owners and those who would knock down the crumbling wall between church and state.

In one of the most hotly anticipated cases, to be argued Tuesday, the justices will consider whether employers may fire employees for being gay or transgender.

The arguments will cover three separate cases — two involving gay men who said they were fired because of their sexual orientation and one involving a transgender woman who was fired after telling her employer that she was transitioning from male to female.

Such discrimination is a daily fact of life for gay, lesbian and transgender people across the country. Some states have laws barring it, but most don’t. For people in states without their own legal protections, the only hope is federal law — specifically, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars employers from firing, harassing or discriminating against an employee “because of” that person’s “sex.” The plaintiffs in these three cases argue that the plain language of Title VII applies to them, because they would not have been fired but for their sex — after all, if the gay men had been women, their attraction to men would not have been an issue for their employers.

The transgender woman before the court, Aimee Stephens, also argues that she was fired because she did not fit the stereotype of how a person assigned male at birth is expected to dress and act. This violates a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that Title VII bars discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes.

The employers in these cases, with the backing of the Trump administration, say the civil rights law provides no protection to the plaintiffs, because when it was passed in the 1960s, no one imagined that it would apply to sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s true — many L.G.B.T. Americans were closeted at the time, and they faced severe consequences for standing up for their equality in public. But what lawmakers might have thought more than 50 years ago is irrelevant to the matter at hand, which is what the law they passed actually says.

Cases like this are why the makeup of the Supreme Court matters so much. If Justice Kennedy were still in his seat, it’s a fair bet that the plaintiffs would come out on top. Justice Kennedy wrote all of the major gay-rights opinions of the court, including Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, which upheld a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

Still, this should be an easy case for the conservatives, who regularly profess their allegiance to the plain language of laws. If they are nevertheless inclined to read that language narrowly, they might heed the words of their hero, Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the opinion for a unanimous court in 1998 that Title VII applies to cases involving harassment between members of the same sex. While Congress may not have been picturing such incidents in 1964, Justice Scalia wrote, “statutory prohibitions often go beyond the principal evil to cover reasonably comparable evils, and it is ultimately the provisions of our laws rather than the principal concerns of our legislators by which we are governed.”

This term, the court also will hear a challenge to President Trump’s decision in 2017 to reverse President Barack Obama’s 2012 executive order protecting undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children — the roughly 700,000 young men and women known as Dreamers.

Mr. Obama implemented the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, as a way to protect some of the most vulnerable undocumented immigrants in the nation, and he did it only after Congress repeatedly failed to pass any meaningful immigration reform. Mr. Obama claimed that he was using well-established presidential discretion to decide how to enforce immigration laws and to prioritize the deportation of certain people and not others, like the Dreamers.

This put the Trump administration in a bind. On the one hand, Mr. Trump rose to power on an anti-immigrant platform, and his supporters are hungry to see him carry that out. (He’s also eager to erase every accomplishment of Mr. Obama’s.) On the other hand, the Dreamers are a sympathetic group of young people, as Mr. Trump has acknowledged, and Americans broadly support their being able to stay in the only country that many of them have ever really known.

Had Mr. Trump simply said that he was rescinding DACA because he did not think it was a wise policy, he would have been on firmer legal ground. But because he was afraid of taking responsibility for destroying the Dreamers’ lives, Mr. Trump is trying to pass the job off to the Supreme Court by arguing that DACA was an illegal exercise of authority from the start.

That’s simply wrong — not to mention suspicious coming from an administration that claims to have broad authority in other immigration contexts. It also makes the case harder for Mr. Trump at the Supreme Court because he did not adequately explain his reasoning, as is required when reversing a previous administration’s position. When the justices hear this case in November, they ought to tell the president that if he wants to kill off a popular program, he’ll need to look the American people in the eye and own it.

The way the justices handle two other high-profile cases — on guns and abortion — could reveal just how far and fast the court’s new conservative majority is willing to go to implement its vision for America.

In January, the justices agreed to hear a gun-rights case for the first time in a decade. The lawsuit is a challenge to a New York City law limiting gun owners’ ability to transport guns outside their home. With five justices who are solidly in favor of gun owners’ rights, the outcome would seem nearly preordained.

It might not be, however. After the court agreed to hear the case, New York City threw out the challenged law. Normally, this means that the case is, in legal jargon, moot: The plaintiffs got what they were asking for, so there’s no longer any dispute for a court to resolve.

But once again, court personnel matters. If Justice Kennedy were still on the bench, there’s a good chance that the court would not have taken this case at all. It’s a different story with Justice Kavanaugh, whose work as a federal appeals court judge suggests he is even more protective of the Second Amendment than was Justice Scalia, who wrote the landmark 2008 ruling that guaranteed an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Last but not least is abortion rights — in the form of the first case involving the perennial hot-button issue to reach the Supreme Court since President Trump’s two nominees were confirmed. On Friday, the justices agreed to hear a case out of Louisiana, which enacted a law in 2014 requiring that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where the terminations are performed.

Wait, you might be thinking: Isn’t this the same issue the court decided just three years ago, when it struck down parts of a nearly identical law in Texas as a sham policy intended to make it much more difficult for a woman to exercise her constitutional right to choose? Yes, it is. In that 2016 case, Justice Kennedy joined the court’s four liberals to strike down parts of the Texas law. This should have been enough to keep the Louisiana case from getting anywhere near the Supreme Court. But the notoriously conservative United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the Louisiana law anyway, and for a simple reason: With Justice Kennedy gone, the anti-abortion crusaders and their sympathizers on the federal bench feel that their moment has finally arrived.

They are right. Even if the court reverses the Fifth Circuit and prevents the Louisiana law from taking effect, as it clearly should, there are now five Supreme Court justices who are hostile to women’s reproductive rights. And even though an enduring majority of Americans support keeping abortion legal, the path to overturning Roe v. Wade — the conservative movement’s single biggest target over the past half century — is clearer than ever.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/opinion/sunday/supreme-court-abortion.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

