...and workers at Oracle Park in San Francisco threatened to strike over violation of COVID safety protocols (and on the eve of a series between the Giants and the Dodgers, as luck would have it)...
...and this More Perfect Union clip tells us that Mastercard is targeting sex workers; just stop being puritanical a-holes and let everybody do their jobs, OK (and why do I have a feeling that this was triggered a bit by the garbage in Texas, with emboldened corporate wingnuts feeling like they can throw their metaphorical weight around)...
...and here's a tune that I think fits pretty well for the holiday.
Update 3: I always wondered if there was another reason why conservatives hated Hollywood and the TV and movie industry so much, aside from the fact that many of them are failed actors/comedians/screenwriters or people successful in their craft who have a grudge anyway (frequently making jokes when celebrity marriages go down the drain, as if that’s any of their business anyway – just got finished reading this great book about Brando, who had a lot of personal issues but was very committed to the American Indian of course along with the NAACP and UNICEF). And I think this post gives us some insight into this, which tells us pretty much how Actor’s Equity was founded in 1919 (featuring the courageous example of Fred Astaire)...really a heroic story as far as I’m concerned (and probably a pretty huge “axe to grind” as far as the wingnuts are concerned).
John I. and Jackson White of The Damage Report give us their take on the SCOTUS “shadow” ruling to let that utterly horrible Texas abortion law stand...aside from the perpetrators themselves, there are so many other people to blame IMO for this, notably Susan Collins (who I’m sure is “disappointed” even though she trusted “I Like Beer” Kavanaugh to NOT rule the way he did, which of course was the act of an utter fool, and that goes for both of them), and Di Fi for team “D” in the Senate isn’t much better, trusting Amy Coney Island Baby Barrett who also was a perpetrator in this vile act, which really should have surprised exactly NOBODY...yeah I know Hillary Clinton wasn’t exactly the favorite person of a lot of people, including yours truly, but I voted for her because the choice was between her and a lying, narcissistic maniac, and she did warn everybody that the SCOTUS was on the ballot, particularly in ’16, and now look where we are...
...and keeping with “Cult 45,” don’t look now, but the outpatients in support of Combover Caligula are apparently trying for a do-over of their little 1/6 escapade, this time on 9/18 for some reason...people need to go to jail for a loooong time, and I don’t just mean the life forms who staged the attack, but anyone in our government who supported them in any way whatsoever...
...and speaking of the attempt to destroy our democracy last January, Farron Cousins tells us that fundraising groups for Our Orange Pestilence sent $4.3 mil to organizers of the 1/6 insurrection (and yeah, I think it’s interesting how bullet-necklace Katrina Pierson has apparently disappeared, given that her name has surfaced in this clip)...
...and Sam, Emma V. and the crew from The Majority Report tell us that the “chicken littles” are having a field day over the release of the latest Social Security Trustee Report (just get rid of the damn cap on earnings subject to Social Security withholding, and yeah, the funding issue is pretty much solved – and yes, pearl-clutching over this and attempts to tighten the grip of austerity are pretty much what you can bank on from the “R” party and the usual corporate media suspects when Dems are in charge...interesting lead-in on this with Sam – pretty educational...video ends at about 10:00)...
...and the other half of the retirement entitlement that we pay into is Medicare of course, and Harry Reid speaks about why a dental plan should be included (I thought that was already covered – shows what I know...turns out the usual corporate criminals are fighting it...just another example of “American exceptionalism” I guess where our seniors have to gum their cat food because the alleged greatest country on earth somehow doesn’t have enough $$ to take care of the people who need it the most...U-S-A! U-S-A!...snark mode off)...
...and I just wanted to note the recent passing of NBC network newsman Lloyd Dobyns...there was a time when I, like many of you I’m sure, watched network newscasts before they were taken over by the dreaded “cables” and people like Dobyns, Linda Ellerbee, Ray Gandolf and others would present the news, discuss it and interpret it a bit in a manner befitting reasonable and thoughtful adults who just want to be informed on matters affecting their country and the world...Dobyns was part of that breed of newscaster, which is missed and sorely needed now...
...and I don’t know if I’m going to be posting over the weekend or not – this is really a seat-of-the-pants kind of operation, and I can’t guarantee a whole lot – but in case I don’t, I want to make sure that Beau got the last word with this great commentary where he responds to what sounds like a “keyboard commando” taking him to task over some recent commentary on Afghanistan, and Beau gives this character the treatment he deserves, with his restraint speaking volumes as opposed to the pointless bombast of the person who cranked out such a cowardly screed...
...and I absolutely have to get in a little bit of “Friday with Frank” here as we near the official end of summer (sniff)...but again, fall is great too, so let’s look forward to that also, OK?
