[url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/05/americas-new-aristocracy-live-accountability-free-zone-david-sirota]America's new aristocracy lives in an accountability-free zone[/url] | David Sirota | Opinion | The Guardian

But the most interesting story I read in relation to l'affaire Kavanaugh is this one by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the UK [i]Telegraph[/i] (I link to a Yahoo pick-up of the article as it is non-paywalled):

[url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/sinister-battle-brett-kavanaugh-over-202425923.html]My sinister battle with Brett Kavanaugh over the truth[/url]

[from a side link to the above story]
"Minutes after Sen. Susan Collins announced her support for Brett Kavanaugh, the site to fund her [yet to be determined] opponent was so overwhelmed that it crashed"
[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/minutes-senator-collins-announced-her-205616100.html[/URL]
[QUOTE]A website collecting money to fund a rival to Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine crashed on Friday shortly after she announced she would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
The site was created to raise money for [I][U]whoever decides to challenge Collins[/U][/I] for her Senate seat in 2020.[/QUOTE] (emphasis mine)
Small comfort, but a fitting rebuke. May the effort take her down.
I guess these women, or someone like them, were not pleased by the treachery against all women (and everyone else.)
Below: [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norns"]The Norns[/URL]

[QUOTE=kladner;497495][from a side link to the above story]
"Minutes after Sen. Susan Collins announced her support for Brett Kavanaugh, the site to fund her [yet to be determined] opponent was so overwhelmed that it crashed"
[URL]https://www.yahoo.com/news/minutes-senator-collins-announced-her-205616100.html[/URL]
(emphasis mine)
Small comfort, but a fitting rebuke. May the effort take her down.
I guess these women, or someone like them, were not pleased by the treachery against all women (and everyone else.)
Below: [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norns"]The Norns[/URL][/QUOTE]
Perhaps [url=http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Nemesis.html]Nemesis[/url] could run, while the [url=http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Erinyes.html]Erinyes, or the Three Furies[/url] ran her campaign.

[quote]Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems I can hear God saying to America "you are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I'm God."[/quote] -- Martin Luther King, Jr. in a [url=http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16183.htm]speech[/url] on April 30, 1967 at the Ebenezer Baptist Church about the Vietnam War.

Scary stuff all.
These ladies are of the same family, as it were.
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai[/url]

Then again-[INDENT][B]All. [/B]The weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go about, about:
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine
And thrice again, to make up nine.
Peace! the charm's wound up. [/INDENT]

[QUOTE=kladner;497542]Scary stuff all.
These ladies are of the same family, as it were.
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai[/url][/quote]

Ah, the Three Fates. [squints at text surrounding illustration]
My Latin is practically nonexistent. [url=https://www.loebclassics.com/view/martial-epigrams/1993/pb_LCL094.301.xml]Martial, Epigrams[/url] to the rescue!
[quote]O cui Tarpeias licuit contingere quercus
et meritas prima cingere fronde comas,
si sapis, utaris totis, Colline, diebus
extremumque tibi semper adesse putes.
[b]lanificas nulli tres exorare puellas
contigit: observant quem statuere diem.[/b]
divitior Crispo, Thrasea constantior ipso
lautior et nitido sis Meliore licet:
nil adicit penso Lachesis fusosque sororum
explicat et semper de tribus una secat.

Collinus, whose privilege it was to touch the Tarpeian oak leaves
and crown deserving locks with choicest foliage,
if you are wise, you will make the most of all your days and reckon that your last is ever at hand.
[b]To no man’s prayers has it fallen to move the three wool-spinning maids;
they observe their appointed day.[/b]
Though you be richer than Crispus, more steadast than Thrasea himself,
more elegant than spruce Melior,
Lachesis adds nothing to the tale;
she unwinds the sisters’ spindles
and ever one of the three — cuts.[/quote]

[QUOTE]My Latin is practically nonexistent. [URL="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/martial-epigrams/1993/pb_LCL094.301.xml"]Martial, Epigrams[/URL] to the rescue![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the link! I love parallel language formatting.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors of Kavanaugh and the Senate-Trump Faction
 

I am really afraid. This article is just one example that explicates the peril. It is easy to feel that we, and the world, are well and truly fscked. [OK. Spell check wants to substitute 'suckered' for 'fscked'. Both can be applied without conflict, but it is almost repetitive,depending on how one transliterates between different slang expressions.]
[URL]https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/05/high-crimes-and-misdemeanors-of-kavanaugh-and-the-senate-trump-faction/[/URL]
[QUOTE]Despite the historic stakes of the ram-through appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States of an evident serial liar and alleged rapist, who loudly denounces his Senate questioners as a “left-wing conspiracy” – sniffing all the time as his habit – there has been no legal analysis of his abetted crimes of persistent false statements and declarations, and factional subversion of the rule of law and the US Constitution itself.

As law and moral philosophy professors writing just as the White-House-counsel controlled FBI ‘investigation’ is hidden under cover from citizens and the press, we are moved by duty to explain what has so far been lost in media melodrama, political cover-up at the highest levels, he-says-she-says reductions, and the politics of effectively usurping the rule of law in the United States.
[/QUOTE]Oh WTF. Here is a twofer. At least this one is not so sober and solemn as the previous piece.
[URL]https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/05/absurdity-and-impunity-reign-in-the-time-of-don-and-rahm/[/URL]
[QUOTE]
[B]Absurdity and Impunity Reign in the Time of Don and Rahm[/B]
Absurdity Reigns in the terrible time of Donald Trump. Just five days apart, the tangerine miscreation went from calling the right-wing Supreme Court appointee Brett Kavanaugh’s primary accuser, Dr. Christine Blassey Ford, a great person and a good witness to [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WG1ZcCYXc"]openly mocking her painful recollections of sexual assault[/URL] in front of thousands of laughing white brutes in Mississippi.

The arch-sexist genital grabber-in-chief has a nasty habit of siding with men accused of beating and sexually abusing women: Roger Ailes, Rob Porter, Judge Ray Moore…the list goes on. I’m guessing that only Bill Cosby’s technical Blackness cost him a Trumpian soft pardon on epic sex crimes.
[/QUOTE][QUOTE]My cell phone made a strange noise and got the urgent message: “Presidential Alert…No Action is Required.”

I liked that. “No Action is Required. Continue to Live in Demobilized Isolation and Individualized Mass Consumerism. We’ve Got Things Under Control.”
[/QUOTE]
This 'alert' creeped me out Big Time, and still does. It is a display of power, and an implied threat.

[QUOTE=kladner;497606]This 'alert' creeped me out Big Time, and still does. It is a display of power, and an implied threat.[/QUOTE]

These expansions of the national [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Alert_System]Emergency Alert System[/url] have been in progress for years - with your local n00z media busily foisting their apps and push alerts on their viewers, you had to figure the EAS would be using similar.

However, I can totally picture DJT very quickly pushing the envelope on what constitutes suitable material for such Presidential Push Alerts. But our officialdom reassures us otherwise (snip from a Reuters piece I read on the test): 'On a conference call, government officials told reporters that Trump would not personally trigger the alert — from his phone or any other device — and emphasized that no president could “wake up one morning and attempt to send a personal message.”'

[QUOTE=ewmayer;497723]...
'On a conference call, government officials told reporters that Trump would not personally trigger the alert — from his phone or any other device — and emphasized that no president could “wake up one morning and attempt to send a personal message.”'[/QUOTE]It has come very far if spokespersons of the government feel the need to tell this and to be emphatic about it !

Jacob

This does not compute...
 

The alert said "No action required."

Unless you wanted your phone back, apparently, in which case you had to press "Confirm." That's an action, [i]nicht wahr?[/i]

Perhaps the following phrase will prove useful in times to come:

‎я не понимаю

The name of a journalist who had been critical of the current Saudi regime, and who's been in the news lately (though not in print, or in front of mikes or cameras) rang a bell about something from over 30 years ago, so I figured it must be a different guy. I looked up [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Khashoggi]Jamal Khashoggi[/url]. The guy I was thinking of turns out to have been his Uncle Adnan. It also turns out one of Jamal's cousins had been in the news some years back, too:
[quote]Khashoggi comes from a very rich, powerful and well-known family in Saudi Arabia. He was born in Medina in 1958. His grandfather, Muhammad Khashoggi, married a Saudi woman and served as personal physician to King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jamal Khashoggi is the nephew of late, high-profile Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, known for his part in the Iran-Contra scandal, estimated to have had a net worth of $4 bn in the 1980s. Jamal Khashoggi’s cousin, Dodi Fayed, was dating Britain’s Princess Diana when the two were killed in a car crash in Paris.[/quote]Anyhow, it seems Jamal went into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and is not known to have left. The Saudis said he left, but AFAIK they didn't say it was under his own power, or in one piece.

[i]Il Duce[/i]'s reaction to the possibility that Jamal Khashoggi was in fact murdered includes, [quote]I don’t like stopping massive amounts of money that’s been pouring into our country. They are spending 110 billion on military equipment.[/quote]

Well, maybe. They've only committed to about 15 billion. But it's nice to be reminded of where our Great Leader's priorities lie.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;497972]Anyhow, it seems Jamal went into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and is not known to have left. The Saudis said he left, but AFAIK they didn't say it was under his own power, or in one piece.[/QUOTE]

The Turks are claiming they have video of Jamal's death inside the consulate. This is, of course, from anonymous US officials, so massive grain of salt. But the video allegedly shows Jamal's being detained, beaten, tortured, and murdered by a group of 15 Saudis that entered Turkey, went to the embassy for a few hours, and then left again the same day. So this should be interesting.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;497972].......

Well, maybe. They've only committed to about 15 billion. But it's nice to be reminded our Great Leader lies.[/QUOTE]
FTFY

[QUOTE=kladner;497984][quote=Dr Sardonicus;497972]Well, maybe. They've only committed to about 15 billion. But it's nice to be reminded [size=2]where[/size] our Great Leader's^w Leader priorities^w lie^w lies.[/quote]FTFY[/QUOTE]
:missingteeth:

No, don't need any reminding of [i]that[/i]. He lies

1) whenever his lips are moving

2) whenever Sarah Huckabee Sanders' lips are moving

etc etc etc

[url=https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/411325-saunders-us-should-pull-out-of-war-in-yemen-if-saudis-killed]Bernie Sanders: US should pull out of war in Yemen if Saudis killed journalist[/url] | The Hill

Jeebus, Bernie, do you really need that "if..." qualifier?

