Engagement

It has been a dispiriting couple of weeks for liberals, topped off by Anthony Kennedy's retirement from SCOTUS and yesterday's massacre at a newspaper in Md.  Just when it seems it can't get any worse for people of good will, somehow it does.  The Divine Mrs. M and I have put our nightly binging of MSNBC on hold as it is just too infuriating to watch.  Instead, she and I will put our efforts into helping elect Tedra Cobb in District 21 this November.  The way to change is one election at a time.  It will be an uphill fight, but we need to do something to show solidarity with those who are being marginalized by this administration.   We may not win this time, but in the long run (although we'll probably be dead) justice will triumph.  Persist, insist and resist.

But her e-mails

The list of celebrity and media idiots who pilloried Hillary Clinton about the made up scandal of her private e-mail server is long and they should all be publically shamed in the wake of Neil Gorsuch's appointment to the Supreme Court and the retirement of Anthony Kennedy.  Votes for Jill Stein in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania provided the electoral victory for Cheeto Jesus and enabled Mitch McConnell's remake of SCOTUS in the image of the average republican voter, i.e. an angry old white man.  The media firestorm over Clinton's e-mails and women like Susan Sarandon who said they couldn't trust Hillary and felt a Trump presidency would "heighten the contradictions" and lead to a progressive tidal wave effectively handed the keys to an authoritarian future to the most reactionary congress since reconstruction.  I know it is like stirring up bitter dregs, but we must remember stupidity and at least try not to repeat it in the future.  Sarandon is not going to suffer under the present administration, but as we see at our southern border and in gerrymandered states like North Carolina people of color and the poor will bear the brunt of her enablement of McConnell and his ilk.

Now it begins

Election season and the democratic party's quest to overtake republicans in the House and Senate officially begins today in NY.   For the most part there was lackluster voting numbers.   A friend chided local democrats of whom less than 10% had voted by 5 p.m.  When the Divine Mrs. M and I showed up at 7 p.m. we were the 127th and 128th of over 1200 registered dems who bothered to vote.  As it turned out, Tedra Cobb a former St. Lawrence county legislator with a talent for organization easily won the primary with over 10,000 votes.  For garnering the win she now faces a well funded and supported Elise Stefanik in the general election.  Barring a serious stumble by the republican it is unlikely Ms. Cobb will be able to overcome Stefanik's advantages, chief among them a huge lead in registered republicans in the district.  Of course everyone is talking about the upset in NYC where a Bernie democratic socialist ousted a very non charismatic white man in a district where less than 20% of the voters are white and a good percentage of those are republicans.  However, the primary serves notice to the national party that progressives can no longer be safely ignored. 

Failures in civility

While the chaos at the border continues apace, the Washington Post and other media in the capital want us to know there is a terrible lack of civility building toward some kind of horrific climax.  The evidence for this is the request of the owner of a small Virginia restaurant that the spawn of Huck and her entourage please leave because some of her LGBT staff took exception to the tRump administration's policies toward gay citizens.  There is an unwritten code that the policies of the government are totally beyond the control of political appointees and therefore they must be treated with proper deference regardless of the fact in many cases they enable hurtful programs.  Conservatives are particularly at fault in this regard.   They constantly search for liberal policies or spokespeople to demonize.  It is perfectly all right for businesses to discriminate against gay people, but if they in turn refuse to serve the enablers of that policy then the sky must be falling.  As more than one pundit pointed out, we must not lose sight of the separation of families at the border which is the proximate cause for the latest blow against Washington "civility".   Denying service to Huckabee-Sanders is hopefully the first crack in the wall separating policy and the consequences thereof. 

Hammered

To the tRump administration, every problem is a nail and every solution is a hammer.  Unfortunately, for the Mid Continental Nail Co. in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the hammer is connecting with their employees rather than their product.  Due to increased tariffs on Mexican wire which the company uses to make its nails, they are laying off up to half of the 500 employees because they can't compete with cheap Chinese nails.  This is only one example of the poorly thought out and executed plan to raise tariffs on imported goods.  There will be hundreds more, especially if the dealmaker-in-chief continues his reign of error on international trade.  I have no doubt Poplar Bluff voted overwhelmingly for The Donald.  I hope they are happy with the results.

Gardening roundup

After a fairly dispiriting Farmers' Market, I was able to get the next planting of lettuce in and continue the gardening project.  We were supposed to be rained out for the weekend, but the showers mostly held off until Sunday evening, so planting and weed wounding continued apace. 

In other news

Now comes word from the AP that immigrant children in their teen held in a detention center in Virginia were treated like the prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.  Held naked in solitary confinement, beaten by guards and strapped to chairs with opaque bags placed over their heads.  According to the report these actions occurred from 2015 to 2018, during both the Obama and tRump administrations.  But of course, we love the children!