Sam, Emma, Matt and Nomiki Konst tell us about another loony PA Repug (in the wake of Steve Lynch yesterday) using air quotes for “pandemic” (some life form named Teddy Daniels..and I guess it shouldn’t surprise me to see The Swanson TV Dinner Heir saying that “the left” wants to kill people who don’t get vaccinated, but yeah, that breaks the stoo-pid meter yet again...and you KNOW Tucker is vaccinated, but of course he’s waaay too much of a coward to be honest about it)...
...and keeping with the theme of Repugs Behaving Badly (which covers a lot here, I know), David Doel tells us about Chloe Mrozak, who faked a COVID vaccination card for her Hawaii trip and was nabbed when she misspelled Moderna (subbing the “o” with an “a”)...womp womp...and I don’t think her potential punishment here is excessive; throw the metaphorical book at these people...
...and speaking of throwing the book at people, I think we’re long past the point of arresting members of the “party of Lincoln” for sedition, and as far as I’m concerned, Madison Cawthorn goes to the top of that sorry list with Greene, Boebert, Banks, Biggs, Gohmert, and others for this recent outburst (David Pakman tells us more)...
...and John and Jayar of The Damage Report tell us about the latest wingnut lie related to our pullout at long last from Afghanistan, and that is the claim that we left behind $83 billion in military equipment (Beau had a great video a week or so ago with some context around the weapons we supposedly left behind that I put up here) – and here is another wingnut lie related to our departure from that war-torn country...
...and believe it or not, Our Pumpkin Pestilence of a former U.S. “president” actually got something right on the economy...
...and happy 70th birthday to Mik Kaminski of ELO.
Gee, I wonder how many of the wingnuts out there crowing about the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are going to have a word to say in opposition to what the SCOTUS and “balls and strikes” Hangin’ Judge JR decided to NOT DO, namely, respect SCOTUS precedent and overturn Texas’s utterly ridiculous abortion ban...and again, the High Court took the utterly cowardly route of doing NOT A DAMN THING, which (as noted in this CNN clip) signals their intentions on Roe louder than anything else (more here and here)...
...and this Now This video tells us about right-wing nut job Steve Lynch, running for Northampton county executive (in Central Bucks County, PA, in these parts), yelling that he wants school board members to be forcibly removed over mask mandates in schools (more here)...
...and this TYT clip with Ana and Cenk tells us about the anti-masker in Santa Monica, CA threatening “civil war” over mask mandates (more here...yeah, I think Cenk is on to something with the link to failed comedians, which provides an opening to take some thoroughly deserved shots at that nematode Jimmy Dore)...
...and with the outrage of the prior clips in mind, I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 8/31/09, with “The Pap Attack” going after Lex Luthor Scott and Columbia HCA (I think that's who Mike Papantonio is referring to when he says Columbia HSC...and I would say that Pap was prescient here about employers getting health-related information about prospective hires for insurance coverage reasons...and I’d seriously like for somebody to find out who’s financing the anti-mask, anti-vax a-holes like the ones in the Lynch video and the life form in Santa Monica, CA...probably the same ones who financed the Teahadists when Scott was head of Columbia HCA)...
...and this Rebel HQ video with Alyssa Bernadino tells us about the destruction from Hurricane Ida in NOLA, about 16 years to the day of Katrina’s awful impact (and again, since we’re talking about poor people affected, cue the stories about looters...if Ida had hit in, say, Newport Beach, Rhode Island, the theme of the media coverage would be about people’s self-sufficiency instead...to help, click here)...
Update 9/3/21: On the subject of climate, I can't think of a pit in hell deep enough for Bill Hemmer of Fix Noise for this (and Prof. Krugman nails it again here - behind the pay wall; sorry).
...and Farron Cousins tells us about that shrieking harpie Maria Bartiromo yelling at Kevin McCarthy to use the 25th Amendment to get rid of Biden (umm, the 25th Amendment has to be invoked by the VP and the cabinet, and the Senate later if it gets that far, which, as Cousins notes, won’t happen with the Dems in charge of everything except the SCOTUS as previously noted)...
...and Robert Reich runs the numbers a bit on the scam of billionaire philanthropy (and yes, that’s pretty much what it is for the reasons Reich points out)...
...and even though the rain is pouring down in these parts, I think this tune still applies as we wind down this time of year...the fall can still be pretty cool of course, so let's not get too down about it, OK?
Rachel Maddow presents this history lesson of the countries that have tried and failed to impose their will in Afghanistan, and of course now you can add the U.S. to that list (when it aired last night, this segment contained an NBC News clip from ’89 when Russia departed, but that clip is missing here)...
...and we’ve seen plenty of “war heads” prattling on about the U.S. departure from Afghanistan at long last (including Richard Engel, who I honestly thought was better than this), but I haven’t seen much of Dem U.S. House Rep Barbara Lee of California, the ONE PERSON who was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ALL ALONG...here is a reminder of just how well she “nailed it” way back when (and onevoicepac.og is kaput, by the way)...