[url=https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-12/media-sponsors-pulling-out-mbs-hosted-investment-summit-over-khashoggi]Media Sponsors Pulling Out of MBS-Hosted Investment Summit Over Khashoggi[/url] | ZeroHedge
[quote]What the mass slaughter of civilians and even bombing a school bus full of children in Yemen couldn’t do, the murder of one of their own did: a growing list of major media companies have declared they are pulling out of a high profile investment summit in Riyadh set to start on October 23rd over the alleged Saudi state murder of Washington Post columnist and Saudi “insider” critic Jamal Khashoggi.[/quote]

This next piece adds some caveats to the "journalist" aspect:

[url=https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/10/12/killing-saudi-journalist-khashoggi-could-spell-end-for-mohammad-bin-salman.html]Killing Saudi Journalist Khashoggi Could Spell End For For Mohammad Bin Salman[/url] | Strategic Culture
[quote]Jamal Khashoggi is a controversial figure, a representative of the shadowy world of collaboration that sometimes exists between journalism and the intelligence agencies, in this case involving the intelligence agencies of Saudi Arabia and the United States. It has been virtually confirmed by official circles within the Al Saud family that Khashoggi was an agent in the employ of Riyadh and the CIA during the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.

From 1991 to 1999, he continued to serve in several countries like Afghanistan, Algeria, Sudan, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East, often maintaining an ambiguous role in the service of his friend Turki Faisal Al-Saud, the future Saudi ambassador to Washington and London and later supreme head of Saudi intelligence for 24 years.
….
One of the main criticisms of Khashoggi coming from factions loyal to Abdullah was that he had recruited and paid several journalists on behalf of the CIA during his time as an editor. Such an accusation would conform with the widespread practice of the CIA seeking to influence the media, and therefore public opinion, and to put pressure on leaders failing to do what Washington wants.[/quote]

And on a lighter note:

[url=https://politics.theonion.com/trump-administration-urges-saudis-to-stick-to-killing-r-1829713565]Trump Administration Urges Saudis To Stick To Killing Random Yemeni Civilians[/url] | The Onion

The latest about the Khashoggi case is, the Saudis may be willing to admit he was killed. [i]Il Duce[/i] says he talked to the King, who disclaimed any knowledge of Khashoggi being killed, but suggested that "rogue killers" may be to blame.

"Rogue killers?" Sure! The Crown Prince decided Khashoggi had gone rogue. Thus, the hit squad were "rogue killers!"

Of course, the idea that he was killed in the Saudi Consulate without authorization from higher-ups is farcical. But this ludicrous scenario may be offered as a "face-saving solution" to avoid serious ruptures in relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and between Saudi Arabia and the USA.

More context on l'affaire Khashoggi, with an interesting point regarding the US economy and the late, great global financial crisis:

[url=https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2018/10/not-just-trump-saudi-arabia-bribing-us-arms-sales-years.html]Trump and Jamal Khashoggi— Saudi Arabia Has Been Bribing the US with Arms Sales for Years[/url] | naked capitalism
[quote]By now, few doubt that Jamal Khashoggi is dead. It is most likely that the Saudi journalist—who once advised kings and billionaires—was killed by an interrogation team sent from Saudi Arabia to meet him in Turkey. If this was the case, then it is impossible for the hit on Khashoggi to have taken place without a green light from the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (affectionately known as MBS). The Saudi royal palace would have signed Khashoggi’s death warrant because he had turned on the kingdom he otherwise loyally served. Nothing in Jamal Khashoggi’s career suggested that he would become a dissident. But, MBS had consolidated power against the fragile balance within the royal family and he had arrested and humiliated Khashoggi’s friends, including Al Waleed bin Talal of Twitter and Goldman Sachs. Khashoggi’s dissent was the complaint of one fraction of the ruling elite against another. If he were an unknown Saudi blogger sitting in Virginia, fulminating for a miniscule readership, he would have been left alone. That he represented powerful interests inside the kingdom made it impossible for him to survive.
...
Pressure came upon Trump to at least block U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. But, Trump is a pragmatic man. He knows that this would do two things he cannot afford—it would show that the U.S. does not stand by its allies, who might then seek allies elsewhere, and it would jeopardize the massive arms deals that the U.S. arms manufacturers have signed with the Saudis. Buying arms from the United States has come into use in Saudi Arabia’s insane war against Yemen, but more than that it has always been an insurance policy, a way to recycle Saudi petrodollars into the U.S. exchequer through arms deals. Not many U.S. politicians—who have arms manufacturers in each district—would be willing to throw Saudi Arabia overboard as long as it buys weapons systems that it mostly never used. Given this situation, Trump quite rightly ignored calls to stop the arms sales—“I actually think we’d be punishing ourselves if we did that.”

Why say that Trump was right to do what he did? It was not only because Trump wanted to maintain the U.S.-Saudi relationship. It was largely because Trump’s industrial strategy relies upon weapons sales around the world. And this is not merely Trump’s strategy. This has been the industrial strategy of the U.S. ever since manufacturing began to escape U.S. shores from the 1970s and ever since the USSR collapsed and Russian weapons manufacturing deteriorated (a situation remedied only recently). It is worth pointing out that the U.S. has been the world’s largest arms exporter for decades. [u]It is also worth pointing out that U.S. arms exports have increased astronomically since 2008; it was arms manufacturing that was the fulcrum of the U.S. recovery from the credit crisis. Twenty percent of U.S. arms sales go to Saudi Arabia, whose appetite for U.S. weapons has increased by 448 percent from 2008-12 to 2013-17[/u]. This monstrous relationship that deposits Saudi petrodollars into the U.S. in exchange for weapons benefits the U.S. financial markets and the arms manufacturers—two key fractions of U.S. capital.[/quote]

[QUOTE].....was killed by an interrogation team sent from Saudi Arabia to meet him in Turkey. [/QUOTE]
"Interrogation" seems to have been a cover story. This was a torture and hit squad.

[QUOTE=kladner;497606].....
This 'alert' creeped me out Big Time, and still does. It is a display of power, and an implied threat.[/QUOTE]
I got an Amber Alert today in the same format, which only seemed to describe a vehicle.

This alert biz is getting really old, really quickly. :poop:

[QUOTE=kladner;498270]"Interrogation" seems to have been a cover story. This was a torture and hit squad.[/QUOTE]The only question the Saudi Powers that Be wanted Khashoggi to answer (in the affirmative) was, "Won't you [i]please[/i] stop criticizing the regime?" If he'd agreed to do that, they might have let him live.

It is somewhat reminiscent of the situation under English common law with respect to an accused person "standing mute," or refusing to enter a plea to a serious criminal charge. Without the plea, the case could not proceed. So, they tried to "persuade" the accused to enter a plea. The means of persuasion was [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peine_forte_et_dure]Peine forte et dure[/url]. (The link explains why people were willing to endure being tortured to death under these circumstances.)

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;498289]The only question the Saudi Powers that Be wanted Khashoggi to answer (in the affirmative) was, "Won't you [I]please[/I] stop criticizing the regime?" If he'd agreed to do that, they might have let him live.
[/QUOTE]
Los muertos no hablan*. They got their affirmative answer. Some indications are that they started with beating, but rapidly progressed to cutting off fingers. It seems that he may have been killed so quickly, once they started in on him, that they only took time for "a bit" of torture along the way. The autopsy specialist was cutting him up piecemeal while he was still alive, according to some accounts. The same accounts say it took seven minutes for him to die.

There is no way they would have let him live.

* Literally, "The dead don't speak." A common English equivalent is "Dead men tell no tales."

[url=https://wgntv.com/2018/10/19/saudi-arabia-admits-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-was-killed/]He's dead, Jim[/url][quote]Saudi state-run media is reporting that prosecutors in the kingdom believe Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in a quarrel.

State media also quotes prosecutors as saying 18 Saudi nationals are being held on suspicion of being involved in the Washington Post columnist’s death.[/quote]
The hit squad has been reported as 15 strong. If it took an additional three to put him down, he must have been one tough hombre.

The Turks have been searching a nearby forest for his remains.

My guess is, the blood went down drains in the consulate, the scene was thoroughly cleaned, and the dismembered body was transported out of the country in a bunch of diplomatic pouches.

Well, now the "Official Story" of the moment is that, "Yes. Khashoggi died in the Consulate. It was in a fist fight with consular officials."
[URL]https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/saudi-arabia-confirms-khashoggi-killed-istanbul-consulate-181019221512552.html[/URL]
[QUOTE][URL="https://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/saudi-arabia.html"]Saudi Arabia[/URL] admitted journalist [URL="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/profile-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-writer-missing-turkey-181007184026645.html"]Jamal Khashoggi[/URL] was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul, saying he died in brawl but made no mention of where his body is.[/QUOTE][URL]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/world/wp/2018/10/19/saudi-government-acknowledges-journalist-jamal-khashaoggi-died-while-in-that-countrys-consulate-in-istanbul/?utm_term=.29b3b6ec43e4[/URL]
[QUOTE]RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi government acknowledged early Saturday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying he died during a fistfight, but the new account may do little to ease international demands for the kingdom to be held accountable.

The announcement, which came in a tweet from the Saudi Foreign Ministry, said that an initial investigation by the government’s general prosecutor found that the Saudi journalist had been in discussions with people inside the consulate when a quarrel broke out and escalated to a fatal fistfight.
[/QUOTE]Hmmm. A fifteen to one "fistfight". A fight that ended in vivisection. He musta been one bad stupid mofo to pick a fight with those odds.[/SNARK]
[QUOTE]My guess is, the blood went down drains in the consulate, the scene was thoroughly cleaned, and the dismembered body was transported out of the country in a bunch of diplomatic pouches.[/QUOTE]
Drains are usually not a good place to dispose of evidence. There are lots of places for clots and bits to lodge, unless the plumbing is glass. On the other hand, the Saudis had over a week to pour chemicals down those drains. However, I suspect these pros did not chance with catchments and pipe joints. One might imagine that they had drop cloths laid out, and other preparations.

However, these shifting stories and blatant lies are basically a big ol' FU finger to anyone who doesn't like it. tRump has already given them carte blanche. Israel probably applauds, unless their spooks consider it just too sloppy in execution.

Everyone else can stick it where the sun don't shine.

[QUOTE=kladner;498339]Drains are usually not a good place to dispose of evidence. There are lots of places for clots and bits to lodge, unless the plumbing is glass. On the other hand, the Saudis had over a week to pour chemicals down those drains. However, I suspect these pros did not chance with catchments and pipe joints. One might imagine that they had drop cloths laid out, and other preparations.[/QUOTE]Oh, I'm sure they [i]did[/i] have drop cloths, etc. But hey -- IIRC the human body has well over a gallon of blood, plus there's interstitial fluid, and the contents of the GI and urinary tracts. I suppose they could have used some sort of absorbent to render the liquids solid, and transported them out with the rest of the remains, though.