[homoe]

~~~
I can hardly wait to see that smirk on Mike Pompeo face wiped off!

[charley]

Watching a lot of news on CBC News Network, re: upcoming Canadian election (Oct. 21)

all those cookie-cutter houses in Ontario... families of 4 and the Conservative Scheer leader making a play for all "families of 4", offering them "candies" in terms of tax breaks, and whether they will buy into his offer - I have never been a part of the "family of 4" - ya know, the white picket fence... and the dachshund, like a cousin, yadayadayada, and whether they realize how many services will be cut if he wins.

To what extent do Conservatives realize that in Canada, "Solo dwellers represented 14% of the population aged 15 and over living in private households in 2016"?

Wondering to what extent Canadians, in general, are asking themselves: "what's in it for me?"... and whether more of them are into "me" rather than "us"...

In Quebec, the very popular Bloc Quebecois, is running mainly on the merits of Bill 21:

"The bill, since made law, bans public workers in positions of "authority" from wearing religious symbols, specifically while they are on duty. According to the text of the bill, the laicity of the state is defined by a neutral religious stance, keeping state and religious affairs apart, as well as promoting equality and freedom of conscience and religion among citizens..."

Hence, there, no wearing of religious clothing which covers the face, such as the niqab... for such people in "authority"...

Oh, and how I like Elizabeth May of the Green Party, who apart from her wonderful stance on climate change, also has stated how Canada is "awash" in systemic racism... which I have found to be quite true.

And, how all the major candidates seem to be using the bizarre advertising tactic of being surrounded by supporters while being interviewed, just like in the States... ugh!

---

Margaret Atwood (who along with Bernardine Evaristo) share a win for Booker Prize (Literature). Atwood said she was surprised because she would have considered herself "too elderly" to win, adding that she doesn't need the attention.

:)

"It would have been quite embarrassing for me, a good Canadian, because we don't do famous. We think it's in bad taste," Atwood said.

:)

[kittygrrl]

I watched the Debate last night. I'm looking for something but i can't put my finger on it...whatever it is, I did not see it last night

[C0LLETTE]

They are blocking him from being "primaried"
They are blocking everything they can
Wearing down every safeguard we have in place
Eroding Freedom

I just love the word "primaried".

[cathexis]

In the Primary last night, Kamala Harris showed her true "prosecutor" nature. Hope many viewers were able to hear and identify that attitude. IMHO, we need neither a Prosecutor nor a Cop in the Executive Branch. Sounds like it would be too Authoritarian. Nothing like what we have now, though

[homoe]

rhzxIPPm7h4






HA HA some funny stuff.......

[Kätzchen]

The flags on campus were lowered, this past week, in honor of the Honorable US-HOP Elijah Cummings, since he passed the other day.

Then last night I read how his widow might possibly carry on in Elijah's stead. I sure do hope that comes to pass.

She's got the most gorgeous smile, ever. And I am sure she will carry out Elijah's mission and legacy with exactitude.

[homoe]

As Inquiry Widens, McConnell Sees Impeachment Trial as Inevitable. Predicts House will impeach Trump fast.


Oh my oh my what will Susan Collins do when it gets to the Senate....:deepthoughts:

[charley]

Am watching the results just beginning to come in on CBC news network..., and I am slightly nervous - being a senior and concerned with who wins (which will impact on potential services being cut, depending on who forms the next gov't)...

[charley]

Well, it looks like a projected Liberal minority government (waves goodbye to Conservative Scheer's plans) I am relieved! :)

[homoe]

~~
If Elizabeth Warren becomes the Democratic Party Nominee in 2002, I certainly hope that Hillary Clinton gets out and campaigns for her as hard as Warren did for Clinton in 2016!

I'm not exactly sure why, perhaps a case of sour grapes, but I have a hard time picture this happening and that will be a shame IMHO!

[homoe]

~~
If Elizabeth Warren becomes the Democratic Party Nominee in 2002, I certainly hope that Hillary Clinton gets out and campaigns for her as hard as Warren did for Clinton in 2016!

I'm not exactly sure why, perhaps a case of sour grapes, but I have a hard time picture this happening and that will be a shame IMHO!

This holds true for any female who might be the 2020 candidate. I hope Hillary gets out and supports them!

[Martina]

This holds true for any female who might be the 2020 candidate. I hope Hillary gets out and supports them!

I doubt they'd want her help.

[homoe]

~~
Another in a long line who has sullied their reputation in regards to Trump!

Perhaps it's not too big a price to pay for becoming Vice President??

[homoe]

I doubt they'd want her help.




Are there rumblings she might still toss her hat in the ring?

[homoe]

Are there rumblings she might still toss her hat in the ring?



IF so, lets hope someone talks her out of it.......

[Jedi]

https://www.ft.com/content/b41d0ee6-1e96-11e7-b7d3-163f5a7f229c?fbclid=IwAR1p-pTUexLxf5-0xM_kCtminQMsCk-71JfVsbe-YixeJ-KoOqYkCn_Hh_g

[Jedi]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/billboard-featuring-donald-trump-make-gospel-great-controversial-bible-verse-taken-missouri-214229930.html

[Jedi]

https://taskandpurpose.com/navy-secretary-richard-spencer-letter-trump?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1574644529&fbclid=IwAR1UVHcEM9RZBoMB5fmeP4U3OP-pm4ekD0hf-jNMHAzvI6nhkP2FTHirq-8

[charley]

Well, last night, I watched all the election results coming in on "Election 2019" on BBC World News on TV. Having tried to keep fairly well-informed as to world events, politically, I am not at all surprised at Boris' win, a majority win for the Conservatives with the Labour Party suffering a major devastating loss (Labour's leader Corbyn will step down).

I am not at all surprised at the outcome, because I now understand how people - worldwide - are caught in the fear of insecurity and consequent attitude of "what's in it for me", i.e. a materialistic stance, given that many who work must work incredible hours (sometimes holding down more than one job, just to keep up) with little or no chance of any kind of job security - it is, I think, a global situation that has been manufactured by rich capitalists. It appears to be a vicious circle to me.

In the UK, many blame leadership (cough!) i.e. Corbyn, for Labour Party's loss in their election. For example, he proposed a 4-day work week all the while keeping a 5-day work salary. One of the problems of this proposal which concerned many voters was how on earth would he pay for it... !!

There were other problems with Corbyn (quite a few of his party who were running for seats had been accused of anti-Antisemitism). However, during the past few months, I did see a few interviews of Corbyn and he would launch into rather idealistic/intellectual blah-blah when asked point blank questions and personally, nothing he said resonated with me; in other words, I was turned off. In the end, he seemed to appear to refuse to answer questions directly. Moreover, he seemed to be arguing and debating to those in his own party and/or to some idealistic goal he had in his head rather than speaking to and with the electorate viewing the interview. It is always so annoying and such a waste of time and energy when you listen to someone speaking at you instead of with you.

And, then, on the other hand, Boris, spoke directly to the people, in a way, giving them the impression that he understood them and could relate to their wants, desires and needs. So, even though these "wants, desires and needs" had been manufactured by rich capitalists over many decades, what he actually did was use his understanding of the consequent fears of the electorate re: their manufactured "wants, desires and needs" in order to win. Of course, there was the very familiar "nationalistic" ploy that Boris used - in the UK's case - "Get Brexit done!" (in the same way that other world leaders tend to use "nationalism" as a means to get elected) thus appearing to allay other "fears" of the electorate. What a clever so-and-so... sigh!

Corbyn's "failure" and Boris' "win" made me reflect on what is happening in the U.S., where many would have problems with Warren's proposal of medical care or even some of the other candidates running for Presidency, because the bottom line for many caught in the materialistic spider-web - whether rich, middle-class, or poor - would be "well, how on earth will she pay for it....?", and the usual and materialistic "what's in it for me?".

All of which reminds me that the bottom line for most people who are caught in a materialistic stance is similar to the "Great Material Continuum" belief - a Ferengi concept of economics and trade as espoused by Star Trek's DS9 Nog as the only means as to how to navigate through life (in an episode most appropriately entitled "Treachery, Faith and the Great River").

Insofar as I am concerned, the Ferengis seem to have taken over the world! lol :)

[nhplowboi]

Ok, we can argue back and forth about the Trump/Zelensky phone call (only because we are dealing with a "rough transcript" from a man who lies daily and we have a pretty good idea of what was probably truly said), but how do you negate his obstruction of Congress??!! Refusal to allow witnesses to testify.....refusal to produce documents....come on now.... seems pretty obstructive to me.

[JDeere]

I'm tired of hearing politics to be honest. Just do what needs done and move on.

Get back to real life please instead of a circus show.

[homoe]

EaeuulZNFIg







People who live in glass houses should never throw stones.....

[homoe]

EaeuulZNFIg







People who live in glass houses should never throw stones.....

NidVfdQk_So

[Jedi]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fordham-confirms-that-trump-team-threatened-the-school-if-his-grades-became-public-2019-02-27?mod=sm_fb_post&fbclid=IwAR1i4SMFr2OZ3w6TZujg_WYoiolYk8p_Yag2rrkWS GUQmWZjWS4RTuCPuU8

[Orema]

The Cruelty of a Trump Christmas

Republicans aren’t Scrooges — they’re much worse.

By Paul Krugman
Opinion Columnist

https://i.postimg.cc/QCPW4j8m/merlin-166157874-6aa762da-0e29-48dd-95c5-3a6eaca453a9-super-Jumbo.jpg
Photo credit...Pete Marovich for The New York Times

By Trump-era standards, Ebenezer Scrooge was a nice guy.

It’s common, especially around this time of year, to describe conservative politicians who cut off aid to the poor as Scrooges; I’ve done it myself. But if you think about it, this is deeply unfair to Scrooge.

For while Dickens portrays Scrooge as a miser, he’s notably lacking in malice. True, he’s heartless until he’s visited by various ghosts. But his heartlessness consists merely of unwillingness to help those in need. He’s never shown taking pleasure in others’ suffering, or spending money to make the lives of the poor worse.

These are things you can’t say about the modern American right. In fact, many conservative politicians only pretend to be Scrooges, when they’re actually much worse — not mere misers, but actively cruel. This was true long before Donald Trump moved into the White House. What’s new about the Trump era is that the cruelty is more open, not just on Trump’s part, but throughout his party.

Now, the conventional wisdom about today’s Republicans is indeed that they are Scrooge-like. That is, the story is that they want to serve the interests of the rich (which is true), and that the reason they want to slash aid to the poor is to free up money for plutocrat-friendly tax cuts.

But is that really why the right is so determined to cut programs like food stamps and unemployment benefits?

After all, the explosion of the budget deficit under Trump shows that Republican claims to care about fiscal responsibility were always humbug, that they’re perfectly willing to slash taxes on the rich without offsetting spending cuts. Furthermore, because America spends relatively little money helping the poor, even harsh cuts — like the Trump administration’s new rules on food stamps, which will hurt hundreds of thousands — will at best save only tiny amounts compared with the cost of tax cuts.

And in important cases, the right is so eager to hurt low-income Americans that it’s willing to do so even if there are no budget savings at all.

Consider the case of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, which a 2012 Supreme Court decision made optional: States could choose not to participate.

Why would any state make that choice? After all, the federal government will pay 90 percent of the cost, and experience shows that expanding Medicaid produces indirect cost savings — for example, by letting states reduce aid to hospitals for uncompensated costs.

Furthermore, the federal funds brought in by Medicaid expansion boost a state’s economy, which raises tax revenues. So expansion is, from a state fiscal point of view, neutral or even net positive. Why would any state turn it down?

Yet 14 Republican-controlled states, many among the nation’s poorest, are still refusing to expand Medicaid.

At the same time, a number of states are trying to limit access to Medicaid by imposing stringent work requirements. This may sound like a cost-saving measure, but it isn’t — trying to enforce work requirements, it turns out, costs a lot of money.

The point is that these state governments are only pretending to be penny pinchers. In reality, they’re actively trying to make peoples’ lives worse, and they’re willing to lose money to accomplish that goal. But why?

In 2018, The Atlantic published a memorable essay by Adam Serwer titled “The Cruelty Is the Point,” about the political importance of shared pleasure from other people’s suffering. Serwer was inspired to write that essay by photos of lynchings, which show groups of white men obviously enjoying the show. Indeed, in America, gratuitous cruelty has often been directed at people of color.

But as Serwer also noted, it’s not just about race. There are more people than we like to imagine who rejoice in the suffering of anyone they see as unlike themselves, especially anyone they perceive as weak.

In fact, I suspect that this mentality is part of the explanation for the seeming paradox of strong Republican support in places like eastern Kentucky where large numbers of poor whites depend on programs like food stamps: Those who aren’t receiving aid actually want to see their poorer neighbors hurt.

What Trump has brought to his party is a new willingness to be openly vicious.

I’m not saying that he’s honest about his motivations. He and his aides still go through the motions of pretending that actions like denying aid to storm-ravaged Puerto Ricans or cutting off food stamps for hundreds of thousands are about fighting corruption or enforcing fiscal responsibility.

But their attempts to justify cruelty as being somehow in the national interest are low energy, especially compared with the enthusiastic nastiness Trump exhibits at political rallies. Trump has celebrated and reportedly wants to campaign with servicemen he pardoned after our own military convicted them of or charged them with war crimes, clearly because he likes the idea of indiscriminate killing — and so do some of his supporters.

So I’m going to stop calling today’s Republicans Scrooges. We’d be in much better shape if Trump and company were merely heartless misers. What they really are is much, much worse.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/opinion/ebenezer-scrooge-trump.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

[Orema]

From the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/one-in-every-four-circuit-court-judges-is-now-a-trump-appointee/2019/12/21/d6fa1e98-2336-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html) and SFGate (https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Trump-is-remaking-the-federal-judiciary-14924789.php):

1 in every 4 circuit court judges is now a Trump appointee


By Colby Itkowitz

After three years in office, President Trump has remade the federal judiciary, ensuring a conservative tilt for decades and cementing his legacy no matter the outcome of November’s election.

Trump nominees make up 1 in 4 U.S. circuit court judges. Two of his picks sit on the Supreme Court. And this past week, as the House voted to impeach the president, the Republican-led Senate confirmed an additional 13 district court judges.

In total, Trump has installed 187 judges to the federal bench.

Trump’s mark on the judiciary is already having far-reaching effects on legislation and liberal priorities. Just last week, the 5th Circuit struck down a core provision of the Affordable Care Act. One of the two appellate judges who ruled against the landmark law was a Trump appointee.

The Supreme Court — where two of the nine justices are conservatives selected by Trump — could eventually hear that case.

The 13 circuit courts are the second most powerful in the nation, serving as a last stop for appeals on lower court rulings, unless the case is taken up by the Supreme Court. So far, Trump has appointed 50 judges to circuit court benches. Comparatively, by this point in President Obama’s first term, he had confirmed 25. At the end of his eight years, he had appointed 55 circuit judges.

Trump’s appointments have flipped three circuit courts to majority GOP-appointed judges, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York. The president has also selected younger conservatives for these lifetime appointments, ensuring his impact is felt for many years.

The executor of this aggressive push is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is almost singularly focused on reshaping the federal judiciary, twice ramming through Senate rule changes to speed up confirmations over Democrats’ objections.

“Leave no vacancy behind” is his mantra, McConnell has stated publicly. With a 53-to-47 Senate majority, he has been able to fill openings at breakneck speed.