...and if you really want a gut-punch over this issue, this Second Thought video gives us an idea of how we should have spent the $$$ in Afghanistan (might be the most controversial video he’s produced with a lot of tough stuff, but I can’t help but think he’s fundamentally right)...
...and Sam and Emma of The Majority Report bring us this clip of Jake Tapper speaking with Dem U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut on why exactly we needed to get the hell out (and if Tapper had taken his question a little further about regimes with human rights abuses and mentioned Saudi Arabia as one of those culprits, I would have been pretty damn shocked, but I know he has his orders, you might say)...
...and returning to this country, David Pakman tells us about Ty Garbin, one of the life forms who threatened to kidnap Dem MI Guv Gretchen Witmer, who got 6 yrs. on a plea (others are involved and are apparently going to trial, and no doubt they’re looking at longer sentences...good!)...
...and this More Perfect Union video tells us about nurses in Worcester walking out in protest of more corporate slavery from Tenet Health...
...and keeping with the theme of labor solidarity, John and Francesca tell us about Starbucks workers in New York trying to unionize (timely with the upcoming holiday, I should note...more here - Howard Schultz is the "Venti douchebag"...well played, Francesca!)...
(Because of course it wouldn't be a Trump-loving crowd without a misspelled sign...)
David Pakman, just back from his vacation, thinks there’s no bringing back the Trumpists to the reality-based community, and unfortunately he may be right (this includes the bit with Cult 45 in Alabama booing Dear Leader who had the temerity to suggest getting vaccinated...great idea by Pakman to make the anti-vaxxers pay more $$ for hospitalization if they don't get the shot)...
...and Emma and Matt of The Majority Report tell us that The Sunshine State apparently has to siphon water to take care of anti-vaxxers with COVID, leading to a water shortage (another dastardly lib plot revealed, no doubt - removing my tongue from my cheek...NSFW/H)...
...and I have to pinch myself, but apparently #DeathSantis isn’t doing too well with Florida voters over his terrible COVID response (Farron Cousins tells us more – and get a load of this)...
...and Francesca, Cenk and Jordan Uhl tell us that the Neocons are jonesing for MOOOAAAARRRRR WAAAAARRRRR in the aftermath of our pullout from Afghanistan (big surprise I know...NOT! And I know this clip is a little behind the news cycle, but I stil think it has a lot of important stuff)...
..and RIP legendary TV actor and kickass liberal Ed Asner (one of my favorite Asner anecdotes is here)...
...and RIP also Ron Bushy of Iron Butterfly – the Rolling Stone obit has the video for the full 17:03 version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, so feel free to enjoy if you so choose...this might be my backup selection for most favorite tune from the band (I know it seems to be turning into "dead musician Monday" around here...just the luck of the draw I guess).
Joy Reid speaks with Dr. Esther Choo and pundit Charlie Sykes on Repug Guv’s Abbott in Texas, #DeathSantis in FLA and Kristi Noem in South Dakota and their COVID respone, or lack thereof (and I’m not really criticizing Sykes, but boy, talk about setting a low bar for Noem...gee, how nice that she’s not going to get in the way of letting businesses do the right thing, but Sykes is correct to point out just how crazy #DeathSantis is in response)...
Update: And you can just lump these 3 characters in with the others noted here of course.
...and Chris Hayes tells us about cops pushing back against vaccine mandates (yeah, pretty much no excuse for that as far as I’m concerned...could do without the "listen up" comment, though)...
...and David Doel brings us a moment of clarity from James Carville on Biden and Afghanistan...and kudos to Biden for this...and by the way, the reason for the compressed timeframe on the evacuees is because Trump originally wanted everyone out by last Christmas, and then last May (here), but Biden pushed for August 31st, and also because Baby Goebbels spiked the visa application process for Afghan refugees so they couldn’t get out earlier – I think Doel’s analysis of the timeframe for the pullout is wrong...
...and I have to admit that I may have gone back and forth on this musical selection more than any other as long as I’ve been working on this dumb blog, for whatever that’s worth, but I’m going to include it even though I most definitely do not agree with the sentiment...here is a 19:00-or-so clip of Eric Clapton talking about his experience getting the two AstraZeneca COVID shots (AZ is approved in the UK) and his opposition to a vaccine mandate...I would say that (as Clapton admits in the recording) his diagnosis of both emphysema and peripheral neuropathy make him an exceptional case (here)...if Clapton has decided to make friends with anti-vaxxer Robin Monotti, that’s his choice, but it doesn’t give him the right to tell people to basically distrust all proven science in the face of a global pandemic – he should take a tour of a COVID ward or two to get an idea of the best way to look out for his kids and grand-kids...I believe he’s in earnest about that, but it doesn’t give him the right to take exactly the wrong lesson from all of this either.