There's Something Happening Here

With Apologies to Stephen Stills and Neil Young.  So Cheeto Jesus finally bowed to the pressure applied by nearly every non Faux News outlet and did what he claimed he could not do, namely ending the concentration camps for kids policy.  Or did he?  By continuing to hold families in detention for more than 20 days, the administration will be violating a court decree forbidding the practice.  The Obama administration complied with the ruling by practicing "catch and release" of families.  Most asylum seekers showed up for their immigration court dates and most of those were denied asylum, but that is not good enough for this later day Hitler and Goebbels act we foisted on ourselves.  By violating the court order, tRump, Sessions and ICE can claim the courts are forcing them to separate families in order to comply.  The only solution is Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress.  Let's vote the bastards who are enabling this administration out of office and start shining a light on the cockroaches.

Reaping what you sow

The title of this post works for both a quick gardening recap and republican electoral prospects.  On the gardening front, we got a little too much rainfall in T-storms on Monday night.  That wouldn't be bad if we would get a solid week of dry weather following the 2 inches of rain, but Mother Nature has other ideas.  It looks like a washout weekend which will keep me from killing weeds, succession planting and mowing grass.  Plus the plants in some of the gardens with heavier soils will be struggling with the additional rainfall.  Well, I can only hope the weathermen got their forecast wrong.   Meanwhile, in the political world, the GOP is in for even heavier rainfall as their president's* program separating immigrant families at the border is inundated by media coverage of babies being ripped from their mothers' arms.   While there is a cruel, fascist minority who will cheer this policy, the vast majority of Americans are horrified by it.  If tRump, Sessions, Miller, et.al. believe this is a winning issue for the November elections, they are delusional.  They are in for an extinction level event.   Don't mess with mothers and babies!

Making America Cruel Again

The Democrats and MSNBC have decided that cruelty to immigrant children is the issue, at least for the moment, they will use to beat Republicans and the president*.   It is a long way to November, but the sights and sounds of children crying for the moms and dads will be flooding the airwaves and tugging at America's heartstrings.  It is certainly a winner in the latest polls where 91% of dems and even 35% of repubs feel the administration has overstepped the bounds of civility.  There is an even bigger issue which may really come back to haunt the GOP.  It seems the various agencies supposedly coordinating the immigration policy have no plan in place to reunite parents and their children.  They are systematically ripping children away from parents without the mind numbing but necessary bureaucracy to keep track of the many thousands of children and their parents.  There are already stories coming out of immigrants being deported while their children remain in detention.  This is the kind of clusterfu*k we have come to expect from Cheeto Jesus and his henchmen, but it seems the whole program is a bridge to far for some tRump fans.   Congressional republicans, especially from districts with Latino voters are up in arms and they may finally provide the votes to check the DOJ and Attorney General Sessions from their plans to turn the southern border into an internment camp reminiscent of the ones Japanese Americans endured during WW2.  It may not be the pivotal issue to bring down tRump, but it certainly is a reminder to the rest of us that our baser selves are only a heartbeat away.

Musings on Father's Day

The three lovely young ladies I have the honor of calling daughters came over to the house with their respective families and a good time was had by all.   As I modestly (if I do say so myself) pointed out, the Divine Mrs. M had a lot more to do with their upbringing than yours truly, but if they want to bestow a few kisses and a sentimental facebook post, who am I to argue.   Father's Day is one of those made up celebrations which are probably more inspired by Hallmark as a way to generate card sales.  However, while I may not have been as involved in their lives as I might have liked, I think I did one thing for them.  I showed them a father who got up every day and did what needed to be done.   Whether going to work, mowing the grass or taking them to dance lessons, I tried to show them someone who welcomed responsibility.  I believe I see that reflected in all my girls do with respect to their jobs and families.  While it is not a heart tugging trait, responsibility is what our society is built on.  That being said, I still love them and their mother with all my heart!

tRump's Comeyover

Along with about 99.9% of my fellow Americans, I will not be reading the entire FBI inspector general's report concerning James Comey's handling of Hillary Clinton's e-mails.  However, as with most on the right and the left, I read the conclusion which pretty much accuses the former director of the FBI of facilitating the election of inarguably the least qualified presidential candidate in history.   Most of Comey's actions can be explained by his barely disguised fear of the never ending hearings being promised by republicans in congress who had been "working the refs" since the beginning of the investigation of Hillary's e-mail server and the fateful choice she made to use a private server instead of the government's.  Comey was right to be afraid, but it substituting his judgement for well established agency procedures was a huge mistake.  I believe he was certain Clinton would be elected as were most thinking Americans.  He was engaged in a huge CYA operation in the event republicans called him before numerous committees to question his actions.   Instead, his reputation has been damaged by the IG's report and his beloved FBI is being dragged through the mud by the people who benefitted most by his actions.  It is a cautionary tale which should be required reading for every incoming class of FBI agents.

tRump's Comeyover

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, many people, myself included attributed Cheeto Jesus' victory over Hillary Clinton to racism, misogyny and James Comey; not necessarily in that order.  While there is not much you can do about our fellow countrymen's moral and ethical failings, Comey is another story entirely.   As made clear in the FBI Inspector General's report, at every juncture in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's decision to use a private e-mail server instead of the government's Comey erred on the side of excessive criticism of the Democratic nominee for president.  Calling a press conference to announce no charges would be filed, he proceeded to drag Hillary through the mud for "extremely careless" behavior.  Then, when he had Anthony Weiner's laptop for over a month before the election, he chose to announce the renewal of the Clinton investigation less than 10 days before the election.  Clinton lost the election in that moment.  The IG report basically accuses Comey of acting out of fear of the backlash he felt sure to incur from congressional republicans and the press.   So, despite the ravings of the Faux News lunatics, James Comey and the FBI are probably the biggest reasons The Donald is now in the White House.  May the Flying Spaghetti Monster forgive them!

Cult-ivation

"Cult like" is the new default description of the GOP's slavish devotion to the president*.   From Joe Scarborough and his republican lite co-host to retiring senator Bob Corker and by most office holders in private remarks it seems the consensus is that to cross tRump is to anger his primary voting base and is therefore off limits if you want to get re-elected.  The latest casualty is Mark Sanford, the former governor of South Carolina and now former congressman whose biggest contribution to American life until recently was publicizing the Appalachian Trail!  He voted with Cheeto Jesus nearly 90% of the time, yet dared criticize him.  His opponent in the primary made loyalty to the leader the main issue and it sank Sanford like a stone.  Every other republican office holder felt the chill. 

Farm and garden

As usual this time of year, the predictions of lettuce growers are wildly optimistic when compared to the weather we are experiencing.  It's kind of like tRump in the garden.   One week out, everyone is convinced we will be drowning in a tidal wave of iceberg and romaine and we need to sell, sell, sell!  In the meantime, the garden at casa Monzeglio is struggling with cool, dry conditions which encourage slow growth.  While I am no commercial grower, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that 42 degree mornings and no rain translate into a very gradual onset of the marketing season.  Whatever.

spinning

Not since "Peace in our time", has so much speculation been engaged in as was the case with yesterday's summit between little rocket man and Cheeto Jesus.  After all the hype, not very much was said in the press release except the two leaders will possibly refrain from ad hominem insults at least for the time being.  Meanwhile, tRump managed to piss off virtually every ally the US has with his inflammatory comments during the G6 Plus 1.  If wrecking every alliance the country has cultivated for the last 70 years was his goal, the president* performed to perfection during the last couple of weeks.  The Spawn of Huck and the administration's other spokespeople have their work cut out for them to make this fiasco look like well thought out foreign policy. 

trees in the forest

Listening to an interview with veteran reporter Sy Hersch yesterday I was struck by what would be his approach to the present administration and the president* if he was in charge of the coverage.  Hersch is best remembered for uncovering various scandals in the Johnson and Nixon administrations, especially the massacre of villagers at Mi Lai and the attempted coverup of same.  He has fallen  out of vogue as he does not reflexively follow liberal talking points in the tRump era.  What he did say is the media is so obsessed by the constant barrage of lies surrounding Cheeto Jesus that it is missing coverage of some of the real scandals which should lead to public outrage.  He would make Scott Pruitt, Steve Mnuchin and Ryan Zinke the faces of the administration.  Publishing stories about their every day corruption and the contempt they have for the citizens who are paying for their various pecadillos would go a long way toward generating congressional action.  Attacking the Donald is counterproductive because his base and by extension the republican party will defend almost anything up to and including murder by their dear leader.  However, most of them will not defend the grift being carried out by his henchmen.

Approaching the iceberg

As one pundit put it, the Russia investigation is like an iceberg; most of us have seen what is above water.  That constitutes 20% of the total.  Robert Mueller and his investigators know most of the 80
% below the waterline and they still haven't leaked anything.  That has to be driving Cheeto Jesus and his henchmen nuts.  The latest media revelations include some details of tRumps shady deal making in eastern Europe and some of the republics which were part of the old USSR.  Most of these deals fell through, but some were completed with the corrupt leadership of the countries in question.  Those deals and the revelations about Persian Gulf petro princes offering to pay for social media campaigns in the US before the 2016 elections are sure to be hot topics in the White House.  I have a feeling even Mueller is surprised by the depth of corruption he has uncovered.  By the time this is over, Warren Harding will look like a choir boy compared to the current president*.

Burning down the House

Despite the torrent of bullshit issuing from the present inhabitant of the White House these days, there is an occasional nugget of mirth in the mire.  The report that Cheeto Jesus justified raising tariffs on steel imported from Canada is one such incident.  When PM Justin Trudeau asked how tRump could say Canada was a security threat to the US, The Donald said of course they are, didn't you guys burn down the White House in 1812.  As someone who deals with Canadians on a regular basis, I can tell you they take history far more seriously than most Americans.   As one of our northern neighbors pointed out, it was actually the British who did the deed and it was in 1814 just before the end of the war.  He might also have pointed out the invasion provided the impetus for Francis Scott Key to pen the anthem which tRump now uses as a cudgel to berate NFL players for not respecting it.  The president* has been playing with metaphorical matches for years.  He may yet burn down the house.

Remembrance of things past

June 6 is important in American history for a couple of events which continue to resonate with many people.   D-Day in Europe occurred in 1944.  The generation which saved western civilization (for what that is worth) is rapidly dying off.  By the time my grandchildren have established a new generation, those children will be as far removed from WW2 as my generation was from the Civil War which in turn was distant from the American Revolution.   As history fades into the rear view mirror it is incumbent upon each generation to remember and try to make sense of big events lest they become just another speed bump in humanity's march forward.   The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy happened on this day 50 years ago.  Although I can't remember exactly where I was that day as opposed to the day of his brother's death, Bobby Kennedy's eventual legacy may have actually outpaced JFK's.  He would almost surely been elected in 1968 and would have ended the Vietnam War.   The nation would have avoided Watergate and the erosion of trust in government that scandal engendered.  A clutch of liberal ideas would have been enacted into law and mountebanks like the present occupant of the Oval Office would have been seen as the two bit huckster they are.   So, while our participation in the 2nd  World War surely has had a huge effect on history, the bullets fired by Sirhan Sirhan on that fateful day in Los Angeles may have had almost as large an effect on today's world.  Somewhere a butterfly prepares to flap its wings....

It's Good to be the King

I had thought about this post yesterday, but another blogger was already on it, but what the hell.   The *president has decided to short circuit the constitution and bring back the monarchy we had supposedly dumped in 1776.  Back then, George 3rd was not an absolute monarch, but still had considerable power to benefit his friends and discomfort his enemies.  tRump has obviously decided this is the way to roll, especially if the law in the person of Robert Mueller is breathing down your neck.  By tweeting out his disdain for our system of government and claiming the power to shut down any investigation of his own wrongdoing, Cheeto Jesus has set the stage for a confrontation among the 3 branches of government.  Absent a resounding democratic victory in November, the legislative branch is supine in the face of the republican leader's popularity with their base voter.  That leaves the Supreme Court as the bulwark of democracy in the face of an executive branch coup.  I'm not betting on the outcome of that showdown.  I wonder if there are any examples in history of a leader who was generally unpopular subverting the democracy he was elected to serve. 

Happy Birthday

On this day in 1981, the Divine Mrs. M and myself started an ongoing journey with the birth of our daughter, Catherine Alicia.   As new parents we didn't have a clue about what the unfolding story of parenthood would be.   All we knew was we would be challenged as never before and yet blessed by our interactions with this cute albeit squalling bundle of joy. We have since realized that being a parent is not only a full time job when your child is growing up.  The responsibilities continue throughout your lives, shifting from the older generation to the younger.  There have been tears on occasion and smiles as the little baby has grown into a woman with children of her own.  I'm sure my better half can hear the catchy little tune I'm humming as I write this.   Happy birthday Alicia.  We are so proud of the person you have become.

Scalping the libs

Samantha Bee stepped right into it last night.  After a 7 minute rant on the immigration policies of the tRump administration, especially the separation of children from their parents when caught illegally crossing the border, Bee called out Ivanka Trump for not opposing the policy.  Specifically calling her a feckless c***.   Naturally, the right was looking for a tit for tat retaliation after the Roseanne Barr debacle.   The difference is Barr's tweet was definitely racist, where Bee's was scatological, but probably no worse than Kanye West calling a fellow black man the n word.  But that doesn't matter in today's polarized world.  I will be surprised if Bee's network, TBS, continues to provide cover for her.  A couple of advertisers have already pulled out of her show, and red ink will provoke retaliation sooner than the printer variety.  Rest assured, the calls for blood won't stop.