OTOH a Consulate is a diplomatic facility. The Saudis could easily have limited where Turkish investigators went poking around. "Sorry guys, you're not going to be snaking out our drains. We just had that done anyway. The guy used lots of lye and bleach, too. Why, you could [i]eat[/i] off the inside of those drains!"
:-D

[QUOTE=ewmayer;498100]<snip>
[url=https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-12/media-sponsors-pulling-out-mbs-hosted-investment-summit-over-khashoggi]Media Sponsors Pulling Out of MBS-Hosted Investment Summit Over Khashoggi[/url] | ZeroHedge
[quote]What the mass slaughter of civilians and even bombing a school bus full of children in Yemen couldn’t do, the murder of one of their own did: a growing list of major media companies have declared they are pulling out of a high profile investment summit in Riyadh set to start on October 23rd over the alleged Saudi state murder of Washington Post columnist and Saudi “insider” critic Jamal Khashoggi.[/quote]<snip>[/QUOTE]This rang a bell. I finally identified which bell it was. It seems to be an example of the notion that [url=https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/21/death-statistic/]A Single Death is a Tragedy; a Million Deaths is a Statistic[/url]. (The quote is often attributed to Stalin. The page I give the link to finds a number of similar quotes.)

Trump in Texas
 

I listened for a few minutes tonight to Donald Trump's cheering mignons at a rally for Ted Cruz.

It brought to mind a little thing that happened in a [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDwEnwxnGjY"]1934 rally in Nuremberg[/URL].

[QUOTE=Chuck;498551]I listened for a few minutes tonight to Donald Trump's cheering mignons at a rally for Ted Cruz.

It brought to mind a little thing that happened in a [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDwEnwxnGjY"]1934 rally in Nuremberg[/URL].[/QUOTE]You might like from about 3 minutes to 7 minutes into this [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5NEfsfjf8s]video of Cruz's May 3, 2016 news conference[/url]. (The video seems to freeze up just before the 6 minute mark, but you can click just past there on the time line, and it resumes.)

Transcript [url=http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1605/03/cnr.07.html]here[/url].

[url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/suspicious-package-found-at-clintons-home-police-say]Explosive devices mailed to Obama, Hillary Clinton, others prompt security scare[/url]

Naturally, [i]Il Duce[/i] expressed regret over his many remarks condoning political violence, and insulting or vilifying the particular targets in this case.

And he has called each and every one of them to assure them he has taken a personal interest in bringing those involved to justice.

Oh, wait...

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;498701][url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/suspicious-package-found-at-clintons-home-police-say]Explosive devices mailed to Obama, Hillary Clinton, others prompt security scare[/url]

Naturally, [i]Il Duce[/i] expressed regret over his many remarks condoning political violence, and insulting or vilifying the particular targets in this case.

And he has called each and every one of them to assure them he has taken a personal interest in bringing those involved to justice.

Oh, wait...[/QUOTE]

Good take himself out for abetting first.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;498701][url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/suspicious-package-found-at-clintons-home-police-say]Explosive devices mailed to Obama, Hillary Clinton, others prompt security scare[/url]

Naturally, [i]Il Duce[/i] expressed regret over his many remarks condoning political violence, and insulting or vilifying the particular targets in this case.

And he has called each and every one of them to assure them he has taken a personal interest in bringing those involved to justice.

Oh, wait...[/QUOTE]

That regret lasted a super long time too: [url]https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/413050-trump-rally-chants-lock-her-up-after-in-wake-of-bomb-threats-to[/url]

[QUOTE=wombatman;498710]That regret lasted a super long time too: [url]https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/413050-trump-rally-chants-lock-her-up-after-in-wake-of-bomb-threats-to[/url][/QUOTE]
That "Oh, wait" should have told you -- I wasn't being entirely serious.

[i]Il Duce[/i] has said the congress-critter who body-slammed a reporter (and then lied about it) is "one tough cookie" and "my guy."

Now, a guy accused of groping a woman on a Southwest flight said [url=https://www.foxnews.com/travel/florida-man-accused-of-groping-passenger-on-southwest-flight]the President of the United States says it’s OK to grab women by their private parts[/url]. It's a federal charge, too. So maybe [i]Il Duce[/i] will say "He's my kind of guy" and pardon him.

I offer the words [i]incite[/i] (urge to commit unlawful acts) and [i]abet[/i] (encourage or approve of unlawful acts) to describe [i]Il Duce[/i]'s demagoguery.

Some interesting background on "mad MAGA bomber" Cesar Sayoc:

[url=https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2018/10/michael-olenick-real-story-magabomber-cesar-sayocs-foreclosure.html]Michael Olenick: The Real Story of "MAGA Bomber" Cesar Sayoc's Foreclosure[/url] | naked capitalism

Millions of people lost their homes to similar 'fraudclosure' under the Obama administration's tender ministrations. Not that much has changed - as author Olenick points out in the comments, current SecTreas Steve Mnuchin was one such mortgage vulture.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;499062]<snip>
Millions of people lost their homes to similar 'fraudclosure' under the Obama administration's tender ministrations. Not that much has changed - as author Olenick points out in the comments, current SecTreas Steve Mnuchin was one such mortgage vulture.[/QUOTE]
Not just any vulture. He [i]owned[/i] the bank when it foreclosed on Sayoc in September 2009. Of course, [i]he[/i] wasn't on Sayoc's hit list. Nor were the folks in the Florida foreclosure system who ramrodded the case through, despite dodgy paperwork and lack of service of process.

Nullifying the Constitution by fiat
 

[url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-plans-executive-order-to-limit-birthright-citizenship-today-2018-10-30/]Trump plans executive order to end birthright citizenship for some U.S.-born babies[/url] Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says[quote]All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.[/quote]
[i]Il Duce[/i] seems to think he can carve out an exception for those born to illegal immigrants. IMO it's going to take a lot of comedy to laugh off that "All persons."

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;499104][url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-plans-executive-order-to-limit-birthright-citizenship-today-2018-10-30/]Trump plans executive order to end birthright citizenship for some U.S.-born babies[/url] Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says
[i]Il Duce[/i] seems to think he can carve out an exception for those born to illegal immigrants. IMO it's going to take a lot of comedy to laugh off that "All persons."[/QUOTE]

I don't think those that love this idea have any idea as to the problems it will cause. It tells me that all citizens will eventually be required to show that all of their parents were citizens and their grandparents were citiziens, etc. Does this mean that if both of my parents were born in the US, but their parents were undocumented, then I could automatically lose my citizenship? What will be the burden of proof regarding that documentation? Will it be some arbitrary decision of a person or the courts to determine if there is enough documentation or that it is valid documentation?

I expect most die-hard conservatives will cheer such a decision and those who are conservative but disagree won't say anything. This is just more proof that this presidency is more like a tyranny.

[QUOTE=rogue;499119]I don't think those that love this idea have any idea as to the problems it will cause. <snip>[/QUOTE]
My thinking is, this is a bunch of BS he's spouting, to sound good to his anti-immigrant supporters. I doubt he's actually received any legal advice that his hare-brained idea would fly. If anyone has told him this idea would work, it's probably some fawning sycophant telling him what he wants to hear, which is what he's doing with (or to) his supporters.

The text of the Fourteenth Amendment is crystal clear: "[b]All persons[/b] born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." There is no question about illegal immigrants, or their children in this country, being subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Illegal immigrants have been getting deported since long before [i]Il Duce[/i] was elected or took office. The deportations are done under US jurisdiction.

[i]Il Duce[/i]'s talk about sending the military to stop the "caravan" from crossing into the US is, at best, highly exaggerated. The military can only offer support (logistics, engineering, etc) to the border patrol. They can't directly act to enforce US law. The 1872 Posse Comitatus Act forbids it.

I'm from the other side of the pond (read Europe, specifically, France) but Posse Comitatus prevent military to deploy on domestic soil unless by special order.
Orangey could give that special order. Or deploy troops on foreign soil. with or without authorisation from these foreign nation. (And sorry if I miss-interpreted what posse comitatus is.. my only 'experience' of it come from a [URL="http://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/962"]web comic[/URL].)

[QUOTE=firejuggler;499266]I'm from the other side of the pond (read Europe, specifically, France) but Posse Comitatus prevent military to deploy on domestic soil unless by special order.
Orangey could give that special order. Or deploy troops on foreign soil. with or without authorisation from these foreign nation. (And sorry if I miss-interpreted what posse comitatus is.. my only 'experience' of it come from a [URL="http://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/962"]web comic[/URL].)[/QUOTE]Of course, soldiers can't be deployed [i]anywhere[/i] without orders being issued. The Posse Comitatus Act basically means, you can't have soldiers doing police work -- gathering evidence, making arrests on criminal charges, etc. They can, however, be used to [i]assist[/i] law-enforcement agencies in all sorts of ways -- building roads, constructing buildings, doing paperwork, moving supplies around, etc.

However, military forces have been used to enforce court orders by way of preventing riots. The National Guard has sometimes been put "in service of the United States" (or "Federalized") to stop state officials from using them to thwart federal court rulings.

In the "Little Rock Crisis" of 1957, both were done. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus had used the Arkansas National Guard to prevent desegregation. The Mayor of Little Rock called President Eisenhower for help -- he wanted soldiers to protect the "Little Rock Nine" as they entered the school. He got them -- Eisenhower ordered in the 101st Airborne Division (without any of its black soldiers). He also "Federalized" the Arkansas National Guard, taking them out of the Governor's control.

You better STAND for the national anthem!
 

I wonder if [i]Il Duce[/i] has heard about this one. It came up in "On This Day" for November 4, 2018. Maybe he'll say he's solving the NFL's "kneeling" problem once and for all, and issue an Executive Order with the same effect. I mean, if he can overrule the Constitution by executive order, why not create legislation by executive fiat?[quote]One year ago: China's rubber-stamp legislature made it a criminal offense to disrespect the country's national anthem, punishable by up to three years in prison; the move came amid rising nationalist appeals from the ruling Communist Party.[/quote]

Free speech?

[QUOTE=firejuggler;499543]Free speech?[/QUOTE]You haven't heard? Here in the good old USA, it's been redefined as spending money -- lots and [i]lots[/i] of money -- to give [strike]bribes[/strike] campaign contributions or "favors" not provably connected with any official action, to public officials. It's only available to those who can afford it -- wealthy people ("natural persons") or corporations ("corporate persons").