Update 12/19/21: OK, Clapton has now officially lost me with this total dick move (and supporting Greg Abbott too? F-you, "slow hand!"...more here).
(And in case you think I'm making that up, I give you this.)
This video from Don Winslow tells us why we should hold Mango Mussolini’s metaphorical feet to the fire also when it comes to our withdrawal from Afghanistan - more great stuff from Winslow (and of course, that goes for Mike Pompeo also...and oh yeah, there's this too)...
Update: The day will come when we'll never have to worry about hearing any more mutterings from this demented fool. And as far as I'm concerned, that day can't come soon enough (here).
...and Beau gives us a lesson on 20/20 hindsight when it comes to our exit from our latest war (didn't know how treacherous that road apparently is from Kabul to Bagram, but it's not surprising in the least)...
...and Jackson White of Rebel HQ brings us this clip of a Trumpette somewhere making noise about committing wholesale violence to try and reinstall Dear Leader; the difference this time is that an active duty member of our military shares her thoughts also...
...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Dem Illinois Guv J.B. Pritzker giving it back to a wingnut reporter on dealing with COVID, mask mandates, etc. (apparently, this is the latest dustup in a long-running battle between Pritzker and some midwestern wingnut media types, and this Amy Jacobson knucklehead in particular, as noted here, here and here)...
...and I’m sure this will come as a shock (snark), but states that ended extended unemployment benefits didn’t see job creation as a result (Farron Cousins explains)...
...and sticking with the theme of money matters, Robert Reich gives us a lesson on socialism for the rich...
...and the High Court of Hangin' Judge J.R. has been throwing its weight around lately, you might say, and for bad reasons of course (including "I Like Beer" Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Island Baby Barrett); Chris Hayes tells us about that ridiculous decision to try and force Biden to restart a typically awful Trump policy on immigration (more here)...
...and speaking of legal stuff, gee, maybe if the person behind this ridiculous lawsuit had kept quiet, nobody would know they they're the baby in the swimming pool, amirite?
Thom Hartmann tells us how the “party of Lincoln” is basically trying to “burn it all down,” including the economy, prior to next year’s mid-terms since they believe that is their key to retaking Congress and ultimately the White House in ’24 (explains their wretched, cowardly votes yesterday here and here)...
...and this More Perfect Union video tells us about nurses striking across the country given that their employers raked it in financially hand over first during the pandemic and basically didn’t do diddly squat for nurses facing equipment shortages, long hours, ever-expanding case loads and having to take on multiple duties, including housekeeping (this is apparently taking place in our beloved commonwealth also)...
...and Cenk and Ana tell us about the 75 Florida doctors who staged a walkout because of those life forms in their state who refuse to get vaccinated – good! (with a great big middle-finger-raise-on-high at Gov. #DeathSantis)...
...and believe me when I tell you that it’s damn hard to find humor these days, but I have to admit that I got a kick out of this Lincoln Project video...
...and I call this damn good news for sure; looks like those gutter snipes Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman had the metaphorical book thrown at them by the FCC (here), which, as Rachel Maddow explains, pretty much agrees on nothing these days, but they sure came together to wallop these two clowns (can’t think of a word for the crass, laughable racism in that ridiculous robocall)...
...and we quite rightly commemorated the passing of Charlie Watts yesterday, but here’s another milestone (a day late, actually) involving another drummer, and that’s the 70th birthday of Michael Derosier of Heart.
David Doel discusses Mehdi Hasan calling out our corporate media on our withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Biden, and this includes (by association) MSNBC, Hasan's own network...
...and Emma and Matt of The Majority Report tell us of Rob O’Neill’s comment about that country (“just give me 9 guys and let me kill everybody” – terrific)...
...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us how Fix Noise fourth-estate-weasel-in-training Peter Doocy tried to con Jen Psaki into another bullshit right-wing talking point about Biden allegedly leaving Americans "stranded" in Afghanistan...
...and Farron Cousins tells us that, apparently, the Cyber Ninjas fraud audit in AZ is going to be held up because of a COVID outbreak...I realize there’s nothing funny about our ongoing plague, but if I were to wish it on anybody, it would be them (and good luck to Cousins with his recent carpal tunnel surgery)...
...and John and Francesca of The Damage Report tell us about AOC shutting down The Swanson TV Dinner Heir over the latter trying trivialize the Dem U.S. House Rep’s concerns about sexual violence (no bar too low for the life forms of The Roger Ailes BS Factory)...
...and Cenk and Ana tell us about conserva-Dems caving a bit on the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill (of course, “Curtsy Kyrsten” is set to kill it in the Senate...and yes, this is pretty amazing stuff, but before we do handstands and rejoice, let’s look at this with a bit of a wary eye for a little while longer as Cenk and Ana, and David Dayen, quite rightly point out)...