That philosophy did not seem to apply in 2016, when McConnell refused to allow Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, Obama’s choice to replace the late justice Antonin Scalia, a confirmation hearing, let alone a vote.

McConnell insisted on waiting until after the 2016 election, a gamble that paid off when Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump appointed conservative Justice Neil M. Gorsuch for that seat.

McConnell has repeatedly described blocking Garland as one of his greatest achievements.

Before leaving town for the holidays, Senate Republicans hailed McConnell’s success.
“You didn’t think @senate­majldr would leave town without confirming more judges, did you?” the Senate Republican Communications Center tweeted Friday, with a breakdown of the number of judges confirmed since 2017. “. . . Merry Christmas, America.”

While Trump has wavered on some conservative policies during his tenure, he has reliably appointed judges in line with conservative ideology.

“I’ve always heard, actually, that when you become President, the most — single most important thing you can do is federal judges,” Trump said at a White House event in November celebrating his “federal judicial confirmation milestones.”

The real reason the Trump administration is constantly losing in court

The three circuit courts that have flipped to Republican majorities this year have the potential to not only change policy but also benefit Trump professionally and politically.

The 2nd Circuit, with its new right-leaning majority, will decide whether to rehear a case challenging Trump’s ability to block critics on Twitter, as well as one regarding Trump’s businesses profiting while he’s in office. The 11th Circuit, which handles appeals from Georgia, Florida and Alabama, is set to take up several voting rights cases.

Trump has facetiously thanked Obama for leaving him so many judicial vacancies.

“Now, President Obama was very nice to us. He gave us 142 empty positions. That’s never happened before,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. “But, as you know, that’s said to be the most important thing that a President has.”

When Fox News host Sean Hannity made a similar remark while interviewing McConnell on his show recently, the majority leader made clear that Obama didn’t leave those vacancies intentionally.

“I’ll tell you why. I was in charge of what we did the last two years of the Obama administration,” McConnell said, laughing.

“I will give you full credit for that, and by the way, take a bow,” Hannity responded.
In April, McConnell limited debate on Trump nominees from 30 hours to two hours, which has allowed him to push through judges at warp speed. Before that, McConnell did away with “blue slips,” which allowed senators to contest judicial nominees from their home states.

Republicans say Democrats started this trend when then-Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) eliminated the filibuster for most nominees in 2013, a tool the minority party could use to block or delay a confirmation. When the Democrats lost the Senate in 2014, McConnell gained the power to stall Obama nominees, leaving Trump with plenty of vacancies.

The fast clip of judicial confirmations has no doubt shifted the courts rightward, said Russell Wheeler, a judicial branch expert at the Brookings Institution, calling it “a significant impact but not a revolutionary impact.”

At least not yet. Two-thirds of the 50 circuit court judge slots filled with Trump appointees were previously held by other Republican-appointed judges.

There is only one circuit court vacancy left for Trump to fill, but more could open up next year. And if Trump wins in November, there will certainly be vacancies in his second term. There’s also the potential for additional openings on the Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, is 86 and has had health problems. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, another Clinton pick, is also over 80.

Chris Kang, chief counsel of Demand Justice, a group that supports liberal judicial nominees, wants Democrats to recognize just how high the stakes are for 2020.

“Republicans have been using the courts to achieve policy priorities that they couldn’t achieve through the democratically elected legislative branch of government,” Kang said. “These federal judges serve for life; that’s a point we take for granted, but not a way a lot of Americans understand it. Trump’s imprint on this country will be felt for decades through his courts.”

Democrats have long been reluctant to talk about the courts in a political way, Kang said. But, with Republicans choosing judges with far-right ideologies, liberals can’t “cling to romantic notions of our courts as impartial,” he added. “That’s not the reality and not how Republicans see it.”

The issue came up at last week’s Democratic presidential debate, when Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) was asked whether Trump’s appointees would make it harder for her as president to enact her agenda.
Though she didn’t answer that question directly, she said the next Democratic president will “have to immediately start putting judges on the bench to fill vacancies so that we can reverse the horrific nature of these Trump judges.”
Wheeler worries that the polarization of appointments will cause the judiciary to lose public trust, similar to what has happened with other institutions.
“We could be in for a situation if we have a rock-hard conservative majority on the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court overturning a lot of decisions by a [future] Democratic president and Congress — you could be in for a situation where the courts’ legitimacy is called into question,” he said.

Ann Marimow contributed to this report.

[cathexis]

Some states are taking pre-emptive action to protect women's right to choose.
Abortion rights being guaranteed in the following states if Roe v Wade is overturned in the conservative environment

Trump has installed over 130 circuit judges. Also, with Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court tilting the court to the conservative. This is likely to affect women's right to choose in states who have opted not to codify the decision in Roe v Wade and those states already having difficulty with violence to abortion providers. Women entering clinics are being harrassed by anti-abortion protestors.

One Mid-Western clinic's physician was killed in his church after unsuccessful attempts at the clinic.

Certain states have codified the Roe decision. Assuring that women have the right to choose despite any Supreme Court decision on the issue as State's Rights supersede Federal legislation on most issues.

New York
Rhode Island
Maine
Vermont
Illinois
Nevada

Considering legislation are:
Oregon
Washington
New Mexico

[nhplowboi]

There ya go Donnie....I think your bluff has been called at the expense of our military, you POS. Oh and the missing TU from POS is NOT a misspelling.

[nhplowboi]

One more thought....I think your reckless actions have sealed your fate for 2020.

[Orema]

One more thought....I think your reckless actions have sealed your fate for 2020.

It may help him get re-elected.

[nhplowboi]

Boy Orema, I don't think so. I think we are warred out and starting another one is a huge error on his part.

[~ocean]

It may help him get re-elected.

only the stock market would benefit ~ his shady friends ~ hopefully the American public is smart enough NOT to reelect that evil orange buzzard. The foresight of Nostradamus is proving to be true. Nostradamus Predictions for 2020 << excellent facts . How did he know ?:hamactor::hamactor::hamactor:

[Orema]

only the stock market would benefit ~ his shady friends ~ hopefully the American public is smart enough NOT to reelect that evil orange buzzard. The foresight of Nostradamus is proving to be true. Nostradamus Predictions for 2020 << excellent facts . How did he know ?:hamactor::hamactor::hamactor:

I should have been more clear. I wasn’t writing that going to war would get hm re-elected, though I think it may. What I was referencing was...

One more thought....I think your reckless actions have sealed your fate for 2020.

His reckless actions of killing Soleimani (which was preceded by another reckless action by Trump exiting the Iran deal Obama made) will help get him relected whether or not we go to war.

As usual, Trump wants to 1-up Obama. He dismantled a deal Obama made only to try and renegotiate the same deal. And it helps that one of Iran’s strong men died in the process.

I don’t think Iran will deal with him. But either way, I see this as getting him more votes.

[cathexis]

There ya go Donnie....I think your bluff has been called at the expense of our military, you POS. Oh and the missing TU from POS is NOT a misspelling.

It may help him get re-elected.

Ha, even his base will eventually start to doubt his objects and that means beginning with their womynfolk. Feminists need to be right there providing alternatives, information, and explanations.

TG there are organizers and leaders. My hat's off to them. I could never get into running for any party leadership. Not that socially diplomatic with POS, though some leftists can do it. They deserve their choice of the bust of Marx, Goldman, or Che Guevara.

We need folks more out in the street, up in peoples' grills, fire-bombing empty recruitment stations to "Set It Off." I'll keep doing what I do best, put me in a locked (or not) and give us whatever research is needed current or past. That will be the lion's share. I will carry an M-16 and sharp boot knife just in case of alt-right marauders (or any right-wings) all to be used for quick dispatch.

Careful and accurate handling of a long range rifle does not exceed my skill set, though.

[charley]

......... (snip)

We need more out in the street, up in peoples' grills, fire-bombing empty recruitment stations to "Set It Off." I'll keep doing what I do best, put me in a locked (or not) and give us whatever research is needed current or past. That will be the lion's share. I will carry an M-16 and sharp boot knife just in case of alt-right marauders (or any right-wings) all to be used for quick dispatch.

Are you serious????

[Apocalipstic]

We need folks more out in the street, up in peoples' grills, fire-bombing empty recruitment stations to "Set It Off." I'll keep doing what I do best, put me in a locked (or not) and give us whatever research is needed current or past. That will be the lion's share. I will carry an M-16 and sharp boot knife just in case of alt-right marauders (or any right-wings) all to be used for quick dispatch.

Careful and accurate handling of a long range rifle does not exceed my skill set, though.

I so hope and pray that we do not get to that point! :seeingstars:

[dark_crystal]

It may help him get re-elected.

I agree with you. The Evangelicals want a nuclear first strike on Iran and they have been wanting that for decades. They see this as a step in the right direction. This will help him

[Orema]

I agree with you. The Evangelicals want a nuclear first strike on Iran and they have been wanting that for decades. They see this as a step in the right direction. This will help him

And the Evangelicals aren't the only ones wanting to hit Iran.

I think, at best, Trump will get more votes. At worst, he's solidified the votes he's already received.

[C0LLETTE]

And the Evangelicals aren't the only ones wanting to hit Iran.

I think, at best, Trump will get more votes. At worst, he's solidified the votes he's already received.

I'm not sure why Americans feel they have a right to attack Iran. If they got out of the Middle East, removed their troops, nobody would be attacking them. If it's a question of protecting "interests", negotiate those fairly and with consideration of the rights of other countries and nations. Maybe we get peace that way", when the concept of "winning, winning" gives way to cooperative fairness. I don't see how we survive otherwise.

Also, can anyone really imagine the USA sitting on a boiling, angry Muslim world forever? It's absurd and stupid. Seems to me they ought to be trying to work it all out, as the small eruptions occur, because the large uncontainable eruption is sure to occur, sooner or later ( and that later eruption just might destroy my childrens' and grandchildrens' lives.

Religion, religion, religion...far as i can understand, no reason to think Christianity is in any way superior to any other religion nor is being "White' in any way superior to any other skin colour or culture but I do believe this is the combo-crossover rationale for grabbing everything. ie: if you're a Christian, we'll work out a way for you to keep your shit, otherwise.........

[GeorgiaMa'am]

. . . The Evangelicals want a nuclear first strike on Iran and they have been wanting that for decades. They see this as a step in the right direction. . .

I'm not sure why Americans feel they have a right to attack Iran . . .

Also, can anyone really imagine the USA sitting on a boiling, angry Muslim world forever? . . . and that later eruption just might destroy my childrens' and grandchildrens' lives.

Religion, religion, religion...far as i can understand, no reason to think Christianity is in any way superior to any other religion nor is being "White' in any way superior to any other skin colour or culture but I do believe this is the combo-crossover rationale for grabbing everything. ie: if you're a Christian, we'll work out a way for you to keep your shit, otherwise.........

As I recall from my youthful days as a fundamentalist evangelical, they think they not only have a right to attack anywhere in the Middle East, they think it is prophesied in the "End Times". They believe the Middle East will end up in control of the world, and the USA will not be "sitting on a boiling, angry Muslim world"; the USA will lose. The fundamentalist Christians believe anything they can do to help this along is not only their right, it is the word of God. Their rationale is not "grabbing everything"; it's to hurry up the Rapture. And obviously, whatever any other religion/culture believes doesn't matter to these people. They deeply believe it's a foregone conclusion.

As I said, my exposure to these beliefs was in my youth, so my memory may be faulty on the exact details. Anyone who knows "what fundamentalists believe" - (heh) - is welcome to jump in and correct me.

[kittygrrl]

Doesn't it say in the Christian Bible "the meek shall inherit the earth"? Wishing or encouraging for Atomic bombs to or for another country doesn't seem "meek" to me..Also,
hurrying the rapture seems counterproductive if you are busy trying to learn godliness..that can take a lifetime.......or more. Personally, if (godliness) is my goal, i'd like as much time as possible to work on it.:praying:

[C0LLETTE]

As I recall from my youthful days as a fundamentalist evangelical, they think they not only have a right to attack anywhere in the Middle East, they think it is prophesied in the "End Times". They believe the Middle East will end up in control of the world, and the USA will not be "sitting on a boiling, angry Muslim world"; the USA will lose. The fundamentalist Christians believe anything they can do to help this along is not only their right, it is the word of God. Their rationale is not "grabbing everything"; it's to hurry up the Rapture. And obviously, whatever any other religion/culture believes doesn't matter to these people. They deeply believe it's a foregone conclusion.

As I said, my exposure to these beliefs was in my youth, so my memory may be faulty on the exact details. Anyone who knows "what fundamentalists believe" - (heh) - is welcome to jump in and correct me.

I shouldn't have given the impression I was referring only to "evangelicals". I was referring to American global policy ( which is "white-Christian" centric ) in general. Middle east is just the best current example.

[C0LLETTE]

I shouldn't have given the impression I was referring only to "evangelicals". I was referring to American global policy ( which is "white-Christian" centric ) in general. Middle east is just the best current example.

It's the same colonialist attitude that's been going on for centuries except now it's American not French, British, Spanish, etc.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Doesn't it say in the Christian Bible "the meek shall inherit the earth"? Wishing or encouraging for Atomic bombs to or for another country doesn't seem "meek" to me..Also,
hurrying the rapture seems counterproductive if you are busy trying to learn godliness..that can take a lifetime.......or more. Personally, if (godliness) is my goal, i'd like as much time as possible to work on it.:praying:

I never said it made any sense. I quit trying to make sense out of all the contradictions in the Christian Bible and the "Christian" teachings I was getting a long time ago. But I agree with you, I'd like more time rather than less.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

I shouldn't have given the impression I was referring only to "evangelicals". I was referring to American global policy ( which is "white-Christian" centric ) in general. Middle east is just the best current example.

Thanks for the explanation. I see now where you were going with that.

[kittygrrl]

I never said it made any sense. I quit trying to make sense out of all the contradictions in the Christian Bible and the "Christian" teachings I was getting a long time ago. But I agree with you, I'd like more time rather than less.

GeorgiaMa'am i found your remarks interesting and they made me think of my own history...i spent a lot of time in my youth pursuing religious truth..thru catholicism, southern baptist, presbyterian, and church of god...and studied other parts of Christianity..i don't regret it and honor the gods however they present themselves ..but i've been a devotee of the goddess for many years..i find many parts of Christianity puzzling..i'm sure that is why i was so restless for a long time...the gods have given us many paths and i am grateful..:candle:

[cathexis]

Ha, even his base will eventually start to doubt his objects and that means beginning with their womynfolk. Feminists need to be right there providing alternatives, information, and explanations.