In short, [i]money[/i] is free speech. And, for most of us -- those of us who don't just count -- money [i]isn't[/i] free, and all it says to [i]us[/i] is, "Goodbye!"

Mayday ... Mayday ... Mayday -Chesley B. Sullenberger III
 

So here is another analogy to depict the state of the US, and in consequence, the state of much rest of the world. Maybe some folks will listen to Sully in the midst of their Foxian® haze. Some of them might even get some of what he is saying.
[QUOTE]I am often told [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/05/new-york-plane-crash-audio-sullenberger"]how calm I sounded[/URL] speaking to passengers, crew and air traffic control during the emergency. In every situation, but especially challenging ones, a leader sets the tone and must create an environment in which all can do their best. [U]You get what you project. Whether it is calm and confidence — or fear, anger and hatred — people will respond in kind.[/U] Courage can be contagious.

Today, tragically, too many people in power are projecting the worst. Many are cowardly, complicit enablers, acting against the interests of the United States, our allies and democracy; encouraging extremists at home and emboldening our adversaries abroad; and threatening the [URL="https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/10/03/climate-scientists-are-struggling-find-right-words-very-bad-news/"]livability of our planet[/URL]. Many do not respect the offices they hold; they lack — or disregard — a basic knowledge of history, science and leadership; and they act impulsively, worsening a toxic political environment.
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;499614]So here is another analogy to depict the state of the US, and in consequence, the state of much rest of the world. Maybe some folks will listen to Sully in the midst of their Foxian® haze. Some of them might even get some of what he is saying.[/QUOTE]Well, said, Sully! "Cowardly, complicit enablers." They're so bad, they're not even going to Hell. (See [url=https://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=495943&postcount=849=]this post[/url] for an explanation.)

The complete op-ed is [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-saved-155-lives-on-the-hudson-now-lets-vote-for-leaders-wholl-protect-us-all/2018/10/29/554fd0e6-d87c-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?noredirect=on]here[/url].

As Veterans day approaches, I think about my late father. His sacrifice during WWII (twice wounded in action in Europe, shipped back to the States after the second time), and the even greater sacrifices of so many of his friends, and many, many others, helped make the US a better country. As in the overturning of [i]Plessy v. Ferguson[/i]. As in the Civil Rights Movement and the increased opportunity for millions that it brought about. As in, a president being foced out of office after abusing his authority.

Thanks, Dad! I'm glad you're not here to see the country you fought for while it seems bent on committing suicide. I know it would make you unutterably sad, possibly drive you to despair, but this is not on you. Rest in peace.

Tomorrow, I will go to vote.

Ah crap! Another missing link. Thanks again, Doc, for correcting the omission, again.
I am glad my father isn't seeing the current political horrors, either. The "Bush Crime Family" kept him worked up enough as it was. He was somewhat contemporaneous with your father. Mine was in the Army Air Corps, as recon group ground crew. Totally non-combatant, though as a Master Sergent, he was issued a Thompson submachinegun He did not talk a lot about it, though later in life he came out with some amazing and amusing tales, including the Tommy gun. The idea of my dad with a Tommy gun blew everyone's minds when I passed it along. In the last year+ I was his primary caregiver, so I heard some of these gems before the rest of the family. Daddy was about as non-violent as they come. When the war ended, the Army wanted him to go Lifer, complete with OCS. He graciously declined.

We mostly heard of him being in N Africa, but eventually also in Italy and France.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;499660]Well, said, Sully! "Cowardly, complicit enablers." They're so bad, they're not even going to Hell. (See [URL="https://www.mersenneforum.org/showpost.php?p=495943&postcount=849="]this post[/URL] for an explanation.)

The complete op-ed is [URL="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-saved-155-lives-on-the-hudson-now-lets-vote-for-leaders-wholl-protect-us-all/2018/10/29/554fd0e6-d87c-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?noredirect=on"]here[/URL].

As Veterans day approaches, I think about my late father. His sacrifice during WWII (twice wounded in action in Europe, shipped back to the States after the second time), and the even greater sacrifices of so many of his friends, and many, many others, helped make the US a better country. As in the overturning of [I]Plessy v. Ferguson[/I]. As in the Civil Rights Movement and the increased opportunity for millions that it brought about. As in, a president being foced out of office after abusing his authority.

Thanks, Dad! I'm glad you're not here to see the country you fought for while it seems bent on committing suicide. I know it would make you unutterably sad, possibly drive you to despair, but this is not on you. Rest in peace.

Tomorrow, I will go to vote.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;499675]Ah crap! Another missing link. Thanks again, Doc, for correcting the omission, again.[/QUOTE]Well, I hadn't read the op-ed, so thanks for posting about it.

The following incident mentioned in a program (Good grief! [i]that[/i] long ago?) about POWs held by the Nazis at Colditz castle, [url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2803naziprison.html]NAZI PRISON ESCAPE[/url], may have involved a man "about as nonviolent as they come" who had been issued a weapon (a sidearm, not a tommy gun) by the US Army:[quote][b]NARRATOR:[/b] The U.S. liberators found another more sinister camp in Colditz, a slave labor camp run by the SS. Hundreds of Hungarian Jewish men and women had been marched there from Auschwitz in November 1944. The U.S. troops found a mass grave for over 400 men and women who had been shot, but there were a few survivors among the bodies.

The seriously ill were taken to a medical center.

Kenneth Lockwood had spent almost all the war in Colditz castle, oblivious to what was going on just a few hundred yards away.

[b]KENNETH LOCKWOOD:[/b] They were Hungarian Jews, all intelligentsia. I found this out because the American doctor, a fellow named Rose, was looking after them. He was doing what he could for them, and I simply said to him, "I've got nothing to do, can I be of any help?" And he said, "Well yes," he said...gave me a mug and some water and said, "Now get them to sip this."

Well I never want to see human beings like it again. They were literally skin and bones and nothing else. Their skin was a parchment yellow. And the doctor said, "It is important that they only sip. They mustn't...they mustn't swallow it. And only do it very slowly." Well, I went 'round, and he was doing it as well. We ran out of water. And he had a couple of German soldiers there, who hadn't left the place — most of them had by then — and he told one of them to go and fetch some more water. And the chap refused. He wasn't going to fetch any water for any Jews. And it looked... I thought, "Oh, this is going to be tricky." Anyhow, the doctor ordered him to do it again, and he refused again. And so the doctor produced his revolver and shot him. The other German that was there went and got the water.[/quote]

I'm not holding my breath waiting for any meaningful action on military aid to the Saudis for their proxy war in Yemen, but [url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/senate-saudi-arabia-vote]Senate tells [i]Il Duce[/i], "Don't treat us like idiots!"[/url]

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;501243]I'm not holding my breath waiting for any meaningful action on military aid to the Saudis for their proxy war in Yemen, but [URL="https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/senate-saudi-arabia-vote"]Senate tells [I]Il Duce[/I], "Don't treat us like idiots!"[/URL][/QUOTE]
Chest pounding and willy waving produced this token vote "for show." I know Sanders is sincere, but this crowded bandwagon will have a short run. It is also short of veto-proof.
Then, we have this wisdom from Sen [STRIKE]Wanker[/STRIKE] Lankford
[QUOTE]Sen. [URL="https://www.rollcall.com/members?31869&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink"]James Lankford[/URL] said he was still against cutting off military support because he believed such an action would lead to more civilian casualties in Yemen rather than fewer.[/QUOTE]They sure know how to pick 'em in Oklahoma.

[QUOTE=kladner;501254]<snip>
They sure know how to pick 'em in Oklahoma.[/QUOTE]
Yes, the other Oklahoma Senator, James Inhofe, comes to mind, as does the guy who was elected Oklahoma AG before being appointed head of EPA.

Now, if they just start chorusing that earthquakes caused by fracking are a hoax, maybe the ground in Oklahoma will stop shaking...

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;501271]Yes, the other Oklahoma Senator, James Inhofe, comes to mind, as does the guy who was elected Oklahoma AG before being appointed head of EPA.

Now, if they just start chorusing that earthquakes caused by fracking are a hoax, maybe the ground in Oklahoma will stop shaking...[/QUOTE]
:tu:
I should not sneer too loud or long, being of Texas origin.

The following passage comes from [url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Works_of_the_Rev._Jonathan_Swift/Volume_3/The_Examiner]Jonathan Swift, The Examiner, No. XIV. Thursday, November 9, 1710[/url].

Somehow, it brings [i]Il Duce[/i] to mind...
[quote]There is one essential point, wherein a political liar differs from others of the faculty; that he ought to have but a short memory, which is necessary, according to the various occasions he meets with every hour of differing from himself, and swearing to both sides of a contradiction, as he finds the persons disposed with whom he has to deal. In describing the virtues and vices of mankind, it is convenient, upon every article, to have some eminent person in our eye, from whom we copy our description. I have strictly observed this rule; and my imagination this minute represents before me a certain great man[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Wharton,_1st_Duke_of_Wharton][sup]2[/sup][/url] famous for this talent, to the constant practice of which, he owes his twenty years reputation of the most skilful head in England, for the management of nice affairs. The superiority of his genius consists in nothing else, but an inexhaustible fund of political lies, which he plentifully distributes every minute he speaks, and by an unparalleled generosity forgets, and consequently contradicts, the next half hour. He never yet considered, whether any proposition were true or false, but whether it were convenient for the present minute or company, to affirm or deny it; so that if you think fit to refine upon him, by interpreting every thing he says, as we do dreams, by the contrary, you are still to seek, and will find yourself equally deceived whether you believe or not: the only remedy is to suppose, that you have heard some inarticulate sounds, without any meaning at all; and besides, that will take off the horrour you might be apt to conceive at the oaths, wherewith he perpetually tags both ends of every proposition; although at the same time, I think, he cannot with any justice be taxed with perjury, when he invokes God and Christ; because he has often fairly given public notice to the world, that he believes in neither.

Some people may think, that such an accomplishment as this, can be of no great use to the owner, or his party, after it has been often practised and is become notorious; but they are widely mistaken. Few lies carry the inventor's mark, and the most prostitute enemy to truth, may spread a thousand without being known for the author: besides, as the vilest writer has his readers, so the greatest liar has his believers: and it often happens, that if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falshood flies, and truth comes limping after it; so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale has had its effect: like a man, who has thought of a good repartee, when the discourse is changed, or the company parted; or like a physician, who has found out an infallible medicine, after the patient is dead.[/quote]

It is and has and shall be depressingly true.