...and Thom Hartmann reminds us (in this 2011 recording) of The Powell Memo – we observed the 50th anniversary of this thoroughly scurrilous (IMO) document written by eventual Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell yesterday – so much to be said about this that it might take a month at least to post about all of it...
...and truly, a giant has left our midst - RIP Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones.
Yeah, FL Guv Ron #DeathSantis sure doesn’t “want to hear a blip,” all right (about 'Rona and probably much of anything else)...
...and this Now This clip presents this Maine lunatic named Heidi Sampson comparing the COVID vaccine to the experiments of Josef Mengele in good ol’ Nazi Germany...and yes, I’m being tongue-in-cheek...
...meanwhile, for the sane point of view, David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about Tennessee dad Justin Kanew of Williamson County speaking in defense of his school-age daughter and masks and against idiots going off on critical race theory, which – wait for it! – isn’t even taught in that school district (kudos to Kanew for bringing much-needed sanity to this discussion on protection against COVID and TRYING TO GET US ALL FREAKING VACCINATED AND OVER THIS AT LONG LAST!!!)...
...and for more from the reality-based community, Ari Melber speaks with Dr. Rochelle Walensky (on COVID of course)...
...and Rachel Maddow tells us here that there are people taking a horse deworming medicine which supposedly will cure COVID – uh, no (and three guesses where THAT idea came from, and the first two don’t count; The Roger Ailes BS Factory should be sued into extinction at long last – more here and here...and speaking of Maddow, this is definitely welcome news)...
...and Emma and “Dan From The Internet” on TMR tell us more about the Gavin Newsom recall vote...so far, what’s frustrating to me about this is that I can’t figure out what bone, if you will, people have to pick with Newsom, unless it’s just the anti-mask and anti-vax idiots mad at Newsom for trying to govern in a sane manner during COVID (OK, there’s a little bit of info on that near 8:30-9:35 to be fair)...
...and good work here by Jim Acosta of CNN aimed at everyone supposedly concerned about the plight of Afghan refugees after pretty much ignoring that country for the better part of 20 years or so, most infamously Generalissimo Trump and his minions...
Second Thought brings us another great video, this time on the latest IPCC report and all of the wild weather going on, which of course are all symptoms of worsening climate change...gee, maybe our government ought to do something about it, huh?...
...and based on this report from Rachel Maddow and former Trump administration official Olivia Troye, who, commendably, came “back to the light” awhile ago (more here), I think Stephen Miller should be bound and gagged with duct tape, flown to Kabul and left there to fend for himself among the refugees whose visa applications he destroyed so he can beg for transport out of that country like everybody else trying to flee...
...and I should probably pay a little more attention to the recall effort going on in California, and Emma of TMR does that here (more here, and more BS on Larry Elder, the presumptive Republican candidate who seems to be out-polling everybody else, is here...yep, Elder’s another Trumpist right-wing radio loudmouth all right)...
...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us here about Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blowing his racist dog whistle in response to still more news on Republicans who refuse to take the COVID vaccine (yeah, that’s BS for all of the reasons noted in the clip - more here)...
...and on the subject of COVID, thoughts and prayers for Cardinal Raymond Burke (and yes, I’m being sarcastic)...
...and speaking of our regularly scheduled plague, this Really American clip tells us what Rand (Fake Ophthalmologist) Paul did in response as Kentucky’s plight worsened (one way to respond is here)...
...and staying with ”the world’s greatest deliberative body,” The Daily Show gives Huckleberry Graham the treatment he deserves here (would have been nice if this had come out last year during the election, but good job to get this out now anyway)...
I thought this was a great commentary from Lawrence O’Donnell on why the war in Afghanistan is only slightly comparable at best to Vietnam, with performative clown and U.S. Senate Repug Ben Sasse, who never encountered an issue he couldn’t try to exploit for personal gain without trying to accomplish anything of worth, linking what happened in ‘Nam to our most recent exploits (and blaming only Biden of course...more here and here)...
...and I thought this was yet another great commentary from Beau on the equipment we’re leaving behind as we say that “long goodbye” to our 20-year war in the wake of 9/11...
...and Rachel Maddow discusses yesterday’s loon who told D.C. police he wanted to blow up the Capitol (allegedly) and created a 5-hour-or-so standoff (she speaks with correspondent Ben Collins, who makes the interesting point that this guy had family health coverage issues it seems, but instead of embracing Medicare for All, he resorted to violence...and I think Collins makes another interesting point that these people don’t know what to do since their hero wasn’t reinstalled as preznit like he said he would be...”like WrestleMania for these people” indeed)...
...and Farron Cousins communicates an appropriate level of disgust IMO in this commentary about FL guv Ron #DeathSantis, pointing out that 50 kids a day are getting hospitalized in that state over COVID-19...