TG there are organizers and leaders. My hat's off to them. I could never get into running for any party leadership. Not that socially diplomatic with POS, though some leftists can do it. They deserve their choice of the bust of Marx, Goldman, or Che Guevara.

We need folks more out in the street, up in peoples' grills, fire-bombing empty recruitment stations to "Set It Off." I'll keep doing what I do best, put me in a locked (or not) and give us whatever research is needed current or past. That will be the lion's share. I will carry an M-16 and sharp boot knife just in case of alt-right marauders (or any right-wings) all to be used for quick dispatch.

Careful and accurate handling of a long range rifle does not exceed my skill set, though.

Are you serious????

I so hope and pray that we do not get to that point! :seeingstars:

I'm not sure why Americans feel they have a right to attack Iran. If they got out of the Middle East, removed their troops, nobody would be attacking them. If it's a question of protecting "interests", negotiate those fairly and with consideration of the rights of other countries and nations. Maybe we get peace that way", when the concept of "winning, winning" gives way to cooperative fairness. I don't see how we survive otherwise.

Also, can anyone really imagine the USA sitting on a boiling, angry Muslim world forever? It's absurd and stupid. Seems to me they ought to be trying to work it all out, as the small eruptions occur, because the large uncontainable eruption is sure to occur, sooner or later ( and that later eruption just might destroy my childrens' and grandchildrens' lives.

Religion, religion, religion...far as i can understand, no reason to think Christianity is in any way superior to any other religion nor is being "White' in any way superior to any other skin colour or culture but I do believe this is the combo-crossover rationale for grabbing everything. ie: if you're a Christian, we'll work out a way for you to keep your shit, otherwise.........

Religion has long been an excuse for attacking other cultures. I prefer the rational approach to life without religious belief and the wars that ensue.

Yes, I dead seriously want a revolution and believe that the US is as ready as it's ever been. The country is angry, polarized, and could very well ignite into civil war. Instead of internal conflict, the anger needs to be redirected to revolution against this regime which is why some adept organizers need to emerge. With the assistance of other socialist countries, the angst should be directed toward socialism.

Indeed, I would take up arms for the revolution I've been waiting for most of my life. Having become a socialist in my early teens after beginning a course of study in the history of the USSR and Marxism which is ongoing.
It is, IMHO, the only reasonable course of action. We need social and economic justice for all of the disenfranchised poor who deal with the
disparity on a daily basis.

Billionaires running to be the Democratic nominee, how absurd can it get?

[charley]

.... snip...

Indeed, I would take up arms for the revolution I've been waiting for most of my life.

snip...



Fantasy to have lived during the time of the Weathermen... and been a part of their group. Wait a minute... reality check! They failed. I think I saw that on TV. Waste of energy.

[charley]

I am presently watching Part 2 of Rachel Maddow's interview of Lev Parnas (associate of Giuliani). I saw the 1st part yesterday.

Thank goodness for Rachel Maddow and other journalists who are making such facts accessible to us.

OMG, what corrupt lawyers associated with Trump! Parnas had to fire the lawyers that Trump (through his lackeys) dumped on him, because they urged him to refuse to cooperate.

These people, all those associated with Trump are so corrupt, so evil, it's incredible.

The Republican controlled Senate will undoubtedly refuse to find Trump guilty, because they are all so corrupt. I hope they all lose their seats. Of course, considering how corrupt a large sector of American voters are, there is always a possibility that Trump may even get re-elected; and this time, I would not be surprised if that happens.

Maddow has also pointed out that the Federal watchdog Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the (OMB - White House's Office of Management and Budget) violated law by withholding Ukraine aid, in other words, Trump broke the law.

These politicians who cover for Trump all lack integrity - in other words, they will use any and all means to realize their agenda. There are way too many people like that in the world. The world has become a very dark place.

I sit quietly and safely in another country, and watch in horror.

So, the impeachment trial is about to begin.

[cathexis]

Fantasy to have lived during the time of the Weathermen... and been a part of their group. Wait a minute... reality check! They failed. I think I saw that on TV. Waste of energy.

If you recall your New American Left history, the Weathermen group was not completely dissolved until the mid-2010s. Well after they had reiterated their policy of non-harm to human life. The objective of the Weathermen was damage to property in keeping with their anti-capitalist values. No Socialist or Communist group that I am aware of has, as a primary goal the killing of people, it's antithetical to the praxis of Communism.

For a 1960s-70s revolutionary group, they were quite successful and outlasted most of their genre. Definitely, not a movie of the week event. The Weathermen accomplished most of their goals from anti-Vietnam War actions to the Brink's armored car heist spanning some fifty years.

[~ocean]

I am presently watching Part 2 of Rachel Maddow's interview of Lev Parnas (associate of Giuliani). I saw the 1st part yesterday.

Thank goodness for Rachel Maddow and other journalists who are making such facts accessible to us.

OMG, what corrupt lawyers associated with Trump! Parnas had to fire the lawyers that Trump (through his lackeys) dumped on him, because they urged him to refuse to cooperate.

These people, all those associated with Trump are so corrupt, so evil, it's incredible.

The Republican controlled Senate will undoubtedly refuse to find Trump guilty, because they are all so corrupt. I hope they all lose their seats. Of course, considering how corrupt a large sector of American voters are, there is always a possibility that Trump may even get re-elected; and this time, I would not be surprised if that happens.

Maddow has also pointed out that the Federal watchdog Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the (OMB - White House's Office of Management and Budget) violated law by withholding Ukraine aid, in other words, Trump broke the law.

These politicians who cover for Trump all lack integrity - in other words, they will use any and all means to realize their agenda. There are way too many people like that in the world. The world has become a very dark place.

I sit quietly and safely in another country, and watch in horror.

So, the impeachment trial is about to begin.


Yes Charley WE KNOW ALL ABOUT IT !! and WE will take care of it ~ now pay attention just in case YOUR country has a bad leader ! I also adore Rachel Maddow. I think that's all I have to say :)

[cathexis]

Yes Charley WE KNOW ALL ABOUT IT !! and WE will take care of it ~ now pay attention just in case YOUR country has a bad leader ! I also adore Rachel Maddow. I think that's all I have to say :)

Now,~ocean, do you really think a situation like we have would happen in Canada? Maybe I'm wrong, but they seem less hot-tempered and more level headed. We've always had our Second Amendment re-interpreting militia types, unlike many other more stable countries.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Now,~ocean, do you really think a situation like we have would happen in Canada? Maybe I'm wrong, but they seem less hot-tempered and more level headed. We've always had our Second Amendment re-interpreting militia types, unlike many other more stable countries.

Even Canada has its "III% ers" and "The Base" with wacko militia extremists. Crazies and (in even larger numbers, I think) misguided, poorly educated people live everywhere. Of course, ours in the U.S. seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately, since we have the Pied Piper of Crazies at the helm (for the moment).

[cathexis]

Even Canada has its "III% ers" and "The Base" with wacko militia extremists. Crazies and (in even larger numbers, I think) misguided, poorly educated people live everywhere. Of course, ours in the U.S. seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately, since we have the Pied Piper of Crazies at the helm (for the moment).

Ok, Canada has a few extremists, but compared to us, they live on Walden Pond.
"Misguided poorly educated people live everywhere," I agree, but the US has had problems with them since it's inception. We conquered the native people since the Mayflower. The US is built on invasion and conquest, the European arrival, the (1st) American Revolution, conquest of the western native lands, War of 1812, Civil War, lists go up to the present century.

US men, yes usually men, have always had violent love affairs with their firearms to the point that they've misinterpreted our Second Amendment in order to continue the Wild West violence in our modern-day streets. Doubt many other places have as embarrassing a history in this short amount of time.

[charley]

This is an interesting subject, and I recently saw (last week) a program on the Documentary Channel - "Ben Fogle: Return to the Wild", 2nd episode in the series (2018), which documented the lives of Bill and Bob (genetic twins) - two old guys (in their 70s) living in Utah in a hidden/secret location in the Utah desert. I won't go into all the details, but there was an interesting admission during the show, wherein they said how they listened more to things on air that had to to do with "survival" techniques, and at a point, one said, without them saying that they had voted for Trump, that they were well prepared just in case there was an assassination attempt on Trump... (cough) !!!

Later in the show, one bro showed his locked storeroom to Ben which was completely stocked with large locked metal cases and what appeared to be dangerous substances (munitions/arms/god knows what...etc.).

What really struck me about their lives was their absolute conviction of "license"/"freedom", the "freedom" to live their lives exactly as they desired. (I must say here that their idea of freedom has absolutely nothing to do with what I have understood from meditation - i.e. psychological freedom from the past.) It seems to me that this is the key - the core - of all alt-right groups, and why such people support Trump. Now, I might be mistaken, I am no expert, lol. Of course, hatred is an emotion that tends to go hand-in-hand with this belief.

So, this is also, it seems to me, the reason that pro-lifers and some religious groups, etc. also support Trump, this "freedom" to choose to adopt a position, that identifies them in one way or another.

Now, while there are always disaffected young loners attracted to alt-right groups, whether in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, etc., this show really made me understand that Bob and Bill's attitude to life was based entirely on a form of licentiousness (I am not talking of sexual amorality or wantonness), but more of what they believe is licit and has developed into a form of a philosophy and approach to life. And, it also seems to me that it is this very position which lies at the foundation of what is happening in the White House as well.

Waves from Walden Pond, at anyone who reads this, (grins).

[charley]

I zoned out watching the "trial"... zzzzzzzzz I will catch the summaries on the news later, much later. No documents produced, nor witnesses testifying. It just seemed like a lot of judicial foreplay, with a lot of legalese mumbo-jumbo from the Republicans that I didn't understand, and the Democrats just re-verbalizing the charges, and in between, more procedural legalese. I don't even understand why they are calling it a trial. It was more interesting when Pelosi was holding back on sending the charges to the Senate; I almost wish she never sent them, and that the impeachment would just hang there, like some albatross hanging over Trump's head.

[FireSignFemme]

... I almost wish she never sent them, and that the impeachment would just hang there, like some albatross hanging over Trump's head.

I think in a way it sort of is. I mean before this trial even began, there were those threatening, or promising, I guess it just depends what side you're on, if they didn't win this round they might try and impeach him again for other things. Maybe. And the way I understand it, he doesn't even have to still be in office for them to impeach him so when does it all end?

[FireSignFemme]

https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/election?p0=263&iso=20201103T00&msg=2020%20US%20Presidential%20Election

[GeorgiaMa'am]

. . . the Democrats just re-verbalizing the charges, and in between, more procedural legalese. I don't even understand why they are calling it a trial.

The procedural legalese is boring, except to illustrate how reluctant the Republicans are to let any witnesses or evidence be shown. If they weren't afraid of the evidence, why not let it come out so they could refute it?

It's really not so much a trial - even though technically it is one - as an opportunity for the Democrats to list out all the details of what people did or saw that was wrong, by explaining why they should be called as witnesses. Even if the Republicans don't let the witnesses testify, now the Democrats have an opportunity to explain exactly why and what it was that Trump did that was illegal (not to mention idiotic, crass and not interested in the American public's welfare). I think that's why the Democrats thought it would be worthwhile to go through the process of impeachment, even if they could never get an impeachment past the Senate.

[kittygrrl]

i'm reviewing Adam Schiff's presentation...so far it's incredibly good, measured..with brilliance...enjoying..w tea

[Kätzchen]

I wonder if anyone who saw the documentary, Dark Waters (Corporate Malfeasance committed by DuPont et al) will see a similar parallel to the life long pattern of corporate malfeasance committed by the T---p family. Just like Teflon is toxic and is practically in everybody's system (same as plastic copolymer products which never 'die', it's impossible; it's got its own brand of toxicity) and branded as non-stick product, it's my opinion that T---p is as toxic as Teflon. I personally feel that his proverbial sins will be exposed for the treachery behind all things T---p and that his brand of corporate malfeasance is only the tip of the iceberg of the many 'Cardinal Sins' this horrible monster has committed, over and over again, since a very young age.

Just like King David committed his treachery of murder in plain sight, so it is with the many treacheries committed by T---p.

That's what I have been thinking about, lately.

I also think that anybody running for POTUS should undergo a psychiatric exam, to make sure they don't have some out of control narcissism or some sort of sociopathy which is not only a danger to those afflicted by it, but a serious danger and threat to society as a whole.

[homoe]

PgmXzmwaDhU







LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

[homoe]

ds77eJz5788




Beware you spineless politicians, the Lincoln Project is calling you out..

[homoe]

PgmXzmwaDhU



H3r-Itn9ccY



LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

Just in case you're unfamiliar with the Lincoln Project.......

[C0LLETTE]

DOOMSDAY CLOCK

The keepers of the Doomsday Clock on Thursday moved the symbolic countdown to global disaster to the closest point to midnight in its 73-year history, citing “existential danger” from nuclear war and climate change.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which was founded after the creation of the atomic bomb during the Second World War and focuses on the greatest threats to human survival, said it moved the clock from two minutes to midnight to 100 seconds to midnight – a 20-second advance.

The decision was made by the group’s science and security board, in consultations with its board of sponsors, which includes 13 Nobel laureates.

In a statement accompanying the clock’s advance, the organization said the nuclear and climate dangers “are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyberspace-based information warfare that undercuts society’s ability to respond.”

“The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode,” it said.

Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said: “We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds – not hours, or even minutes.”

Come out of the woodwork all you Ignorant Trump Voters. Defend your votes and your support of him.

You owe us at least this much as you supported that horrible, greedy, shortsighted craven fool who will try to protect his ugly, venal, grasping family in underground bunkers while the rest of us try to survive the annihilation of ourselves, our children, and whatever generations might have come but will not.

yes, yes..i know you have the right to vote as you will...but look at the dreadful deadly mess you've created...and frankly, i don't even think you got a fair trade ...maybe a job that will be short-lived, maybe a few pennies more per hour long as the job lasts, and then a world you wont be able to afford enough gas masks to live in.

[C0LLETTE]

bump...hate to see a thoughtful post get drowned.

[Martina]

Why don't you address the Boris Johnson voters? He won in a landslide. You're living in a Commonwealth country. Or the voters in Brazil or Australia or Israel or India?

[FireSignFemme]

As far as psychiatric exam goes, though I think it's worth the effort, I don't know how effective it would actually be. Sociopaths, psychopaths many of them are very skilled, adept, accomplished and proficient liars. Especially the more organized ones. Very good at acing those type of tests, cunning people.

[homoe]