Somewhere, probably in this forum, is a cartoon depicting two desks. Above one desk, with a dozing occupant, is a sign, "Uncomfortable Truths." A long line stretches to the other desk which proclaims "Comforting Lies."

[QUOTE=kladner;501492]It is and has and shall be depressingly true.[/quote]My mother was fond of reciting part of a coda to the Song of Simeon, mercilessly ripped out of context, to describe such a circumstance:

[Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost]

[b]As it was in the beginning, is now, and evermore shall be

World without end.[/b]

[Amen.]

[quote]Somewhere, probably in this forum, is a cartoon depicting two desks. Above one desk, with a dozing occupant, is a sign, "Uncomfortable Truths." A long line stretches to the other desk which proclaims "Comforting Lies."[/QUOTE]
[url=https://henrykotula.com/2017/02/17/cartoon-comforting-lies-vs-unpleasant-truths/]This one[/url], perhaps?

Yep. That is the one!

I suppose I was mirroring the "Glory be" lines. I was certainly exposed to more than enough of that until my family moved out of Podunk and started going to an Unitarian Universalist place. Now, I don't go anywhere along those (deist) lines. :smile:

A Killer Dies, a Teacher Lives: George H.W. Bush v. Noam Chomsky
 

[URL]https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/12/03/a-killer-dies-a-teacher-lives-george-h-w-bush-v-noam-chomsky/[/URL]
It's not like I had any love to lose for "Poppy" Bush. The strafing of lifeboats after sinking a trawler doesn't surprise me. I have also read a case being built that he bailed prematurely when his plane was hit and burning. This left the crew to go down with the plane.

The Highway of Death stories still make me cringe. This piece does not mention that Sadam was led down the garden path by a lying US representative. Was that April something-or-other, who told Sadam that the US had no interest in his dispute with Kuwait?
[QUOTE]The obsequious praise of the life and legacy of the now deceased mad-dog killer George H. W. Bush (1924-2018) on the supposedly liberal and left cable networks CNN and MSNBC this last weekend was really something.[/QUOTE][QUOTE]MSNBC or maybe it was CNN (I get the two confused) brought on a Wilson Center expert to remind us that part of what made the senior Bush so [I]wonderful [/I]was that he had previously been the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – as if the CIA wasn’t one of the most [URL="https://softskull.com/dd-product/the-cias-greatest-hits/"]evil, blood-drenched institutions[/URL]in the long record of human malevolence.[/QUOTE][QUOTE]You thought the war criminal [URL="https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/09/03/the-mccain-death-tour-reaches-its-imperial-apotheosis/"]John McCain death trip[/URL] was bad? Hold on to your seats for the Orwellian, history-liquidating death orgy of imperialist killer Bush41.[/QUOTE][QUOTE](A younger George H.W. Bush would probably have enjoyed direct participation in the “turkey shoot.” [see Highway of Death] There are strong indications that, as a Navy pilot during World War II, Bush [URL="https://harpers.org/archive/1993/09/the-question-bush-never-got-asked/?fbclid=IwAR3Na_zqM1OKn92xzNHi4PW6dZPS00XcXvNkFhv_vUoBCiwJjj6i28VdLvE"]strafed two life boats[/URL] containing survivors from a trawler that Bush’s plane had just sunk in the South Pacific. That was a war crime under international military law.)[/QUOTE][QUOTE]Chomsky, who will turn 90 (still writing and giving interviews rich with deep knowledge and insight) in four days, is an intellectual and moral teacher and inspiration the likes of which one rarely encounters in the human record. In a remotely decent society possessing a genuinely open-minded and pro-democracy media, he would be a frequent, highly visible commentator on past and current history. His coming 90thbirthday would be cause for public celebration and an opportunity for honest reflection on how we might learn from our past and present in ways that could help us overcome the intertwined forces of empire, inequality, and doctrinal thinking.

It speaks volumes about the power of propaganda and thought control in the United States’ “corporate-managed democracy” ([URL="https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/32amb6ff9780252066160.html"]Alex Carey’s phrase before[/URL] it became Sheldon Wolin’s phrase) that Chomsky has been publicly quarantined for decades by a “free” media that heaps undeserved and cringing, boot-licking praise on loathsome imperialist killers like John McCain and George H.W. Bush.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;501634][URL]https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/12/03/a-killer-dies-a-teacher-lives-george-h-w-bush-v-noam-chomsky/[/URL]
It's not like I had any love to lose for "Poppy" Bush. The strafing of lifeboats after sinking a trawler doesn't surprise me. I have also read a case being built that he bailed prematurely when his plane was hit and burning. This left the crew to go down with the plane.
<snip>[/QUOTE]
I don't buy it. With the mission in which he was shot down, the circumstances mitigate strongly against it. He completed his bombing mission [i]after[/i] his plane was hit and set on fire. After which he piloted the burning plane away from the target and out to sea -- away from the tender mercies of the Japanese. And all the accounts [i]I[/i] have read say that all three men bailed out. One died because his chute didn't open. The other jumped out with Bush. Bush doesn't know which one, and never saw him after getting in the water.

As to that poor little innocent trawler: I suppose it would be unkind of me to point out that Bush was flying a TBF Avenger, a torpedo bomber -- a plane not especially suitable to doing strafing runs. It would probably also be unkind of me to point out that, after completing their missions, navy pilots were supposed to dump as much fuel and ordinance as possible before returning to base, to mitigate possible damage in case the plane crashed upon landing.

I unearthed the following from the Bent Prop Project legacy site page [url=https://legacy.bentprop.org/sap/sap7.htm]Fast Forward to 1993[/url], that being the year the San Francisco [i]Chronicle[/i] published accusations about the incident, and, it happened, that a dive crew found the sunken trawler:
[quote]The wreck was lying in a channel in a stiff current at 40 feet and clearly had been blown apart. Forty-nine years of stag coral were encroaching on the site, but enough of the deck remained to be searched. Immediately, we saw thousands of unspent rounds of small arms munitions lying on the stern side. A large gun mount lay on its side and I recognized a munitions box nearby which turned out to have 75mm anti-aircraft shells ready for action. We very rapidly solved two mysteries: the ship's location and that, in fact, it had been armed. So much linked small caliber munitions on the deck suggest strongly that lightweight Nambu-type machine guns had been present and could have even been readily carried into lifeboats. In short, this wreck was not an unarmed Japanese trawler and George Bush had never been a war criminal.[/quote]

Now, the CIA -- you might appreciate Caleb Carr's take on their handiwork in [u]The Lessons of Terror[/u]. Bottom line, he thinks that, in the interests of US national security, the organization should be abolished. Bush being head of the CIA was, in my book, a real black mark against him. Still, the guy Reagan had in charge there -- William Casey -- was an old OSS guy. One of Casey's little masterpieces was a little chat he had with the Saudis that resulted in a 1985 attempt to assassinate Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who was suspected of orchestrating the 1983 Marine barracks bombing and 1984 US Embassy bombing. The attempt, by means of a pickup loaded with plenty of explosives, did not kill Fadlallah, but [i]did[/i] kill about 80 other people, and wounded hundreds of others. Even at the time, most folks either knew or suspected the CIA was behind it, if for no other reason that it killed a lot of people but not the intended target.

Corrections accepted. Regardless of his record as an airman, his records as CIA director and as president are drenched in the blood of tens of thousands.

Casey was a name I was trying to remember. Was he something of a mentor to Bush in the spook business? I remember him for mumbling unintelligibly during Congressional testimony; a talent he was known for. His death shortly after seemed almost too convenient in terms of obfuscation.

[QUOTE=kladner;501684]Casey was a name I was trying to remember. Was he something of a mentor to Bush in the spook business? I remember him for mumbling unintelligibly during Congressional testimony; a talent he was known for. His death shortly after seemed almost too convenient in terms of obfuscation.[/QUOTE]
I'm not sure, but I don't think Casey mentored Aitch as a spook. Aitch wasn't a trained spook. He was appointed DCI by President Ford. His tenure was geared to repair relations between the CIA and Congress, which had taken a real beating in the previous years, and to restore morale at the agency, which had also suffered greatly. Part of that was putting through reforms, which included a Senate oversight committee. His efforts seemed to have been largely successful. Aitch offered his resignation as DCI after Carter was elected, and Carter accepted.

My hazy recollection about Casey's testimony before Congress is that some of his testimony was misleading. At some point, I heard something about his maybe having a brain tumor. He begged off an appearance to testify before Congress "for health reasons." I suspected it was a pretext, but the next I heard about him, which wasn't long after, he was dead. I doubt he would have revealed much to Congress he didn't want them to know.

Fun story: One "asset" on the [strike]Company[/strike] CIA payroll since around 1971 was one Manuel Noriega of Panama. When Carter became President, his new DCI, Stansfield Turner, kicked Noriega off the payroll. When Ronnie Ray-gun became President, Noriega went back on the CIA payroll. By the time Aitch became President, Noriega had become such a problem that he was served with the most expensive arrest warrant in history -- "knocking on the door" was done by means of a military invasion of Panama, which also deposed him. (Noriega had been indicted by a US grand jury on drug trafficking charges. Noriega's men provided the perfect provocation by killing Marine First Lieutenant Robert Paz, who was one of a group of unarmed US military men who were headed to dinner in Panama City. They then detained a naval officer and his wife who witnessed the killing. The officer spent two weeks in hospital recovering from the beating they gave him.) The "Panama Defense Forces" were more political thugs than soldiers, and were no match for the US military.

Sadly, an adjacent heavily-populated neighborhood was burned down in the attack on PDF Headquarters. Also, after the cessation of hostilities, the Panama Defense Forces were disbanded. This had unfortunate consequences because, political thugs though they were, they were also what passed for the police there. Without a police force, the situation in Panama became rather chaotic.

First duty as President: Foment chaos!
 

[i]Il Duce[/i] does it again! A day after he enthused about how wonderful things were going to be in our trade relations with China, investors were coming to the conclusion that Trump and Xi hadn't actually [i]agreed[/i] to much. And then, [i]Il Duce[/i] threw a twitter-tantrum. Investors responded. The DJIA closed down 799.36.

Now we know that even Pugsley could become President. (Note, I deliberately did [i]not[/i] say "grow up to be" President.) I feel that Gomez and Morticia would be very proud of a son like [i]Il Duce[/i].