...and Cenk and Ana tell us about the maskless a-hole riding the NY subway who harassed an elderly woman who was wearing a mask (great point by Cenk about Washington getting the troops vaccinated during the Revolutionary War)...
...and usually I wouldn’t go near “info-tainment” stuff like this, but I couldn’t help but be amused by this story – also ridiculous that Martha’s Vineyard is referred to solely as a place where rich and famous people hang out...yes, that’s true to an extent, but there are also a ton of affordable rentals up there for the same $$ you would pay at the Jersey shore...and we’ve been to the Chilmark General Store more than a few times, which is a pretty “blue collar” place, if you will (if I were to run into him, I would be inclined not to even waste my energy on a life form like Dershowitz since I go there for a good time and don’t even want to deal with him, but yeah, this does sound like an episode of David’s show, I have to admit)...
Update 7/18/22: So many reasons to love Martha's Vineyard, and here is still another one.
...and this week marked the 85th birthday of Hollywood icon and environmentalist Robert Redford; here is a clip of Redford from “The Candidate” way back in the day...
...and I just happened to come across this pretty cool new seasonal tune – hope you like it also.
Brian Tyler Cohen gives us this video of Dem U.S. House Rep (and Afghan war vet) Matt Zeller giving Baby Goebbels the treatment he deserves on the question of getting the Afghans who helped us out of that country before the Taliban completely takes over (a “digital Dunkirk” indeed – mildly NSFW/H...more here and here)...
...and Cenk and Ana of TYT give us some “hot takes” on Afghanistan, including Pompeo of course (and Rick Scott wants to invoke the 25th Amendment? Google Rick Scott and Largest Medicare Fraud in U.S. History and let me know what you come back with, OK?)...
...and Sam and Emma of The Majority Report tells us that The Swanson TV Dinner Heir is blaming the Taliban victory on gender studies (might be the trashiest of all of the “trash” takes here, and that’s saying something)...
...and Mehdi Hasan doesn’t let Dubya and his pals off the hook for Afghanistan either...
...oh, and as it turns out, Dubya has some thoughts? Gee, maybe he’ll make more paintings of ALL OF THE GODDAMN AFGHAN REFUGEES WHO COULDN’T F*CKING ESCAPE FROM THE BUMBLEF*CKERY HE AND CHENEY CREATED AND ENDED UP FALLING OFF PLANES TO THEIR DEATHS WHEN THEY TRIED TO FLEE!!! (with John and Jordan Uhl of The Damage Report)...
...and David Shuster tells us that that Taliban is apparently trying to do some kind of an image makeover, with them trying to work out on exercise machines we left behind in our retreat – yeah, I’ll remember this when they start slaughtering people who they suspect of helping us in that country and throwing acid at women again...and please believe me when I say that I want to be wrong about that (to say the least, I’m skeptical)...
...and Thom Hartmann gives some historical context on the U.S. trying to occupy Afghanistan (and the virtues of “soft power,” which, as Thom says, China will probably try next and end up getting the minerals we tried to get by making the Afghans stare at the barrel of a gun...yeah, that sure worked out, didn’t it?)...
...and happy 70th birthday to bassist John Deacon of Queen - I know I had a tune by the band a few days ago...well, here's another one.
Ana and Cenk of TYT bring us the news that Mexico is suing U.S. gunmakers...good! (and I think Cenk makes a GREAT point to link this to over-prescribing opioids, and Ana makes an even better point at the end about the consequences of OUR actions)...
...and Beau shares more thoughts on our pullout from Afghanistan...I have to admit that I was a little surprised to hear him blame Obama on this – I mean, sure, this got bad on his watch too, but I distinctly recall that every time 44 said something even remotely controversial, the chorus of caterwauling idiots in the “R” party would start with “Oh, there he goes again, that community organizer who never ran his own business – how dare he try to tell us what to do”...I’m not saying you can’t blame Obama for some stuff, but it sure would have been nice if the other side had acted like actual adults, and maybe we could have had actual serious discussions about stuff like, y’know, stepping up the use of drones (here) and deciding to execute Americans who were wrongly doing the bidding of terrorists (here)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us about a petition to recall #DeathSantis which has 35K signatures, though, as Cousins notes, it apparently won’t lead to anything, even though the effort is commendable (and speaking of recalls, I haven’t said anything about what’s going on in California, as noted here, which to me is beyond a ridiculous joke)...
...and David Doel gives us more on that whack job Marjorie Taylor Greene and her BS about the vaccine (oh, and don’t give me this crap about how you don’t oppose the vaccine but you’re in favor of personal choice, or something... this loon needs to be arrested at this point because her garbage lies are getting people killed...the main reason why I'm even paying attention to her is because Doel does such a good job of pointing out just how truly nutty she is)...