Last night on MSNBC they discussed the ramifications that the senators who vote against calling witness will face when Bolton's book is released and in fact if it does contain some very damaging info that should of been heard before the impeachment proceedings.

Of course there has not been a release date set for his book but I have a hunch it's going to be out well before election time.

It is well known I am not a fan of the talking heads ESPECIALLY when they talk over whatever person is the focus of an event they are covering! And well, when they succumb to hash over what senator is drinking milk, IMHO it's WAY past time to shut up, say goodnight, and sign off!

[Kelt]

As a US citizen I hate to say that this election seems to be similar to the last one in that I find myself not being inspired to vote for anyone and will likely just vote against the hated one (in my case against Trump).

I wish our political system could produce legislators who would legislate and presidential candidates who could work with them to get things done, actual law making beyond the reaches of just signing in and out with executive letters every time the political winds change direction.

In my opinion the extreme "all or nothing" stances results in more nothing than anything else.

The United States is certainly not alone in the poorly chosen and elected leaders camp, the globalization of bad choices seems to be upon us.

[homoe]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts' admonishment of House impeachment prosecutors and President Donald Trump's defense team followed a handwritten note by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins penned a note after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler's comment about a “cover-up” by Senate Republicans for Trump, her spokeswoman confirmed. Senate rules ban senators from impugning each other.

Now IF only she pays as close attention to the facts offered up during the hearings!

[homoe]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a profanity-filled tirade at NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly in a private room after the “All Things Considered” co-host asked him about former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during a routine interview, NPR reported.

Kelly explained on “All Things Considered” on Friday night that, after the interview, she was led to a private room near his office. Pompeo then yelled at her, using the “F-word and many others” over her questions on Ukraine.

“I was taken to the Secretary’s private living room where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself,” she said. “He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine.” Pompeo also asked Kelly if she could find Ukraine on a map, and she said she could. He called on his aides to bring an unlabeled map so she could show him, according to Kelly.

Kelly, a longtime national security reporter with a master’s in European studies from Cambridge University, said she successfully pointed to the country on the map. Kelly described the bizarre tirade after airing the full interview with Pompeo on “All Things Considered.” The aide who brought Kelly to Pompeo did not say that anything would be off the record, the NPR host said.

She explained:

[Pompeo] asked, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”

He used the F-word in that sentence and many others.

He asked if I could find Ukraine on a map. I said yes, and he called out for aides to bring us a map of the world with no writing. I pointed to Ukraine. He put the map away.

He said, “people will hear about this.”

NPR’s “Morning Edition” released a portion of Kelly’s interview with the secretary of state earlier Friday, highlighting the moment Pompeo became frustrated with Kelly after she asked him if he owed Yovanovitch an apology for her ouster. Pompeo deflected the question as Kelly continued to push him on it until the secretary appeared to cut the interview off.

Read the full transcript of Kelly’s interview with Pompeo on NPR.

[homoe]

14bUmFgRBsE




IMHO Senators/Politicians never acted as rude and disrespectful before Trump came along...

It seems many have taken a page right out of his playbook!

[GeorgiaMa'am]

So now Trump has attended the March for Life, something no other U.S. president has ever done. He spent a lot of time talking about God - Whom I think he has no interest in - and "unborn children" - whom I think he doesn't give a rat's a** about. He was clearly just pandering for votes.

[homoe]

GOP Senators Incensed By Schiff's 'Head On A Pike' Remark!



They are incensed by this but not so much by all of Trumps shenanigans???

[homoe]

qVa2atDcRZ8

[homoe]

ABC News has reviewed a recording of what they say “appears” to be President Trump speaking about wanting former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch fired. On the tape, the voice that appears to be Trump can be heard saying of Yovanovitch, “Get rid of her! Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

The report goes on to cite sources who say the recording was made by Igor Fruman during an intimate dinner in 2018 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Both Fruman and Lev Parnas were indicted for campaign-finance violations in October 2019 and are former associates of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

[~ocean]

the republican's have NOTHING I'm sitting here listening to garbage so called opening arguments ~ this is obnoxious
I am embarrassed for them .To think people even think this ignorantly.

[C0LLETTE]

I'd give Trump Ukraine if he and his administration just get the Hell out of the Arctic.

"In May 2019, ( Mike) Pompeo acted against environmental protection at the Arctic Council. He refused to sign on to a joint statement addressing the need for protection of the Arctic region from the threat of rapidly melting ice unless all mentions of climate change were removed from the document. He stated "climate change is actually good for the Arctic, since melting ice caps are 'opening up new shipping routes' and thus making it more economically viable to expand oil drilling in the region."

Wikipedia. (Not the Bible but probably a reasonably accurate source on this one.)

Levitz, Eric. "Trump Thwarts GOP Plot to Pretend His Climate Agenda Isn't Idiotic". New York Intelligencer. Retrieved June 3, 2019.

McKibben, Bill (May 8, 2019). "The U.N. Report on Extinction vs. Mike Pompeo at the Arctic Council". Retrieved May 8, 2019.

I guess someone did do their homework for their Wikipedia entry.

[C0LLETTE]

So now Trump has attended the March for Life, something no other U.S. president has ever done. He spent a lot of time talking about God - Whom I think he has no interest in - and "unborn children" - whom I think he doesn't give a rat's a** about. He was clearly just pandering for votes.

I think Mike Bloomberg should put up one ( or two ) of his billions as a prize to be paid to the first person identifying any of the women paid or forced by Trump to have an abortion...maybe even including all his family members whose names end with an "a". This prize might be extended to protect anyone willing to break a non-disclosure agreement.

Come on Mike. You can do this.

[homoe]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a profanity-filled tirade at NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly in a private room after the “All Things Considered” co-host asked him about former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during a routine interview, NPR reported.

Kelly explained on “All Things Considered” on Friday night that, after the interview, she was led to a private room near his office. Pompeo then yelled at her, using the “F-word and many others” over her questions on Ukraine.

“I was taken to the Secretary’s private living room where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself,” she said. “He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine.” Pompeo also asked Kelly if she could find Ukraine on a map, and she said she could. He called on his aides to bring an unlabeled map so she could show him, according to Kelly.

Kelly, a longtime national security reporter with a master’s in European studies from Cambridge University, said she successfully pointed to the country on the map. Kelly described the bizarre tirade after airing the full interview with Pompeo on “All Things Considered.” The aide who brought Kelly to Pompeo did not say that anything would be off the record, the NPR host said.

She explained:

[Pompeo] asked, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”

He used the F-word in that sentence and many others.

He asked if I could find Ukraine on a map. I said yes, and he called out for aides to bring us a map of the world with no writing. I pointed to Ukraine. He put the map away.

He said, “people will hear about this.”

NPR’s “Morning Edition” released a portion of Kelly’s interview with the secretary of state earlier Friday, highlighting the moment Pompeo became frustrated with Kelly after she asked him if he owed Yovanovitch an apology for her ouster. Pompeo deflected the question as Kelly continued to push him on it until the secretary appeared to cut the interview off.

Read the full transcript of Kelly’s interview with Pompeo on NPR.

Today Pompeo came out and accused Kelly lying to him twice! Once was about a portion of the interview supposedly being "off the record", I'm assuming it's the part where he uses such unnecessary foul and nasty
language.

So who shall I believe, a respected NPR journalist or one of Trump's mouthpiece who's been caught in lie after lie?

[homoe]

GOP Senators Incensed By Schiff's 'Head On A Pike' Remark!



They are incensed by this but not so much by all of Trumps shenanigans???

Over 24 hours later and some of these poor delicate flowers are still whining and carrying on over this!

[homoe]

14bUmFgRBsE




IMHO Senators/Politicians never acted as rude and disrespectful before Trump came along...

It seems many have taken a page right out of his playbook!

PFtJtvP6dwY

[theoddz]

The artist who wrote and performed this song has called out the radical religious (Evangelical) right about their complete and unabashed support of the profane creature, Trump, who embodies evil, hatred, dishonesty, greed and corruption.

Hymn For The 81%-- Daniel Deitrich

3GT-LfLpzzo

The following paragraphs are in the descriptive information of the video, which is posted on Youtube, as follows:

"In 2016, 81% of white evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump after (among other things) hearing an audio recording of him bragging about sexually assaulting women.

Maya Angelou famously said, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

In the years since, even after enacting deliberately cruel policies to rip families apart and put children in cages at the southern border, evangelical support is as fervent as ever.

I was raised in the Evangelical world. It shaped me. I learned to take the words of Jesus seriously - love God, love your neighbor, feed the hungry, fight for justice for the oppressed. I thought that things like love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control MATTERED. I have been so confused and deeply saddened by the unflinching loyalty to a man who so clearly embodies the opposite of these values.

This song is a lament. It's a loving rebuke. It's a plea for the 81%, to come home to the way of Jesus." -- Daniel Deitrich, composer and artist

I certainly hope this song/video continues to go viral. As a Christian believer/follower, by both my raising and personal faith, I absolutely feel the very same way as this artist, in this song, as he calls out the very Evangelicals and church/religious entities who are supporting the very evil that Jesus instructed us to eschew and ardently stand against. Our beliefs and faith in the teachings and word of Christ, as our Savior, is what gives us the right and privilege of claiming the name "Christians".

~Theo~ :bouquet:

[~ocean]

I watch "our brothers" Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon every evening ~ I admire their liberal minds lightly dusted with old fashion ethics ~ Their political views suttelly made clear in their journalism .

[homoe]

Today Pompeo came out and accused Kelly lying to him twice! Once was about a portion of the interview supposedly being "off the record", I'm assuming it's the part where he uses such unnecessary foul and nasty
language.

So who shall I believe, a respected NPR journalist or one of Trump's mouthpiece who's been caught in lie after lie?

Pompeo responds to NPR reporter, says story is another example of 'unhinged' media.

Another page right out of "you know who's" playbook!

[homoe]

Over 24 hours later and some of these poor delicate flowers are still whining and carrying on over this!



IF these dainty politicians can't handle a simple comment like that, how on earth will they EVER be able to handle a tough opponent in their re-election campaign..:blink:

[charley]

The movie "CATS" has had some terrible reviews, imdb lists its rating presently as 2.8 out of 10 !! (lol)

On another site, I saw a warning about this film:

to the effect that watching it "might cause brain damage".

Since I had already diligently watched all of witnesses testifying as the Dems were preparing their Impeachment brief, I skipped Schiff's presentation, and only caught some of his presentation on the news, and yes it was very well done, absolutely excellent.

However, having seen a few of the incoherent Republican arguments on the news, I thought that it might be useful to also warn people that watching the Republican arguments might also cause brain damage; and then it occurred to me that anyone who agreed with what they were putting forward had already suffered from brain damage, and that they all should be immediately picked up and placed under medical surveillance. Trump and his Republicans really know their voting base. :)

[homoe]

President Trump expressed frustration on Twitter over the fact that his "lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.

If I can just recycle an old Seinfeld joke...(his of course pertained to blood on your clothes and laundry)

IF you've got lawyers defending you in an impeachment hearing, perhaps low TV ratings aren't your biggest problem!

[homoe]

Former national security adviser John Bolton came under fire on Sunday over a report that was published in The New York Times that claimed that Bolton said in his upcoming book that President Donald Trump directly tied financial assistance to Ukraine with Ukraine announcing an investigation into Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden.

“President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton,” The New York Times reported. The Times added that one of the reasons that Bolton now wants to testify is that he is afraid that “he will be accused of holding back to increase his book sales.”

Immediately following the publication of the Times’ report, Democrats and the media began to call on Republicans in the Senate to allow new witnesses to be brought into Trump’s impeachment trial.

[~ocean]

The majority of us were brought up to trust our government and president; as well as all public and safety people in charge. Looking at what our young'ins have to respect and look up too is devastating ~ coaches raping children ~ teachers assaulting the kids both physically and w/ beatings ~ local politicians committing fraud in almost every state and city. How do we explain the dangerous mind of TRUMP to the children ? How do we get them to trust and feel safe ? I know from explaining social enviorements we have to teach Jonathan to beware of over friendly coaches ? So hard to look at them having to accept and answer the questions they have after . I HOPE they impeach and REMOVE TRUMP so we can start to restore the respect we should have for our country's leader. Maybe it will become a start for rehabilitation for the youth to be safe in this world. Life is short and so fragile right now. Only ethical unity can cure. ~

[GeorgiaMa'am]

The majority of us were brought up to trust our government and president; as well as all public and safety people in charge. Looking at what our young'ins have to respect and look up too is devastating ~ coaches raping children ~ teachers assaulting the kids both physically and w/ beatings ~ local politicians committing fraud in almost every state and city. How do we explain the dangerous mind of TRUMP to the children ? How do we get them to trust and feel safe ? I know from explaining social enviorements we have to teach Jonathan to beware of over friendly coaches ? So hard to look at them having to accept and answer the questions they have after . I HOPE they impeach and REMOVE TRUMP so we can start to restore the respect we should have for our country's leader. Maybe it will become a start for rehabilitation for the youth to be safe in this world. Life is short and so fragile right now. Only ethical unity can cure. ~

I was brought up to trust the government and "officials"; but it didn't take with me. I quickly absorbed the "don't trust anyone over 30" meme, and I had a healthy suspicion of police officers and the like. I don't think we really can teach children to trust and feel safe when it comes to government officials; I think a healthy dose of suspicion is a good thing. The important thing is to teach children who they _can_ trust. Or they'll be lonely forever from lack of trust and constant suspicion.

[charley]

Considering my not-so-perfect childhood, I was never taught to "trust" anyone outside my immediate family. Moreover, I was always, even from childhood, quite skeptical. Luckily, being skeptical is healthy, while of course, being suspicious is always indicative of having had really bad conditioning.

To me, the element of trust is only present when there is love. As a matter of fact, when there is love, trust is a part of that love, and the issue of whether or not to trust doesn't even come up. Other than that, in ego development, it is something to be earned. The nature of trust always includes honesty, openness, transparency and above all, generosity of spirit. I can always tell who is generous and who is selfish (and not to be trusted) by the way in which they are capable of revealing the full extent of the core of why they say what they say - in other words, how they respond. You see, the worse kinds of lies are the lies of omission.