There is a Charles Addams cartoon in the collection [u]Monster Rally[/u] in which Gomez, grinning widely, is reading a teacher's report. Pugsley is standing by Morticia, with the envelope. His eyes are closed in blissful contentment, and his head is in Morticia's lap. Morticia has an arm around him and -- unique among all the Charles Addams cartoons I have seen -- Morticia is [i]smiling[/i]. The caption is as follows:

[quote]"In addition to refusing to cultivate any wholesome interest in group activities, he is perverse, crafty, and wanton in those in which he does engage. These are, I feel compelled to emphasize, far beyond the outcroppings of normal juvenile mischief; in fact, they are the evidences of what may be an extraordinarily morbid ingenuity. I have gone to such length in describing the situation because I know you will want to be thoroughly informed of the facts."[/quote]

"I surround myself with the best people. I know the best people." -- Donald Trump, in interview with Geraldo Rivera on [i]Rivera Live[/i] November 26, 1999

He's said pretty much the same thing, time and again, since.

After hearing about Rex Tillerson's interview with Bob Shieffer Thursday evening, [i]Il Duce[/i] tweeted that Tillerson -- who was his own pick as Secretary of State -- was "lazy as hell" and "dumb as a rock." This shows that [i]Il Duce[/i] has been leaving a bit off his stated sentiments. In view of his repeatedly trashing the "best people" he's hired and then fired, I think the quote would be more accurate as follows:

"I surround myself with the best people. I know the best people. [b]FOR ME TO POOP ON![/b] -- Trump, the Comic President

Tillerson made what I think is a very cogent statement:[quote]I will be honest with you. It troubles me that the American people seem to want to know so little about issues that they are satisfied with 128 characters.

I don’t want that to come across as a criticism of him. It’s really a concern I have about us as Americans, and us as a society, and us as citizens.[/quote]

I'm afraid the news media deserves a lot of criticism for ballyhooing [i]Il Duce[/i]'s twitter tantrums. I remember when Spiro Agnew was VP, and regularly spouted about the media. There was a cartoon (by Pat Oliphant IIRC) showing VP Agnew tearing through the newspaper, asking [i]Where the hell's my big statement about keeping kooks off the front page?[/i] It was in the paper, all right -- in the "Today's Spiro" feature, next to the crossword puzzle. I think [i]Il Duce[/i]'s twitter tantrums deserve similar treatment.

George H.W. Bush (1924-2018), American War Criminal
 

You decide.
[url]https://theintercept.com/2018/12/05/george-h-w-bush-1924-2018-american-war-criminal/[/url]
[QUOTE]The United States is now in the midst of a grotesque canonization of one of its imperial saints, George Herbert Walker Bush. This week on Intercepted: an honest memorial service for an unrepentant warmonger who dedicated his life to militarism, war, coups, regime change, and the lies of “American exceptionalism.” Jeremy Scahill details the crimes of Bush, the sick propaganda of the corporate media memorials, and the trail of blood, death, and tears Bush leaves behind. Independent journalist Arun Gupta covers decades of Bush, from his time at the helm of the CIA to the presidency. Gupta discusses Bush’s support for Manuel Noriega and his eventual invasion of Panama, the pardoning of Iran-Contra criminals, the dirty wars in Central America, the support for Saddam Hussein, and the launch of the Gulf War. Acclaimed Iraqi poet and scholar Sinan Antoon describes his life under the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Saddam, the horrors of the Gulf War, and how Bush’s destruction of Iraqi civilian society led to the rise of ISIS.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;502128]You decide.
[url]https://theintercept.com/2018/12/05/george-h-w-bush-1924-2018-american-war-criminal/[/url][/QUOTE]
There's just one thing to do: Enact the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, popularly called the Ernst Amendment :smile:

Section 1: The United States of America is hereby declared responsible for every evil in the world. This includes, but is not limited to, Original Sin, the extinction of the dodo, the Black Death of the Fourteenth Century, and the crimes of the regimes of every nation on earth, past, present, or future. No other regime may be held responsible for its own crimes. This may be referred to as the New Doctrine of American Exceptionalism.

Section 2: It shall be unlawful for anyone to write, speak, publish, or even think that the United States, or any leader or citizen thereof, is, contrary to the New Doctrine of American Exceptionalism, capable of either goodness or virtue.

Section 3: Anyone who can plausibly be accused of violating Section 2 is, the Bill of Rights notwithstanding, to be immediately declared insane and confined, or shot without trial.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;502162]There's just one thing to do: Enact the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, popularly called the Ernst Amendment :smile:

Section 1: The United States of America is hereby declared responsible for every evil in the world. This includes, but is not limited to, Original Sin, the extinction of the dodo, the Black Death of the Fourteenth Century, and the crimes of the regimes of every nation on earth, past, present, or future. No other regime may be held responsible for its own crimes. This may be referred to as the New Doctrine of American Exceptionalism.

Section 2: It shall be unlawful for anyone to write, speak, publish, or even think that the United States, or any leader or citizen thereof, is, contrary to the New Doctrine of American Exceptionalism, capable of either goodness or virtue.

Section 3: Anyone who can plausibly be accused of violating Section 2 is, the Bill of Rights notwithstanding, to be immediately declared insane and confined, or shot without trial.[/QUOTE]
Off on your hobby again. Do you have counter examples which balance the known evils of actual exceptionalism?

Who wants to be Donald Trump's lawyer? He needs a good one
 

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/13/donald-trumps-lawyer-cohen-giuliani[/URL]
There seems to be a lot of overlap between this thread, and "Thing that make you go hmm." I considered dropping this Op Ed piece over there.
[QUOTE]Trump’s last lawyer, [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/michael-cohen"]Michael Cohen[/URL], is now preparing for a long cold spell inside the slammer next year. Meanwhile, the man currently purporting to represent the 45th president of the United States is hawking himself around Bahrain looking for other clients.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, now styles himself as one of the leading lights of Trump’s defense team. This is a stretch for a man who has spent the last decade as a lobbyist and security consultant. Giuliani’s legal career peaked in the late 1980s, around the time Michael Douglas [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxYOQS6ggk"]proclaimed[/URL] that greed was good. In other words: he’s the perfect pretend lawyer for our pretend president.
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;501243]I'm not holding my breath waiting for any meaningful action on military aid to the Saudis for their proxy war in Yemen, but [url=https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/senate-saudi-arabia-vote]Senate tells [i]Il Duce[/i], "Don't treat us like idiots!"[/url][/QUOTE]
The Capitol Hill Kabuki Dance goes on: [url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/12/politics/republicans-resolution-us-yemen/index.html]Senate opens debate on restricting US military involvement in Saudi-led war in Yemen[/url]
[quote]Earlier, House Republicans quietly moved to give GOP leadership more power to block the Senate resolution, giving cover to the White House in its fight against the plan.

The GOP-led House Rules Committee, in an unusual step in its final days in power, discreetly tucked a provision into an unrelated measure that would no longer consider the Yemen plan a "privileged" resolution during this Congress. If the measure is no longer considered privileged, it would no longer move on an expedited path and GOP leaders would have more power to deny the measure from getting a vote.

The language was added to a rule governing floor debate over the farm bill and was approved Wednesday by an extremely narrow margin, 206-203.[/quote]

The right hand giveth, and the far-right hand taketh away...

Who'd've thunk it?
 

[URL]https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-trumps-inauguration-paid-trumps-company-with-ivanka-in-the-middle[/URL]
Self dealing, double dealing, overcharging, tax dodging... [cue Claude Rains]Shocked!!!
[QUOTE]When it came out this year that President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee raised and spent unprecedented amounts, people wondered where all that money went. It turns out one beneficiary was Trump himself.

The inauguration paid the Trump Organization for rooms, meals and event space at the company’s Washington hotel, according to interviews as well as internal emails and receipts reviewed by WNYC and ProPublica.

During the planning, Ivanka Trump, the president-elect’s eldest daughter and a senior executive with the Trump Organization, was involved in negotiating the price the hotel charged the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee for venue rentals. A top inaugural planner emailed Ivanka and others at the company to “express my concern” that the hotel was overcharging for its event spaces, worrying of what would happen “when this is audited.”[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;503277][URL]https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-trumps-inauguration-paid-trumps-company-with-ivanka-in-the-middle[/URL]
Self dealing, double dealing, overcharging, tax dodging... [cue Claude Rains]Shocked!!![/QUOTE]It is perhaps shocking that the you-know-what hadn't hit the fan earlier. It was reported early on that the inaugural committee had only spent a fraction of the money it raised on the inaugural. I've been waiting for an announcement like this ever since.

Meanwhile, it seems the Trump Foundation has agreed to close up shop. I'm sure its many worthy beneficiaries will miss its charitable funding mightily.

[i]Il Duce[/i] was so keen on getting James Mattis in as Secretary of Defense, he nominated him despite his being a military officer, requiring Congress to pass an exemption to allow him to assume the office.

James Mattis has just done what Cabinet Secretaries [i]should[/i] do if they can't support the President's policies. Or maybe if they just get tired of trying to advise someone who simply won't listen to advice.

[quote]Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model - gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions - to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability Within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.[/quote]

Apparently [i]Il Duce[/i] was so incensed at Mattis's resignation letter, he's booting him out at the end of the year, rather than waiting until the resignation became effective at the end of February, and appointing the Deputy Secretary to fill in.

Meanwhile, Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, has also resigned.

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;503808]Apparently [I]Il Duce[/I] was so incensed at Mattis's resignation letter, he's booting him out at the end of the year, rather than waiting until the resignation became effective at the end of February, and appointing the Deputy Secretary to fill in.

Meanwhile, Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, has also resigned.[/QUOTE]
Rats Overboard!

[QUOTE=kladner;503816]Rats Overboard![/QUOTE]No-no-no-no-no! Rat the President is Captain of the ship! It's the rest of us who are going to wind up overboard...

[QUOTE=kladner;503816]Rats Overboard![/QUOTE]
Are you hinting that the ship is sinking?

[QUOTE=xilman;503878]Are you hinting that the ship is sinking?[/QUOTE]
[i]Il Duce[/i]'s performance this week reminds me of [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdxV2btupHo]the final scene of [i]Aguirre, the Wrath of God[/i][/url].

[QUOTE=xilman;503878]Are you hinting that the ship is sinking?[/QUOTE]
It seems that many feel that way. Lots of them jumping out, or getting shoved. What's left seems to be Bolton, Pompeo, and Trump. I shudder to think what kind of destructive mischief that evil lot could launch in an effort to distract from Trump's disintegration.

The way the stock market is reacting to Trump's comments on the Federal Reserve is scary. It seems that if he goes down, he wants to take the market with him (and blame the Democrats). What will likely happen is that the people with lots of money that got him into the White House will get him out of the White House. I'd bet the Koch brothers are furious with him.