...and Jesse Dollemore sitting in for David Pakman talks about Pelosi calling out McCarthy for going after Capitol police (and of course, God forbid that maniac Trump or any of his whacked-out followers would have anything to say about the Capitol officers who’ve killed themselves)...
...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History,” and we’re taking another short journey back to 8/17/20, with Sam, Jamie and Matt of The Majority Report discussing Tommy Tuberville talking to some loudmouth radio clown, both competing for a Darwin award it would seem...and yeah, isn’t it funny how now, as if by magic, we’re not hearing any of these southern loudmouthed idiots bitching about how blue states can’t manage themselves? Yeah, take a look at the damn COVID map, you asshats...we’re definitely not out of this mess yet either, but that’s primarily the fault of you knuckleheads below that Mason Dixon line (great analysis from Sam here in particular)...
...and this video from More Perfect Union tells us about how the expanded child tax credit under Biden will help 3 moms doing their best to make ends meet...
...and I just happened to come across this video about five minutes ago, so here it is now - I guess you just get lucky sometimes.
Now that Afghanistan, sadly, is about to be completely overrun by the Taliban as we depart that country at long last, a bunch of “armchair warriors” out there are apportioning blame for the fact that our efforts over nearly 20 years may be completely wiped out (along with anyone who helped us with intelligence or acted as a translator - and since we’re talking about the Taliban, that surely means their families and friends too...I don’t think a single word can connote how awful that truly is).
Do you want to blame Biden for not ensuring the safety of those in that country who helped us, allowing them to escape also (as just noted)? That’s fair I guess, since this is happening on his watch. Do you want to also blame Generalissimo Trump (and, by extension, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) for coming up with the deadline for withdrawal in negotiation with the Taliban (as much as you can negotiate with them of course) that Biden claims has “tied his hands”? I definitely agree with that (more here).
Some on Twitter have said we should also blame The Sainted Ronnie R for deciding to arm the Mujahideen in Afghanistan against the former Soviet Union in the ‘80s, given that those weapons would eventually be used against us when that group turned into al Qaeda. Oh, I definitely think that that’s fair all right.
But more than anybody else, I think we should blame this guy.
Oh, and by extension (as Oliver Willis, among others, has pointed out on Twitter), that goes for anybody on the Lincoln Project or some MSNBC pundits (including this one) who was a cheerleader for Number 43.
I’m old enough to remember when Dubya, after 9/11, had the opportunity to say to the Taliban, “All right, listen. We know you guys are ruthless bastards, and we don’t like you and you don’t like us, but just turn over to us everyone associated with al Qaeda and we’ll leave. That’s all we want.” Hell, even Putin, of all people, was down with that! And, of course, we could have done more to sanction our dear friends the Saudis, since 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia.
But no, Dubya and Cheney didn’t do that. Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History gave that incredibly insulting (to the rest of the world) address to Congress, basically saying, “You’re with the terrists or you’re with us” (here - and of course, Dubya got a standing “O” for that) and basically declared war also on any country harboring terrorists, in addition to the terrorists themselves. Oh, and after a few months, the regime of #43 said, “OK, we’ve defeated the Taliban. Let’s leave a skeleton force in Afghanistan while we do the invasion we really want to do, which of course is Iraq.” And when the Taliban recovered and started making gains in that country again, what did Dubya do? He outsourced the Afghan war to Pakistan (remember all of those utterly pointless meetings with Musharraf, who was in charge of that country?). Apparently, the whole world (except the Bush gang, of course), KNEW Pakistan was continually giving al Qaeda and the Taliban safe haven (after all, what country was bin Laden in when we finally got him?), but we felt they were honest actors in this anyway!
So yeah, there’s plenty of blame for what has happened (and likely will happen) in Afghanistan. But as far as I’m concerned, when you’re in a hole and you want to get out, you should stop digging. And though what’s playing out is tragic, I’ll give Biden the tiniest bit of credit for realizing that (more here and here).
Anyway, here is a well-done commentary from Mehdi Hasan (and Biden said we wouldn't have a "fall of Saigon" moment - I respectfully disagree)...
With Afghanistan in crisis, lots of back and forth this weekend over 'Biden's to blame' vs 'Trump started it' and so I thought I'd open the @MehdiHasanShow on @MSNBC tonight by pointing out the U.S. president who actually kicked off this whole damn thing:pic.twitter.com/kqV4mT0UQN
Update 2: This is the only "take" on all of this I've found yet that's 100 percent correct.
Update 8/22/21: I skimmed over this New York Times Op-Ed by Ryan Crocker criticizing Biden and Trump on Afghanistan, where Crocker says that Bush went into Afghanistan because the Taliban wouldn’t hand over bin Lden to us. There’s some truth in that, but there’s also a hell of a lot of missing context.