Insofar as public officials are concerned, I always thought that police officers were there to help you, especially if you were lost, and I have even driven to the closest RCMP office while driving thru Canada to get directions. :) I really didn't know any police officers while growing up, and I read in my 20s how there was a large number of law enforcement who beat their wives! Recent estimates are that they are 4 times more likely to hurt women than the rest of the population. I could never trust someone who was on a power trip.

Insofar as politicians are concerned, nothing that any Canadian politician has ever done has had the slightest effect on my life. If anything, their lack of action regarding climate change (and other issues) since I read "Silent Spring" in my 20s has always made me think they should all be arrested and charged with the genocide of the animals who live in nature (and more recently the Australian PM who should definitely be charged with murder - the estimates are about 1 billion animals killed in the Ozzie wildfires).

In the building where I live, the police even knew my apartment #, and would buzz me when they wanted to get into the building. Eventually, I found out that they had a code they could push and would tell them to call their head office and get the code and stop bugging me. Just because someone wears a uniform does not make them "perfect". Just because someone holds some government office doesn't make them "perfect". The worst kind of person is someone who plays god with the lives of others, and tries to get them to live according to their idea of how they should live. These kinds of people usually attract a gang of people who are susceptible to peer pressure, and the members of such a gang are notoriously untrustworthy, basically because their idea of how they see other people is always screened through their loyalty to whoever is in charge. They just can't be true to themselves, because their idea of being true is always to their "leader", and not to themselves - the whole issue of being a "leader" or a "follower".

As Shakespeare wrote, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." So, in the same vein, I would say, neither a leader nor a follower be. It is only then that one can clearly see what the heck is going on.

So, my only question would be why on earth should anyone trust any "authority"? My main motto would be to "question authority", while remaining skeptical.

[~ocean]

Considering my not-so-perfect childhood, I was never taught to "trust" anyone outside my immediate family. Moreover, I was always, even from childhood, quite skeptical. Luckily, being skeptical is healthy, while of course, being suspicious is always indicative of having had really bad conditioning.

To me, the element of trust is only present when there is love. As a matter of fact, when there is love, trust is a part of that love, and the issue of whether or not to trust doesn't even come up. Other than that, in ego development, it is something to be earned. The nature of trust always includes honesty, openness, transparency and above all, generosity of spirit. I can always tell who is generous and who is selfish (and not to be trusted) by the way in which they are capable of revealing the full extent of the core of why they say what they say - in other words, how they respond. You see, the worse kinds of lies are the lies of omission.

Insofar as public officials are concerned, I always thought that police officers were there to help you, especially if you were lost, and I have even driven to the closest RCMP office while driving thru Canada to get directions. :) I really didn't know any police officers while growing up, and I read in my 20s how there was a large number of law enforcement who beat their wives! Recent estimates are that they are 4 times more likely to hurt women than the rest of the population. I could never trust someone who was on a power trip.

Insofar as politicians are concerned, nothing that any Canadian politician has ever done has had the slightest effect on my life. If anything, their lack of action regarding climate change (and other issues) since I read "Silent Spring" in my 20s has always made me think they should all be arrested and charged with the genocide of the animals who live in nature (and more recently the Australian PM who should definitely be charged with murder - the estimates are about 1 billion animals killed in the Ozzie wildfires).

In the building where I live, the police even knew my apartment #, and would buzz me when they wanted to get into the building. Eventually, I found out that they had a code they could push and would tell them to call their head office and get the code and stop bugging me. Just because someone wears a uniform does not make them "perfect". Just because someone holds some government office doesn't make them "perfect". The worst kind of person is someone who plays god with the lives of others, and tries to get them to live according to their idea of how they should live. These kinds of people usually attract a gang of people who are susceptible to peer pressure, and the members of such a gang are notoriously untrustworthy, basically because their idea of how they see other people is always screened through their loyalty to whoever is in charge. They just can't be true to themselves, because their idea of being true is always to their "leader", and not to themselves - the whole issue of being a "leader" or a "follower".

As Shakespeare wrote, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." So, in the same vein, I would say, neither a leader nor a follower be. It is only then that one can clearly see what the heck is going on.

So, my only question would be why on earth should anyone trust any "authority"? My main motto would be to "question authority", while remaining skeptical.


Good thing we have these threads to talk about issues wether personal or social. Vent away charley u need to get a lot off your shoulders . Common sense bares the weight .. open your heart there are wonderful people in this world esp. right here on this site ~ always feel free to express :) we are all here to help you.

[homoe]

Today Pompeo came out and accused Kelly lying to him twice! Once was about a portion of the interview supposedly being "off the record", I'm assuming it's the part where he uses such unnecessary foul and nasty
language.

So who shall I believe, a respected NPR journalist or one of Trump's mouthpiece who's been caught in lie after lie?


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s quarrel with NPR escalated on Monday after one of the radio network’s reporters was barred from flying on the secretary’s plane during an upcoming trip to Ukraine. Michele Kelemen, a veteran reporter for the network, was removed from the list of reporters allowed to fly with Pompeo on a trip to Eastern Europe, only days after the secretary reportedly exploded at another NPR reporter for asking questions about Ukraine. The State Department Correspondents’ Association swiftly condemned the move in a statement on Monday.

The correspondents association concluded that the exclusion was in retaliation for a testy exchange between Pompeo and NPR host Mary Louise Kelly on Friday morning. During a roughly 10-minute interview, Kelly asked Pompeo a number of questions on U.S. policy in Iran and on Pompeo’s involvement in the Ukraine scandal at the center of President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Kelly asked whether Pompeo owed an apology to former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch for her unceremonious ouster from her post in Ukraine. Yovanovitch was removed as Trump and his circle viewed her as an obstacle to pushing Ukrainian officials to investigate his Democratic rivals. Pompeo responded tersely and reportedly met with Kelly afterward behind closed doors, yelling at her for asking questions about Ukraine.

[homoe]

After President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday completed the second day of their impeachment defense—which largely consisted of attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter—Republican Sen. Joni Ernst told reporters that she is "really interested to see" how team Trump's performance at the Senate trial "informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus-goers."

Ernst's remarks, which came just a week before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, were widely viewed as an open admission that Trump's attorneys and the Republican Party are using the Senate impeachment trial as an opportunity to damage Biden at the polls.

"This is saying the quiet part out loud," tweeted MSNBC correspondent Garrett Haake, a sentiment that was echoed by others.
"Here is Joni Ernst screaming the quiet part into a bullhorn," said Kaili Joy Gray, executive editor of The American Independent, in response to the Iowa Republican's comments.

[homoe]

After President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday completed the second day of their impeachment defense—which largely consisted of attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter—Republican Sen. Joni Ernst told reporters that she is "really interested to see" how team Trump's performance at the Senate trial "informs and influences the Iowa caucus voters, those Democratic caucus-goers."

Ernst's remarks, which came just a week before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, were widely viewed as an open admission that Trump's attorneys and the Republican Party are using the Senate impeachment trial as an opportunity to damage Biden at the polls.

"This is saying the quiet part out loud," tweeted MSNBC correspondent Garrett Haake, a sentiment that was echoed by others.
"Here is Joni Ernst screaming the quiet part into a bullhorn," said Kaili Joy Gray, executive editor of The American Independent, in response to the Iowa Republican's comments.

zc8uLuHsNw0

If I'm not mistaken she's up for re-election this year! Thankfully she has a skill to fall back on!

[homoe]

FnEK4vKdwbI

[homoe]

at4W_nlYEWQ


I can't find the longer scene where the a camera focuses on Pompeo with a smirk on his face and Alan Dershowitz slapping Pompeo's back for a job well done I'm assuming!

When I saw this it made me sick to know we have these sort of men running our country!

[C0LLETTE]

at4W_nlYEWQ


I can't find the longer scene where the a camera focuses on Pompeo with a smirk on his face and Alan Dershowitz slapping Pompeo's back for a job well done I'm assuming!

When I saw this it made me sick to know we have these sort of men running our country!

Ugly old White men oozing entitlement.

[homoe]

at4W_nlYEWQ


I can't find the longer scene where the a camera focuses on Pompeo with a smirk on his face and Alan Dershowitz slapping Pompeo's back for a job well done I'm assuming!

When I saw this it made me sick to know we have these sort of men running our country!

Besides making me sick, it also made we wondered if these men would want their daughters or wife's subjected to such treatment!

Such a sad state of affairs when one is rewarded and praised for such bad behavior and ESPECIALLY when the praise is coming from the commander in chief and yet even sadder, we're no longer surprised by it!

[homoe]

4PjLzupV910

Unfortunately again I cannot find the longer and exact footage of what shows Trump on the White House Lawn giving shout outs and sucking up to various Republican Senators!

His claim of 'I Want Their Vote' is no doubt true, one of these few times I believe him to be telling the truth, but as I watched it also crossed my mind he was giving them a not so subtle warning not to cross him or they'd face his wraith!

[homoe]

Besides making me sick, it also made we wondered if these men would want their daughters or wife's subjected to such treatment!

Such a sad state of affairs when one is rewarded and praised for such bad behavior and ESPECIALLY when the praise is coming from the commander in chief and yet even sadder, we're no longer surprised by it!

Can you just imagine Donald's reaction if his precious Ivanka was at the receiving end of such bad behavior!

[~ocean]

Can you just imagine Donald's reaction if his precious Ivanka was at the receiving end of such bad behavior!

He met Melania @ Epstein's house ~ there were pictures of 2 younger Donald and Melania ~ she was very desperate and broke ~ she became a friend of Epstein's and she met Trump there ~ look it up !

[nhplowboi]

REALLY Ms. Murkowski??!! But yay for Collins stepping up.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

I was listening to NPR's All Things Considered, and heard an interviewee state that, as regards rape victims, we must encourage the culture to not only believe what they have to say, people must also consider their experiences to be important. For example, most people (even Republicans) believed Christine Blasey Ford was telling the truth about Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her, but they did not consider it important enough to deny Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.

This highlighted what has been a blind spot for me - I have believed, I think, that of course everyone believes rape is important and serious. But now that this has been pointed out to me, I have realized that _of course_ there are many people, probably mostly men, who don't consider it important at all, or of little importance. Very disheartening when thinking about the human race.

I also think my belief was a creation of the way I was raised, to be a white, Southern "lady", whose "virtue" was to be protected at all costs. I had not thought about this particular issue beyond my own experience. It had to be brought to my attention by this interview; on the surface of it, of course what I believed is true, i.e., rape is a terrible crime. I had just not seen it from a bigger perspective, i.e., not everyone feels that way.

[dark_crystal]

I was listening to NPR's All Things Considered, and heard an interviewee state that, as regards rape victims, we must encourage the culture to not only believe what they have to say, people must also consider their experiences to be important. For example, most people (even Republicans) believed Christine Blasey Ford was telling the truth about Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her, but they did not consider it important enough to deny Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.

This highlighted what has been a blind spot for me - I have believed, I think, that of course everyone believes rape is important and serious. But now that this has been pointed out to me, I have realized that _of course_ there are many people, probably mostly men, who don't consider it important at all, or of little importance. Very disheartening when thinking about the human race.

I also think my belief was a creation of the way I was raised, to be a white, Southern "lady", whose "virtue" was to be protected at all costs. I had not thought about this particular issue beyond my own experience. It had to be brought to my attention by this interview; on the surface of it, of course what I believed is true, i.e., rape is a terrible crime. I had just not seen it from a bigger perspective, i.e., not everyone feels that way.

I think that because we are white Christian ladies in the South, a rape of US is a terrible crime-- against our fathers/husbands/protectors/family/class, but most of those same men that would swear vengeance on our perpetrator are likely to have committed their own assaults against women who were NOT us, and would not see those assaults in the same category.

AND they would tell us to suck it up pretty quick if we went around acting traumatized for more than 60-90 days following the crime.

[homoe]

REALLY Ms. Murkowski??!! But yay for Collins stepping up.

Very disappointing indeed nhplowboi.........

[homoe]

Nancy Pelosi ripping Donald Trump's speech may not have been planned, but it was effective



I loved it that she tore it up and I also applaud her for not using the typical announcement when introducing the President (leaving out honor and privilege)!

[JDeere]

Hmmmm

2 not guilty votes...

So that means aquittal?

[CherylNYC]

Hmmmm

2 not guilty votes...

So that means aquittal?

Yes.

Twelve current Republican Senators voted with the minority to convict and remove President Bill Clinton in 1999 because he lied about having oral sex with someone who was not his wife. Those same Senators just voted with the majority of Republicans to acquit that evil f***ing TRAITOR who sold out his own country for his personal benefit. I'm disgusted and about to head out to the protest rally/march in Manhattan. I hope that helps take the bad taste out of my mouth.

[C0LLETTE]

REALLY Ms. Murkowski??!! But yay for Collins stepping up.

Collins invariably takes one step forward and two steps back...what a despicable, dishonest coward.

[homoe]

Susan Collins Says Trump Has “Learned His Lesson” And Will Behave Now.


During an interview with CBS news yesterday, Republican Senator Susan Collins explained why she today was going to vote to acquit Donald Trump. And according to Susan Collins, she wants to acquit Donald Trump because she believes he is totally learned his lesson. Here is what Susan Collins had to say. "I believe that the president has learned from this case. The president has been impeached, and that’s a pretty big lesson, you know"!

[homoe]

Susan Collins Says Trump Has “Learned His Lesson” And Will Behave Now.


During an interview with CBS news yesterday, Republican Senator Susan Collins explained why she today was going to vote to acquit Donald Trump. And according to Susan Collins, she wants to acquit Donald Trump because she believes he is totally learned his lesson. Here is what Susan Collins had to say. "I believe that the president has learned from this case. The president has been impeached, and that’s a pretty big lesson, you know"!

Right and if you believe that, I've got a great deal on a bridge you may want to buy...

[kittygrrl]

Romney's speech gave me hope that there exists some decency in the Republican Party.

[homoe]