...---... ...---... ...---... ...---... ...---...
 

Well, [i]something[/i] seems to be sinking:

On Wednesday, October 3, 2018 the DJIA closed at 26,828.39
On Monday, December 24, 2018, the DJIA closed at 21,792.20

[i]Il Duce[/i] is blaming the Fed. When it became public that he was inquiring about whether he could fire the Fed chairman (whom he appointed) after the Fed raised interest rates a quarter of a point, the plummeting accelerated. [It seems that the president [i]could[/i] (in theory) [i]demote[/i] a Fed Chairman without removing him or her as a Fed Governor. He can only fire a Fed Governor "for cause."] However, investors are concerned at a president wanting to meddle in the decision making of the (supposedly) independent Fed. (The fact that this particular president, as a businessman, has left a series of bankruptcies in his wake has, I am sure, nothing -- nothing at all -- to do with their concerns.)

For ease of reference:

On Tuesday, January 2, 2018, the DJIA closed at 24824.01

Operational security? What's that?
 

[url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-navy-seal-iraq-video-1272102]DONALD TRUMP TWITTER ACCOUNT VIDEO REVEALS COVERT U.S. NAVY SEAL DEPLOYMENT DURING IRAQ VISIT[/url]

So, anyone viewing the video knows what their faces look like, and exactly where they were (al-Asad air base) while [i]Il Duce[/i] was visiting Iraq.

But hey, [i]Il Duce[/i] got a photo op with an elite military unit. Perhaps Seal Team Five's new motto will be [i]Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant[/i]

Year-end thoughts from the Good Book...
 

The similarities to [i]Il Duce[/i] are remarkable...

Proverbs 6 (KJV)
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

...and people, including leaders, who won't listen to advice, are nothing new...

Proverbs 11 (KJV)
14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.

Proverbs 12 (KJV)
1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

Proverbs 12 (KJV)
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

[i]Il Duce[/i] has [url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1083022011574747137]tweeted[/url]
[quote]Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for [b]F[/b]orest fires that, with proper [b]F[/b]orest [b]M[/b]anagement, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money![/quote]
What's with those weird [b]C[/b]apitalizations in his tweets, anyhow?

Moving right along, his rationale about "[b]F[/b]orest [b]M[/b]anagement" is questionable, to say the least. Even more questionable is his having the legal authority to "order" FEMA to stop sending money to assist people in disaster areas already declared -- by him.

Even though he tries to act the part, [i]Il Duce[/i]'s title is [i]not[/i] "Reneger-in-Chief."

No more money for you until you rake your scrublands.

[QUOTE=kladner;505487]No more money for you until you rake your scrublands.[/QUOTE]
That might not be [i]quite[/i] as effective as a major fire in setting the stage for a debris flow, but it would come close. "Your fire-mitigation operation contributed to the debris flow. No FEMA money for [i]you![/i]"

And, truth to tell, people who choose to live in, say, valleys getting up in the San Gabriels above LA are putting themselves in harm's way. The chaparral [i]will[/i] burn, sooner or later. After that, there [i]will[/i] be debris flows from the burned area, probably sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles is expending considerable money and effort in protecting these people. I don't think all the taxpayers in the rest of the country should be compelled to underwrite the risk these people are taking.

But that's a policy discussion for another day. You don't change policy by reneging on promises already made. If you do that, "policy" becomes meaningless.

I certainly concur regarding people choosing to live in scenic, dangerous places. Fire control is one thing. Subsidizing stupid choices is another altogether. "Raking" is, of course, just a reference to the ignorant words of our stupid chief executive. :yucky:

Rudy Giuliani: 'I never said there was no collusion' by Trump campaign
 

[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/17/rudy-giuliani-i-never-said-there-was-no-collusion-by-trump-campaign[/URL]
How much more of this stuff can he pull out of his alimentary exhaust pipe? However, since he has already let us know that some "facts" are more "factual" than others, we might suppose that the supply is infinite.
[QUOTE]Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has insisted that he “never said there was no collusion” [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-russia-inquiry"]between[/URL] Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign and Russia – only that Trump himself was not involved.[/QUOTE]

EDIT: just to save space-
"These 2020 hopefuls are courting Wall Street. Don't be fooled by their progressive veneer
Likely candidates are begging for Wall Street’s support – and reminding us who really owns American democracy"
[URL]https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/15/democratic-2020-president-candidates-wall-street[/URL]
[QUOTE]It’s a framing that’s been everywhere over the past two years: [I]the Resistance v Donald Trump[/I]. By some definitions that “resistance” even includes people like [URL="https://theweek.com/articles/815210/mitt-romney-just-joined-resistance"]Mitt Romney[/URL] and [URL="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/02/politics/george-w-bush-michelle-obama-mccain/index.html"]George W Bush[/URL]. By almost all definitions it encompasses mainstream Democrats, such as the likely presidential hopefuls Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand.
In their rhetoric and policy advocacy, this trio has been steadily moving to the left to keep pace with a leftward-moving Democratic party. [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/09/cory-booker-2020-new-hampshire"]Booker[/URL], [URL="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/10/kamala-harris-democratic-senator-white-house-president-2020"]Harris[/URL] and Gillibrand know that voters demand action and are more supportive than ever of Medicare for All and universal childcare.
Gillibrand, long considered a moderate, has even gone as far as to endorse abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and, along with Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders’ single-payer healthcare bill. Harris has also backed universal healthcare and free college tuition for most Americans.
[/QUOTE]

This just in on another of [i]Il Duce[/i]'s enablers: [url=https://marino.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-tom-marino-announces-resignation]Congressman Tom Marino Announces Resignation[/url].

This is the same guy who spearheaded the bill (enacted on Obama's watch) to shield Big Pharma from the DEA's efforts to stem the opioid epidemic. And then was nominated by [i]Il Duce[/i] to be "drug czar." He withdrew his name after "60 Minutes" and WAPO blew the whistle on his role in getting that law passed. He just got re-elected by a huge margin. Two weeks into his new term, he quits.

Gee, I wonder if his "private sector" job will be as a lobbyist. Maybe for Big Pharma?

[QUOTE]Gee, I wonder if his "private sector" job will be as a lobbyist. Maybe for Big Pharma?[/QUOTE]...and a seat on the Purdue board of directors.

Ha, ha, I love a good-n-dirty [url=https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/01/200pm-water-cooler-1-17-2019.html#comment-3087833]bout of mudwrasslin'[/url]. Note the "you and your precious political junket are grounded" response quoted a few comments down from that one.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;506306]Ha, ha, I love a good-n-dirty [url=https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/01/200pm-water-cooler-1-17-2019.html#comment-3087833]bout of mudwrasslin'[/url]. Note the "you and your precious political junket are grounded" response quoted a few comments down from that one.[/QUOTE][i]Il Duce[/i]'s opponents keep forgetting the adage [url=https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/07/08/pig/]Never Wrestle with a Pig. You Both Get Dirty and the Pig Likes It[/url]

[quote] <snip> The earliest strong match for the modern saying located by QI appeared in the January 3, 1948 issue of “The Saturday Evening Post” within a profile of Cyrus Stuart Ching who was the head of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The ellipsis is in the original text:

A man in the audience began heckling him with a long series of nasty and irrelevant questions. For a while Ching answered patiently. Finally he held up his big paw and waggled it gently.

“My friend,” he said, “I’m not going to answer any more of your questions. I hope you won’t take this personally, but I am reminded of something my old uncle told me, long ago, back on the farm. He said. ‘What’s the sense of wrestling with a pig? You both get all over muddy . . . and the pig likes it.'”

Ching did not claim coinage; instead, he credited an unnamed uncle who may have been relaying a pre-existing item of folk wisdom. Oddly, another later citation shows Ching crediting his grandfather. Whatever the source, Ching did help to popularize the expression. <snip>[/quote]

[URL="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/trump-russia-cohen-moscow-tower-mueller-investigation"]https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/trump-russia-cohen-moscow-tower-mueller-investigation[/URL]

[QUOTE]Now the two sources have told BuzzFeed News that Cohen also told the special counsel that after the election, the president personally instructed him to lie — by claiming that negotiations ended months earlier than they actually did — in order to obscure Trump’s involvement.

The special counsel’s office learned about Trump’s directive for Cohen to lie to Congress through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents. Cohen then acknowledged those instructions during his interviews with that office.[/QUOTE]

Looks like things might get a little more interesting. The instruction to lie, BTW, was to lie to Congress.

For your weekend-reading pleasure, a blast from the past in form of the Reagan administration, from blacklisted-in-the-U.S. investigative reporter Sy Hersh:

[url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n02/seymour-m-hersh/the-vice-presidents-men]The Vice President’s Men[/url] | London Review of Books -- The NC reader who provided the link adds: "Hersh at his best. A long, weekend read about VP Poppy Bush’s secret covert action group during the first 2/3 of the Reagan administration. Frightening how out of touch the Gipper was from the get go, plus surprising revelations about Iran-Contra."

Stop the presses!
 

[QUOTE=wombatman;506344][URL="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/trump-russia-cohen-moscow-tower-mueller-investigation"]https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/trump-russia-cohen-moscow-tower-mueller-investigation[/URL]

Looks like things might get a little more interesting. The instruction to lie, BTW, was to lie to Congress.[/QUOTE]
And, under oath. It sounds like Mueller's office has a wealth of corroborating evidence. The legal term for instructing someone to lie under oath is "subornation of perjury." The federal offense carries the possible penalty of up to five years in prison plus a fine. That would appear to make it a felony.

The question may be asked -- why was the thing being lied about considered [i]worth[/i] having someone lie about under oath?

[b]EDIT:[/b] [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/2019/01/18/b9c40d34-1b85-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html?noredirect=on]In a rare move, Mueller’s office denies BuzzFeed report that Trump told Cohen to lie about Moscow project[/url]

Alternative to WaPo:
USA Today "Robert Mueller disputes....."
[URL]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/18/robert-mueller-disputes-buzzfeed-story-trump-directing-michael-cohen-lie/2620598002/[/URL]
[QUOTE]"BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate," said Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller's office. [/QUOTE]
"...are not accurate." That phasing amuses me to no end. It does not specify a degree of inaccuracy. It rings differently than "...are wrong (you lying sack of scuzz.")