As noted here, the Taliban offered to hand over bin Laden, but to a neutral country. And part of that has to do with the fact that we were already bombing Afghanistan at the time. We know what the Taliban is, but you truly would have to be as dumb and arrogant as Number 43 to expect ANYONE to work with us while we’re already dropping bombs on them!
...and returning to our regularly scheduled plague, David Shuster brings us another Rebel HQ video with a Mississippi spokesman talking pretty much about statewide hospital failure, and of course that loon MTG tries to rationalize this insanity by saying “we can’t live forever”...fine, bitch – you can go first...and by the way, I’m not hearing a word from "Caribou Barbie" about “death panels” now...
...and Sam and Emma of TMR bring us this guy making a Tick Tock video telling the anti-vaxxers to “stick to their f*cking guns,” though he definitely doesn’t mean it the way you might think (very NSFW/H but for a damn good reason - oh, and that goes for this guy too, turned-around-collar or not)...
...and Farron Cousins (who is based in FLA) brings us more on #DeathSantis and his state’s COVID outbreak...
...and sticking with The Sunshine State, John and Brett Erlich tell us more on the stuff with Matt Gaetz and Joel Greenberg...the stuff about MDMA is particularly sickening IMO...I was kind of wondering where Brett Erlich was going in some of his comments to John I., but I think Erlich is ultimately saying that Trump has lowered the bar of expectations so much for Republicans and their supporters that most go “meh” any more in response to Gaetz-related allegations, which I think is a pretty huge problem in and of itself...
...and Robert Reich tells us that there is no longer a “reasonable center” in our media coverage, which is assumed in the typically ridiculous “both sides” narrative that our esteemed fourth estate keeps trying to resuscitate (and speaking of ridiculous media moments, I give you this...Reich is correct, but I have to admit that I'm a little unnerved by his use of the term "mainstream media," since that's a creation of the wingnutosphere more than anyone else, but I should probably just get over myself and deal with it)...
STOP THE "MAGA" PARTY AND SIMON CAMPBELL FROM TAKING OVER PENNSBURY!
Eight years ago, voters kicked Simon Campbell and his extremist ideology off the Pennsbury School Board. Since then, the Democratic Board has accomplished much to strengthen Pennsbury, including:
Full-day kindergarten classes
Computers for middle and high school students
Renovated and improved school buildings
Hired two highly qualified and respected Superintendents
Recognized as a National School District of Character
No increase in school taxes during the 2020 Pandemic
Responsibly followed public health guidelines for the safety of all
Simon Campbell is not on the ballot, but he is behind the Republicans’ attempt to win back a majority on the Pennsbury School Board in the November 2nd Municipal Election.
Campbell has said the local Republican party “will do what I tell them, and my political judgment isn’t subject to anyone else’s oversight.”
Campbell and a group of residents, including Republican school board candidate Jennifer Spillane (Region 3), have attacked current board members and the school's diversity and equity policy at recent meetings.
Campbell uses divisive, fact-free, conspiracy-theory-based fearmongering about “critical race theory” to inject his personal partisan agenda into our schools. His tirades are making the rounds on Fox News, Newsmax, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, and other radical right-wing media.
Here is the video of Ms. Spillane’s comments at the June 17th school board meeting:
To see the entire video of the June 17th public comments, including another rant by Simon Campbell, go here (Jennifer Spillane and other commenters start at video time 1:03:30).
Stop Simon Campbell and the radical GOP “MAGA” fanatics:VOTE to elect EACH AND EVERY DEMOCRAT for the Pennsbury School Board in your Region.
To win, we need every Democrat who voted in the Primary to also get at least 2 to 3 more voters to vote for the Democrats in November. A “split-ticket” vote for any Republican is a vote to help Simon Campbell's Trump ideology ruin our public schools.
There was a time at this site when I paid a lot of attention to local Bucks County, PA politics, but for a variety of reasons I’m really not able to do that as I’d like to any more. However, one person who I definitely thought posed a grave threat to responsible school board governance was Simon Campbell, a notorious loud mouth and grifter riding what was then the Tea Party wave to try and totally hamstring the Pennsbury School District in terms of budgeting, hiring, teacher staffing and imposing his utterly wrong-headed agenda onto school curricula. And as this post states, we got rid of him way back when (a post related to Campbell is here – I remember when Campbell published a book listing the salaries of every Pennsbury school district employee and had them mailed to the homes of everyone in the district).
Well, I don’t suppose that it should be surprising in any way that he’s back as a Trumpist, trying to ride that wave once more and caterwauling about “wokeness” and “critical race theory” (and to learn more about the Thomas W. Smith Foundation, the shadowy group using its millions to stoke that alleged controversy, click here). And of course, that means that Campbell poses the same threat again now as he did previously.
Well, we sent "Simple Simon" and his minions packing once before. Let’s do it again now!