~~~
A hate spewing monger (Rush Limbaugh) receives The Presidential Medal of Freedom while a good decent god fearing Christian receives scorn and distaste!

[GeorgiaMa'am]

~~~
A hate spewing monger (Rush Limbaugh) receives The Presidential Medal of Freedom while a good decent god fearing Christian receives scorn and distaste!

I know! This is just one more thing on the list of things that I can't believe T***p has done! He still manages to shock me!

[charley]

This has all been done before... :)

As per the prophetic Mel Brooks film, A History of the World: Part I (1981)

Mel Brooks, as Comicus, says:

"Politics, politics,
politics, politics!

Politics! Yes!
The Roman Senate.

The Roman Senate
is the best legislature
that money can buy!

Corruption starts
in the streets
with the little peddlers.

They bribe an assemblyman,
he bribes a councilman,

the councilman bribes
a senator, and the senator...

It goes all the way
to the Emperor!"

You see, history has truly repeated itself!

The above quote starts at @ 1:57 in the following excerpt from the film:

=uNRvz5O9l2s

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNRvz5O9l2s

[tantalizingfemme]

I really hate religion being brought into politics.

[ksrainbow]

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/1/16/20991816/impeachment-trial-trump-bannon-misinformation

[homoe]

Donald Trump Jr. posted a picture on Instagram calling Sen. Mitt Romney a “pussy” after Rommey announced that he would be voting to convict Trump on one of two impeachment charges.

The picture featured Romney wearing high-waisted jeans, and was captioned: “Mom Jeans, Because you’re a pussy.” “Mitt Romney is forever bitter that he will never be POTUS. He was too weak to beat the Democrats then so he’s joining them now,” Trump Jr. ended his post by calling for Romney to be expelled from the GOP for being part of “the resistance.”

Talk about the apple not falling far from the tree!

[homoe]

Trump attacked his political rivals at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, just hours after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial — charging that they had inappropriately invoked "their faith as justification" for calls to remove him from office. The dig appeared to be directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who have both referenced religion as they explained why they believed Trump needed to be impeached, though the president did not specifically mention the lawmakers by name.Pelosi struck back at the president during a news conference in the Capitol, telling reporters Thursday morning that she found his statements to be "so completely inappropriate" and chiding Trump for "talking about things that he knows little about: Faith and prayer."

Yet Trump has the nerve to call Schiff and Pelosi 'vicious' and 'horrible' people?

[homoe]

Trump attacked his political rivals at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, just hours after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial — charging that they had inappropriately invoked "their faith as justification" for calls to remove him from office. The dig appeared to be directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who have both referenced religion as they explained why they believed Trump needed to be impeached, though the president did not specifically mention the lawmakers by name.Pelosi struck back at the president during a news conference in the Capitol, telling reporters Thursday morning that she found his statements to be "so completely inappropriate" and chiding Trump for "talking about things that he knows little about: Faith and prayer."

Yet Trump has the nerve to call Schiff and Pelosi 'vicious' and 'horrible' people?

zhGPItQd47U

[homoe]

Romney's speech gave me hope that there exists some decency in the Republican Party.



It did me too kitty UNTIL I saw Trump's Victory rally the next day!

[homoe]

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House on Friday and told to leave his position at the National Security Council (NSC), according to a statement released by his attorney. Vindman was one of the key witnesses who testified in connection with the House impeachment inquiry about President Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president during which Trump raised investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine.

And so the vindictiveness begins!

[nhplowboi]

Trump you draft dodging POS. How dare you fire Vindman and follow it with the ultimate insult of escorting him off of the property!

[Buckaroo]

How many people have been indicted and put in jail?? Trump is surrounded by criminals he has appointed to his cabinet and inner circle. His own lawyer is in jail! Yet, we are suppose to believe that he is an innocent man? That he is a decent and honorable man? Maya Angelou said.."when someone shows you who they are, believe them". He is a crook and con man who has pulled off the greatest con in history of this country by becoming president. He has dishonored the office and makes it a daily quest to dishonor the constitution. Ive seen 3rd graders with more emotional maturity and intellect than he could ever hope to attain. I say good on Nancy Pelosi for tearing up that National Enquirer worthy SOTU speech. The cherry on that pathetic display sundae was giving Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom. trump is a danger to every american citizen and to every person on this planet. He is more of a danger than that guy in N. Korea because unlike Kim, Trump does in fact have nukes at his fingertips and the attention span of a 12 year old on their 3rd bag of sour patch kids.

[dark_crystal]

Trump you draft dodging POS. How dare you fire Vindman and follow it with the ultimate insult of escorting him off of the property!

He also fired Vindman's twin brother just for being his twin

How is this ok? This is retaliation! I lead a large government agency and if i fired a staff member for testifying against me i would be fired too, because it is illegal.

[A. Spectre]

Mark my word: more things are going to come out that will prove just how guilty Trump & his enablers are. It will turn the public against them. How do we know? Read history. He looks like he’s getting away, but pride & arrogance come before a fall. Always have, always will.

Rev Barber


It would be so easy to lose hope, to lose faith and confidence. But without hope, we lose will, without will, we lose the wonderful of tomorrow....

A. Spectre

[charley]

Mark my word: more things are going to come out that will prove just how guilty Trump & his enablers are. It will turn the public against them. How do we know? Read history. He looks like he’s getting away, but pride & arrogance come before a fall. Always have, always will.

Rev Barber

Personally, apart from more things coming out re: his past behaviour which seems to be highly likely, my feeling is that Trump will do something else incredibly stupid prior to the coming election, that will seal his fate. Of course, I could be wrong, but I've never been wrong about anyone before. There is always a first time! :)

[homoe]

If anyone caught The Rachael Maddow show last night, she showed clips where two sources stated Vnidmar would be safe from retaliation, of course this was at the time he testified!

THEN she showed a current clip where one of those sources was backtracking big time!

[homoe]

~~
I'd be curious to know how many total Prayer Breakfasts Trump has attended in his years in office.

It's my opinion his attendance at this last one was to mainly gloat and shore up votes from the Evangelicals.

[homoe]

Former national security adviser John Bolton's team on Friday accused the White House of trying to suppress his unpublished book after word surfaced that the National Security Council had sent him a letter expressing concerns that the manuscript contained classified information. Sarah Tinsley, a senior adviser to Bolton, issued a statement Friday acknowledging that a letter from the NSC had been sent to Chuck Cooper, Bolton's lawyer.

“This latest leak from the NSC’s pre-publication review process raises even more serious concerns that the process has been thoroughly breached, and that it is more about suppressing Ambassador Bolton’s book than about classification issues," Tinsley said. She said Bolton was reviewing the letter and would respond. She said Bolton continues to believe “that the manuscript contains no legitimately classified material."

Where there's smoke there's fire!!

[homoe]

WASHINGTON – Departing the White House Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump asserted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "broke the law" in tearing up her copy of his State of Union address after he concluded his remarks Tuesday.

“Well I thought it was a terrible thing when she ripped up the speech. First of all, it’s an official document. You’re not allowed. It’s illegal what she did. She broke the law," he told reporters referring to The Presidential Records Act. Multiple experts said this law did not apply to the incident from Tuesday.

Heidi Kitrosser, a University of Minnesota law professor specializing in federal government secrecy and the separation of powers, told USA TODAY it was "crazy" to suggest Pelosi broke the law. The Presidential Records Act, which requires the president to preserve records, and other laws governing federal records were "designed to prevent the president and his advisers from shielding documentary information from public view," she explained.
They do not apply to "printouts or widely circulated documents" like copies of the State of the Union, she said.

Oh that poor thin-skinned delicate flower!

[homoe]

TY_xv_BL_9Q




Loved this......:hangloose:

[homoe]

“When you’re the father and your son’s entire career is dependent on that, they own you.” That’s what Donald Trump Jr. said Wednesday night on Fox News about Hunter Biden and nepotism, generating a collective face-palm by many on the internet.

Trump Jr. is executive vice president of the Trump Organization — his father’s company — and previously appeared as a judge on his father’s show “The Apprentice.” His previous comments concerning Hunter Biden and nepotism led some to say he lacked self-awareness, or at least a sense of irony...:hangloose:

Duh, why is Eric always portrayed as the dumb one!?

[homoe]

The lawyer for Lt Col Alexander Vindman condemned Donald Trump on Saturday for making “obviously false statements” about the decorated military veteran, after the president defended sacking him through several critical tweets. Ambassador David Pressman, who represents Vindman, said: “The president this morning made a series of obviously false statements concerning Lt Col Vindman; they conflict with the clear personnel record and the entirety of the impeachment record of which the president is well aware.” He went on: “While the most powerful man in the world continues his campaign of intimidation, while too many entrusted with political office continue to remain silent, Lt Col Vindman continues his service to our country as a decorated, active duty member of our military.”

Pressman’s statement came several hours after Trump said that the “Fake News @CNN & MSDNC keep talking about ‘Lt Col’ Vindman as though I should think only how wonderful he was. “Actually, I don’t know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don’t believe!) but, he was very insubordinate, reported contents of my ‘perfect’ calls incorrectly, &…”

The next tweet from Trump said Vindman “was given a horrendous report by his superior, the man he reported to, who publicly stated that Vindman had problems with judgement, adhering to the chain of command and leaking information.

So even IF anything that Trump says is true, what justification does he have for firing his twin brother???

[NuBnQwn]

I don't like agreeing with Pelosi, but I agree that impeachment is a waste of time. Better to concentrate on electing Democratic Senators as well as a new President.

Pelosi is a boss. I do see how one can feel that the Impeachment was a waste of time but in all actuality it was not. The indictment wasn't expected to succeed due to Senate control. However, the Impeachment of 45 is on the record and will forever be a part of history. He can never say he wasn't impeached. That gives me joy.

[Martina]

I wrote that before the revelations about Ukraine. I agree that we had to impeach. Trump's actions were blatantly corrupt.
Pelosi is a boss. I do see how one can feel that the Impeachment was a waste of time but in all actuality it was not. The indictment wasn't expected to succeed due to Senate control. However, the Impeachment of 45 is on the record and will forever be a part of history. He can never say he wasn't impeached. That gives me joy.

[kittygrrl]

I don't believe Trump will suffer any electoral loss after his impeachment...he spins untruth well and the speed of the news cycle helps him along...i wish msnbc and cnn would stop covering every bad thing he does because it has helped normalize his bad behavior to a point where it's 'just trump being trump'...we could beat him easily but i don't have much faith in the democratic base right now...half of us are purists and the other half will have difficulty voting for a very liberal candidate ie Bernie, and his burners will have an incredibly difficult time voting for a moderate candidate...we are so busy battling each other trump will slide right back into the drivers seat and we on the left will be pulling our hair out screaming wtf and wondering how did he do it?..........(we)dems are our own worse enemy.

[ksrainbow]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51449739?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world&link_location=live-reporting-story

[homoe]

Portion of US border wall in California falls over in high winds and lands on Mexican side.

The area is part of an ongoing construction project to improve existing sections of the wall.Agent Carlos Pitones of the Customs and Border Protection sector in El Centro, California, told CNN that the sections that gave way had recently been set in a new concrete foundation in Calexico, California. The concrete had not yet cured, according to Pitones, and the wall panels were unable to withstand the windy conditions.

Yup, looks like he's got the very BEST people on the job!

[homoe]

kllPUCjKHI4



So true and so creepy!

[homoe]