[QUOTE=kladner;506395]Alternative to WaPo:
USA Today "Robert Mueller disputes....."
[URL]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/18/robert-mueller-disputes-buzzfeed-story-trump-directing-michael-cohen-lie/2620598002/[/URL]

"...are not accurate." That phasing amuses me to no end. It does not specify a degree of inaccuracy. It rings differently than "...are wrong (you lying sack of scuzz.")[/QUOTE]
OTOH, it does say (my emphasis) [quote]Inside the Justice Department, the statement was viewed as a huge step, and one that would have been taken [I][B]only if the special counsel’s office viewed the story as almost entirely incorrect.[/B][/I] The special counsel’s office seemed to be disputing every aspect of the story that addressed comments or evidence given to its investigators.[/quote]

[QUOTE=Dr Sardonicus;506411]OTOH, it does say (my emphasis)[/QUOTE]
Which article is that quote from? WaPo?

[url]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46895634[/url]

No comment from me just yet.

[QUOTE=xilman;506426][url]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46895634[/url]

No comment from me just yet.[/QUOTE]

Crucially, no serious discussion of the various trends - 4 decades of neoliberal economic looting, endless bipartisan global warmongering and 'democratic regime changing' - which brought Trump to power (no it wasn't the deplorable Rooskies and their fiendishly effective brain-hacking and social-media trolling). Those trends and the antiglobalist backlash they have given rise to are not just limited to the US. In that light, it it interesting that the article opens with the odd phrase 'hostile historians...' - perhaps said historians would do themselves, and us, a favor by being less partisan (hostile) and more, well, historical.

Article also invokes the establishment-beloved "norms fairy" - as one NC reader put it nicely this past week, "Trump doesn't have norms, Trump has interests." Again, much as it's fun and easy to obsess about the man, I find it much more *useful* to view Trump as the particular USian face of a global political phenomenon. It is a phenomenon which one - and this is especially true of the insular elites and their paid stenography corps, the corporate-owned MSM - cannot begin to understand until one has spent some time seriously grappling with the question, "have the world and the lot of its non-elite peoples been made better by many decades of having been run by what amounts to norms-respecting sociopaths, or not?"

In other news, I see several others have posted links re. the fake-newsiness of the latest BuzzFeed "this will end Trump's presidency for sure!!" piece. Another outlet whose scribblers are apparently instructed to cease all use of the word 'alleged' when they go to work there. Of course if you're in the business of simply making sh*t up out of whole cloth, or breathlessly publishing 'dirt' from anonymous 'insider sources' without even a pretense of fact-checking, such niggling details like the difference between 'alleged' and 'proven' aren't going to bother you much.

[quote=ewmayer;506433]Again, much as it's fun and easy to obsess about the man, I find it much more *useful* to view Trump as the particular USian face of a global political phenomenon.[/quote]
It does not require "obsession" to view the actions of a man in the light of his being the man he is. I am quite sure that foreign powers, be they friend or foe, have [i]Il Duce[/i]'s personality and character in mind when dealing with him.

On the other hand, viewing people as abstractions or symbols rather than as individuals is, all to often, the herald of mass slaughter.

Failing to keep in mind [i]Il Duce[/i]'s obvious narcissism leads to unbelievably asinine statements such as the following from the BBC piece, which I place in context:

[quote]Indeed, a further reason for the disdain of historians is because, historically speaking, his administration has been like no other.
<snip>
The Russia collusion investigation, which has raised questions, so far unsettled, about his true allegiance.[/quote]
"So far unsettled?" At the risk of being arrested for criminal belaboring of the obvious, being a narcissist, [i]Il Duce[/i]'s sole allegiance is to himself, and to whatever he views as being in his own immediate interest. He may be protective of his offspring, whom he likely views as extensions of himself, and may show at least temporary favor to anyone who strokes his ego, but they are just as likely to be cast off for the offense of not being sufficiently [strike]sycophantic[/strike] "fair" to him. As a narcissist, the concept of loyalty to country is utterly alien to him. He is simply incapable of it.

[b][u][size=3]EDIT:[/size][/u][/b] I append a description from a link I've given before, for ease of reference. Keep in mind, this is from early December 2016, before [i]Il Duce[/i] took office. [url=https://qz.com/852187/coping-with-chaos-in-the-white-house/]Coping with narcissistic personality disorder in the White House[/url]

[quote]I want to talk a little about narcissistic personality disorder. I’ve unfortunately had a great deal of experience with it, and I’m feeling badly for those of you who are trying to grapple with it for the first time because of our president-elect, who almost certainly suffers from it or a similar disorder. If I am correct, it has some very particular implications for the office. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) It’s not curable and it’s barely treatable. He is who he is. There is no getting better, or learning, or adapting. He’s not going to “rise to the occasion” for more than maybe a couple hours. So just put that out of your mind.

2) He will say whatever feels most comfortable or good to him at any given time. He will lie a lot, and say totally different things to different people. Stop being surprised by this. While it’s important to pretend “good faith” and remind him of promises, as Bernie Sanders and others are doing, that’s for his supporters, so they can see the inconsistency as it comes. He won’t care. So if you’re trying to reconcile or analyze his words, don’t. It’s 100% not worth your time. Only pay attention to and address his actions.

3) You can influence him by making him feel good. There are already people like Steve Bannon who appear ready to use him for their own ends. The GOP is excited to try. Watch them, not him. President Obama, in his wisdom, may be treating him well in hopes of influencing him and averting the worst. But don’t count on it.

4) Entitlement is a key aspect of the disorder. As we are already seeing, he will likely not observe traditional boundaries of the office. He has already stated that rules don’t apply to him. This particular attribute has huge implications for the presidency and it will be important for everyone who can to hold him to the same standards as previous presidents.

5) We should expect that he only cares about himself and those he views as extensions of himself, like his children. (People with NPD often can’t understand others as fully human or distinct.) He desires accumulation of wealth and power because it fills a hole. (Melania is probably an acquired item, not an extension.) He will have no qualms at all about stealing everything he can from the country, and he’ll be happy to help others do so, if they make him feel good. He won’t view it as stealing but rather as something he’s entitled to do. This is likely the only thing he will intentionally accomplish.

6) It’s very, very confusing for non-disordered people to experience a disordered person with NPD. While often intelligent, charismatic, and charming, they do not reliably observe social conventions or demonstrate basic human empathy. It’s very common for non-disordered people to lower their own expectations and try to normalize the behavior. Do not do this and do not allow others, especially the media, to do this. If you start to feel foggy or unclear about why, step away until you recalibrate.

7) People with NPD often recruit helpers. These are referred to as “enablers” in the literature when they allow or cover for bad behavior, and “flying monkeys” when they perpetrate bad behavior on behalf of the narcissist. Although it’s easiest to prey on malicious people, good and vulnerable people can be unwittingly recruited. It will be important to support the good people around him if and when they attempt to stay clear or break away.

8) People with NPD often foster competition in people they control. Expect lots of chaos, firings, and recriminations. He will probably behave worst toward those closest to him, but that doesn’t mean (obviously) that his actions won’t have consequences for the rest of us. He will punish enemies. He may start out, as he has with the New York Times, with a confusing combination of punishment and reward, which is a classic abuse tactic for control. If you see your media cooperating or facilitating this behavior in order to r rewards, call them on it.

9) Gaslighting—where someone tries to convince you that the reality you’ve experienced isn’t true—is real and torturous. He will gaslight, his followers will gaslight. Many of our politicians and media figures already gaslight, so it will be hard to distinguish his amplified version from what has already been normalized. Learn the signs and find ways to stay focused on what you know to be true. Note: it is typically not helpful to argue with people who are attempting to gaslight. You will only confuse yourself. Just walk away.

10) Whenever possible, do not focus on the narcissist or give him attention. Unfortunately we can’t and shouldn’t ignore the president, but don’t circulate his tweets or laugh at him—you are enabling him and getting his word out. (I’ve done this, of course, we all have… just try to be aware.) Pay attention to your own emotions: Do you sort of enjoy his clowning? Do you enjoy the outrage? Is this kind of fun and dramatic, in a sick way? You are adding to his energy. Focus on what you can change and how you can resist, where you are. We are all called to be leaders now, in the absence of leadership.[/quote]

Luckily, NPD is extremely rare among politicians and the financial/industrial elites whom they serve ... proving that once again, all of our problems began and will end with the evil orange-haired satan! And it's clearly rational rather than obsessive to think that way.

More seriously, this again gets back to the issue of the danger of failing to recognize narcissism and sociopathy when they are presented in a decorous, smooth-talking, norms-respecting package. The most dangerous form of evil is that which disguises itself well.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;506601]Luckily, NPD is extremely rare among politicians and the financial/industrial elites whom they serve ...[/quote]This is probably more true than intended. Not every sociopath or psychopath is a narcissist. Far from it.
[quote]proving that once again, all of our problems began and will end with the evil orange-haired satan! And it's clearly rational rather than obsessive to think that way.[/quote]Except that, AFAIK nobody's making such a claim. This is a classic straw man. I will go so far as to assert that [i]Il Duce[/i] is the first narcissist we've had as president since the founding of the republic.

[quote]More seriously, this again gets back to the issue of the danger of failing to recognize narcissism and sociopathy when they are presented in a decorous, smooth-talking, norms-respecting package.[/quote]Narcissism absolutely does not come that way. A narcissist can't even [i]appear[/i] to respect norms. [i]Il Duce[/i], for example, has said publicly that the rules don't apply to him, and that he could go out onto Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and not lose any support. Other types of sociopath or psychopath can [i]appear[/i] normal, at least superficially. But only appear, and only superficially.

[quote]The most dangerous form of evil is that which disguises itself well.[/quote]
I question this. In the first place, if it disguises itself well [i]enough[/i], you would never know. In the second place, it doesn't hold a candle to [i]undisguised[/i] or [i]recognized[/i] evil met with either indifference or support -- which, IMO is what we have [i]vis a vis[/i] the Republicans (along with evangelicals) and [i]Il Duce[/i].

I would say the most dangerous form of evil is that being done by government purportedly for the public good. Think of some of the wonderful examples from the Twentieth Century: The Great Purge. The Great Leap Forward. The Holocaust.

It is not without reason that, when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had conceived, Benjamin Franklin said, "A republic -- if you can keep it." Or that Thomas Jefferson said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom." Nobody who voted for [i]Il Duce[/i] can even plausibly claim they didn't know he is a monster. They voted for him anyway. The subsequent failure of Congress (in particular, the Republicans) to fulfill its role as a "check and balance" is secondary. In the election of 2016, the people (or at least, the Electoral College) spoke! [i]Vox populi, vox dei[/i].

Proving once again that the United States is the origin and author of all the world's ills
:wink: