As Rachel Maddow has said numerous times, forget about what tRump and republicans say and watch what they do. Proof of this adage was on display on Wed. as ICE agents raided several meat packing plants in Mississippi and left dozens of children without parents as nearly 700 immigrants without papers were rounded up. Fortunately, members of the community rallied to help the disconsolate children in their hour of need. Meanwhile, the president* was insulting democrats and insisting he is a uniter, not a divider.
In other news, Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins and the Soul Cycle franchise provided further proof of Rachel's words. When called out for holding a $250,000/plate fundraiser for Cheetolini at his Hamptons mansion, Ross insisted he disagreed with tRump about many issues, but allowed that the tax cuts were one issue which united him and the president*. He can't understand why many of his soul cyclers' BS detectors have gone off and he may now face financial blowback for his political beliefs. The population must make it clear to the Ross' of the world they are entitled to exercise their first amendment rights, but so are the rest of us. Name em' and shame em'.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Divider in chief
Even knowing the tiniest bit of compassion and an above the fray reaction to mild criticism would have earned him a spate of "Donald Trump became president today" stories, the president* couldn't do it. Instead, reacting to Sherrod Brown saying that some people in the hospital tRump visited were critical of him, the commander in chief blasted out a series of tweets attacking Brown and the mayor of Dayton, Ohio as the community tries to deal with the aftermath of the massacre perpetrated last Sunday morning.
Following that fiasco, the president* and his entourage landed in El Paso and sprayed insults to Beto O'Rourke and the Hispanic congresswoman, Veronica Escobar, who both suggested he not visit the site of the horrific Walmart shooting, as the gunman's manifesto was replete with the language of "invasion" the president has employed numerous times in the last 4 years.
Having now alienated blacks, Hispanics, youth and college educated suburbanites you have to wonder if there is any demographic besides old, white people he is reaching out to.
Following that fiasco, the president* and his entourage landed in El Paso and sprayed insults to Beto O'Rourke and the Hispanic congresswoman, Veronica Escobar, who both suggested he not visit the site of the horrific Walmart shooting, as the gunman's manifesto was replete with the language of "invasion" the president has employed numerous times in the last 4 years.
Having now alienated blacks, Hispanics, youth and college educated suburbanites you have to wonder if there is any demographic besides old, white people he is reaching out to.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Giving a damn
I guess I have been a little cynical concerning the newest "inflection point" in the gun control debate. Everyone with even half a brain knows the republicans are sitting on legislation which may have made a difference in preventing the atrocities in El Paso and Dayton last weekend. Background check, closing loopholes, banning assault weapons are all no-brainers but are being held hostage by "Moscow Mitch" and his merry band of nihilists in the Senate. Even assuming the GOP grows a spine and passes some of the House legislation it still faces a veto from Cheetolini, who will correctly deduce his base is against any kind of gun control.
We live in a country of 324 million people with over 393 million firearms. Until we deal with this situation, we are living on that famous river in Africa.
We live in a country of 324 million people with over 393 million firearms. Until we deal with this situation, we are living on that famous river in Africa.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Following the money
Once again, Paul Krugman at the NYT nails the connection between the white nationalist movement, terrorism and the GOP. As always, follow the money.
The republican party's vision of the country for the last 40 years has been tax cuts for the wealthy, a huge military industrial complex and the shredding of the nation's social safety net. At the same time, the party became whiter and more prone to the ideology of white supremacy with its commitment to violence. With each successive GOP administration the dependence of the party on the haters became more pronounced as its policy prescriptions became less and less popular. Eventually the party became so dependent on racial animus to win elections it nominated an avowed white supremacist who won the presidency through a series of breaks, including Russian collusion and FBI interference.
So, we now have a commander-in-chief who actively encourages his followers to chant "Send her back" to a citizen and legislator. He wondered out loud how to discourage migrants from coming to our country and when the crowd shouted "shoot them", he allowed as how it was the panhandle of Florida and therefore, those sentiments could be gotten away with. Krugman compares him with Nathan Bedford Forest, the founder of the Ku Klux Klan.
This is where we are in 2019. The economy is teetering on the brink, climate change threatens spaceship earth and we are being encouraged to hate people of color by our president*. We need to address all these threats as quickly as possible, but first we need to call out the republican party for its complicity in stifling the response to all of the above. Follow the money!
The republican party's vision of the country for the last 40 years has been tax cuts for the wealthy, a huge military industrial complex and the shredding of the nation's social safety net. At the same time, the party became whiter and more prone to the ideology of white supremacy with its commitment to violence. With each successive GOP administration the dependence of the party on the haters became more pronounced as its policy prescriptions became less and less popular. Eventually the party became so dependent on racial animus to win elections it nominated an avowed white supremacist who won the presidency through a series of breaks, including Russian collusion and FBI interference.