~~~
I think the thing that would really chap Trumps ass is NOT being besieged with press and reporters!

But like kitty said, fat chance of that happening!!!!

[homoe]

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is facing backlash after an audio clip of him defending the controversial “stop-and-frisk” policing strategy in 2015 resurfaced Monday.

In the clip shared on Twitter by podcast host Benjamin Dixon, the now-Democratic presidential candidate can be heard saying during a Q&A at The Aspen Institute that kids in minority neighborhoods need to be “thrown up against the wall” and frisked in order to reduce crime rates.

Here's the thing that bothers me about Bloomberg now that he's running for President! WHENEVER he's asked a controversial question, either about stop and frisk, claims of creating a hostile work environment for women, etc etc he simply brushes them off!

Publicly Gretchen Carlson asked him to release the women involved in NDA with him/his company. Once again brushed it off when reporters asked about it!

And seeing as no women have come forward I guess that'd be a no! He won't be releasing any of them from their NDA!

[homoe]

~~~
President Trump slams sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone as a "miscarriage of justice"

WOW, I'm just shocked and speechless!


Birds of a feather stick together.....

[kittygrrl]

and the bashing continues..:eatinghersheybar:

[C0LLETTE]

"Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear."

I'm going to bet a nice bedroom on the second floor of the White House is being redecorated and Melania is furious.

[homoe]

"Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear."

I'm going to bet a nice bedroom on the second floor of the White House is being redecorated and Melania is furious.

I guess that old line from the Godfather fits this latest development to a tee.......

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

[homoe]

~~
Talk about collusion! I think they both realized what a shit-storm they had on their hands after Barr stepped in and tried to suggest a lighter sentence for Stone * cough *cough which of course Trump never asked him to do.

I can just picture these two knuckled heads with their little beady eyes in a room coming up with this latest scheme!

[homoe]

V0AcqzesTa4





Latest from Republicans for the Rule of Law

[homoe]

MSPadXaUPMQ






Made by Republicans for the Rule of Law

[homoe]

'He doesn't give a f---': Trump is making a fool out of every Republican senator who said he learned his lesson from impeachment.



There Susan Collins and others! Put that in your pipe and puff it........

[charley]

I was checking up on what Wikipedia had to say about "autocracy", and this is the quote I found: !!!

"An autocracy is a system of government in which a single person or party (the autocrat) possesses supreme and absolute power. The decisions of this autocrat are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the implicit threat of a coup d'état or mass insurrection). Absolute monarchies (such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, Eswatini, Brunei, and Oman) and dictatorships (such as Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Belarus, and North Korea) are the main modern-day forms of autocracy."

So, wow!!!

Therefore, this is what Barr, the Republican Party and his majesty - Trump - have succeeded in manufacturing.

Curiously, a recent market research study has stated something to the effect that Americans trust Amazon and Google more than the police or the government, or even teachers and science. "The five most trusted institutions for Republicans are the military, local police, Amazon, the executive branch, and religion." (Vox)

I find the contradiction between what some people down south believe and think and the large gap between that and their inability and ultimate choice to actually not do something about it is mind-boggling. The problem for me is that this attitude is contagious and is spreading globally. It just seems that those who have money and who are making even more money are quite content to allow this situation to continue, develop and expand. I wonder whether this complacency will continue as long as the "economy" in the States continues to do well, and enrich those who, for example, like to play the stock market. I must also come to the unfortunate conclusion that it is this very contradiction in the collective mind that is facilitating the growth of autocracy. What I am saying is that such division and mistrust is in itself a breeding ground for the birth and development of autocracy in general. I worry about how this will effect Canada.

[~ocean]

I guess that old line from the Godfather fits this latest development to a tee.......

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”


lolololololol that's all folks ! lol

[~ocean]

~~
Talk about collusion! I think they both realized what a shit-storm they had on their hands after Barr stepped in and tried to suggest a lighter sentence for Stone * cough *cough which of course Trump never asked him to do.

I can just picture these two knuckled heads with their little beady eyes in a room coming up with this latest scheme!

Barr is a lousy actor ~ I don't believe a bit of it :blink::blink::blink::blink:

[homoe]

The first poll of Susan Collins’ 2020 senate race shows her tied with Democratic challenger.



I'm guessing she's "concerned"...........

[kittygrrl]

Right now I am very disappointed with all the Democratic candidates who are attacking Bloomberg. If you want to argue policy or ideas that is one thing but attacking someone because they have money is not my idea of who i want the President to be. They are all behaving like Trump including Bernie who i was happy to vote for until he started attacking Bloomberg because he is a curmudgeon bitter egotistical 77 year old, and is interested in protecting himself instead of looking at the bigger picture. Every candidate who attacks Bloomberg instead of working to unite us in winning the presidency will NOT get my vote.

[dark_crystal]

The issue with Bloomberg is that he is buying the election. My city (Houston) is reliably blue and hotly contested. It has been wall-to-wall Bloomberg ads down here for 2 months. The only reason regular, non-media people are taking him seriously AT ALL is because he just wore us down by making us look at him every day and because Bernie is doing too well

[homoe]

The first poll of Susan Collins’ 2020 senate race shows her tied with Democratic challenger.



I'm guessing she's "concerned"...........

New Maine poll shows Susan Collins and Sara Gideon nearly tied in 2020 race

Sorry, I omitted the name of Collins top challenger in yesterday's post!

[homoe]

Mike Bloomberg called transgender people 'it' and 'some guy wearing a dress'


The Human Rights Campaign is calling for Bloomberg to apologize over his comments.


These comments were made as far back as 2016 and again as recent as 2019.

[Ginger]

The pardons. That's what's on my mind. Trump's disgraceful pardoning of white collar white criminals Michael Milken, Rod Blagojevich, Bernard Kerik and Ed DeBartolo Jr. Who's next? Roger Stone? And if he's convicted, Harvey Weinstein? Every dictator needs a phalanx of monied lackies who aren't afraid to break the law tight around him. Is there a role for them in Trump's next incarnation? Thoughts like these used to seem crazy. We didn't know then what crazy was.

[homoe]

m8_O-PBhwJw

[Kelt]

What’s on my mind in politics is the ages of all of the front running candidates. If one supposes another year of chaotic campaigning followed by a probable eight year run that starts getting into statistically pretty questionable territory regarding the potential for cognitive decline, not to mention other possible health challenges.

I would be really interested in seeing the running mate choices. I think the potential Vice Presidents needs serious consideration as well.

There is a lower age limit when running for president, I think Congress should think about implementing an upper limit as well. Won’t work for this cycle, but I think it might be prudent for the future.

[charley]

Am watching the Democratic Debate in Las Vegas now (wanted to see Bloomberg), also in Chat, where there is no one (lol).

[homoe]

President Trump has named Richard Grenell, the vocal and controversial U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the new acting director of national intelligence, replacing the current acting head of the nation's 17 spy agencies.

Grenell, who has been the U.S. envoy to Berlin since May 2018, is known to be fiercely loyal to Trump, but critics have noted that he has no background in intelligence and no top-level management experience.

Another Trump lackey PLUS by appointing him "acting head" it avoids a senate confirmation hearing.

[homoe]

~~~
Roger Stone's sentencing. I can't wait to see how this end!

[nhplowboi]

~~~
Roger Stone's sentencing. I can't wait to see how this end!

I am thinking Trump did all those pardons the other day (none of which were deserved) to make it look routine when he pardons that idiot Stone. I'd love to see Roger in orange if only for the fact orange jump suits don't have spread collars. SAD, as Donald says.

[homoe]

The pardons. That's what's on my mind. Trump's disgraceful pardoning of white collar white criminals Michael Milken, Rod Blagojevich, Bernard Kerik and Ed DeBartolo Jr. Who's next? Roger Stone? And if he's convicted, Harvey Weinstein? Every dictator needs a phalanx of monied lackies who aren't afraid to break the law tight around him. Is there a role for them in Trump's next incarnation? Thoughts like these used to seem crazy. We didn't know then what crazy was.

The following is from the NYTimes.....

The 11 Criminals Granted Clemency by Trump Had One Thing in Common: Connections!

I think that about covers it, need we say more!?

[nhplowboi]

^5 for 40 months because 40 months for someone like Stone is akin to 40 years.

[homoe]

President Trump has named Richard Grenell, the vocal and controversial U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the new acting director of national intelligence, replacing the current acting head of the nation's 17 spy agencies.

Grenell, who has been the U.S. envoy to Berlin since May 2018, is known to be fiercely loyal to Trump, but critics have noted that he has no background in intelligence and no top-level management experience.

Another Trump lackey PLUS by appointing him "acting head" it avoids a senate confirmation hearing.

And so the plot thickens! NYTimes has reported updates to this story today! Watch this space for further developments folks.....

[C0LLETTE]

^5 for 40 months because 40 months for someone like Stone is akin to 40 years.


Stone is 67 now. Forty months will have him out at approx 71. That's 2-3 yrs younger than Trump is now. These guys are like reptiles.They slither and survive.
And that despite Trump probably releasing him back into the swamp before he even gets one leg into a prison jumpsuit.

[homoe]

Stone is 67 now. Forty months will have him out at approx 71. That's 2-3 yrs younger than Trump is now. These guys are like reptiles.They slither and survive.
And that despite Trump probably releasing him back into the swamp before he even gets one leg into a prison jumpsuit.


...:goodpost:...