So, we now have a commander-in-chief who actively encourages his followers to chant "Send her back" to a citizen and legislator. He wondered out loud how to discourage migrants from coming to our country and when the crowd shouted "shoot them", he allowed as how it was the panhandle of Florida and therefore, those sentiments could be gotten away with. Krugman compares him with Nathan Bedford Forest, the founder of the Ku Klux Klan.
This is where we are in 2019. The economy is teetering on the brink, climate change threatens spaceship earth and we are being encouraged to hate people of color by our president*. We need to address all these threats as quickly as possible, but first we need to call out the republican party for its complicity in stifling the response to all of the above. Follow the money!
Monday, August 5, 2019
Processing the unthinkable
29 people dead and dozens more injured over the weekend as the nation endured mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. It is hard to wrap your mind around the suffering which will be experienced for decades by the survivors. In a way, at least the dead will be at peace. Not so the wives, husbands and children who will miss them for the rest of their lives.
Meanwhile, millions of words will be spoken and written about these tragedies, but the root causes, right wing extremism and access to rapid fire guns will not be addressed in any substantial way. With a gun supporting racist in the White House, if anything, the crazies will be emboldened and a mass shooting may be coming to a location near you. More than 250 have occurred already this year.
Of course, as with health care there are plenty of examples of countries around the world who have banned assault rifles and seen the incidence of shootings plummet. The way is plain, the will is what is lacking.
Meanwhile, millions of words will be spoken and written about these tragedies, but the root causes, right wing extremism and access to rapid fire guns will not be addressed in any substantial way. With a gun supporting racist in the White House, if anything, the crazies will be emboldened and a mass shooting may be coming to a location near you. More than 250 have occurred already this year.
Of course, as with health care there are plenty of examples of countries around the world who have banned assault rifles and seen the incidence of shootings plummet. The way is plain, the will is what is lacking.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Gardening and Apartment rentals
I'm tired of rehashing the latest series of democratic debates, so let's talk about gardening and apartment leasing.
The garden is facing the typical late summer dry spell at this time. I just re-watered a new planting of lettuce I put in on Monday. Usually one watering right after planting is enough to keep transplants going until we get a decent rainfall. That is not happening, so back to the hoses. Meanwhile, the dry July will impact tomato and potato yields for my CSA and cause problems with seeding for later crops like radishes, cilantro and basil. It is a time waster to keep watering and it allows the weed population a respite from my trusty hoe.
We have an apartment for rent this month, and I put it on Craigslist yesterday without much hope, as there are many listings already. Surprisingly, I have already had 5 replies and the first people to look at the place are ready to rent it. There assessment of the availability in the area is that most apartments are "small and stinky". Hmm. I wonder if that is a common perception.
The garden is facing the typical late summer dry spell at this time. I just re-watered a new planting of lettuce I put in on Monday. Usually one watering right after planting is enough to keep transplants going until we get a decent rainfall. That is not happening, so back to the hoses. Meanwhile, the dry July will impact tomato and potato yields for my CSA and cause problems with seeding for later crops like radishes, cilantro and basil. It is a time waster to keep watering and it allows the weed population a respite from my trusty hoe.
We have an apartment for rent this month, and I put it on Craigslist yesterday without much hope, as there are many listings already. Surprisingly, I have already had 5 replies and the first people to look at the place are ready to rent it. There assessment of the availability in the area is that most apartments are "small and stinky". Hmm. I wonder if that is a common perception.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Round Two
The remaining 10 democratic presidential hopefuls gathered on the stage in Detroit last night. My hot take at the end was Joe Biden took incoming from virtually every other candidate on stage and when the smoke cleared he was still standing, barely. Biden was notably hesitant on some issues and instead of just shooting a word salad at his attacker would lapse into silence and presumably hope his response time would be over and the moderators would rescue him.
Most of the others on stage did little to help their cause. Kamala Harris gave a fitful defense of her health care plan without explaining it in much detail. Cory Booker comes off as polished, but not exciting, although as a youthful contrast with Biden he certainly looked good. I doubt any of the others on stage will be around for the next debate except perhaps Julian Castro, who continues to impress with his policies, especially on immigration.
Most of the others on stage did little to help their cause. Kamala Harris gave a fitful defense of her health care plan without explaining it in much detail. Cory Booker comes off as polished, but not exciting, although as a youthful contrast with Biden he certainly looked good. I doubt any of the others on stage will be around for the next debate except perhaps Julian Castro, who continues to impress with his policies, especially on immigration.
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