Monday Stuff

OK people, I’m back…had some glorious time off in our Blue State paradise for about a week, but now duty calls once more I suppose.

And by the way, for what it’s worth, I did a totally unscientific survey of 2016 election bumper stickers on MVY vehicles, and as you might expect, there were a few Trump/Pence ones on beat-up pickup trucks owned probably by construction people and general contractors (if I were to guess) and some Clinton/Kaine bumper stickers also on some random sedans (never could understand them using a symbol instead of just putting the names on the stickers, one of the MANY things wrong with that campaign as far as I’m concerned). Maybe there were slightly more Clinton/Kaine stickers than Trump stickers, but not by much. However, Bernie Sanders stickers were all over the place…not even close as to who was most popular on that basis.

With that being said, it’s time to dive into this as follows (and it looks like we’re still stuck with Generalissimo Trump…sigh)…



…and I know this is about a week old by now, but I just had to include this from Stephen Colbert…



...and all the best to Sen. John McCain (here) - yeah, I've made the "tire swing" jokes about his relationship with the Beltway media just like everyone else, but imagine a Republican candidate for president saying these words as opposed to the never-ending stream of oral diarrhea from Number 45 (hat tip to Ian Reifowitz of Daily Kos for the clip)...



...and widdle Spicey is OUTTA HERE too (as Paul Krugman said, condolences to Melissa McCarthy)...



...and yes, I'm definitely opposed to any attempt whatsoever to rehabilitate Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History (though I have to admit that his portrayal in the second Harold and Kumar movie was pretty funny), and I think people should lay off of Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Kimmel, but I still think we need this reminder…

Here's why the recent rehabilitation of George W. Bush has GOT to stop pic.twitter.com/oeqfI59ZOw

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 14, 2017

...and RIP Martin Landau...



...and George Romero (John Heard also)...



...and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.

Thursday Stuff

As concerning as the political chaos created by Putin, Trump & co. is, and it is that, the fact that those responsible have apparently done so with impunity – again, so far – may be the most repulsive development of all (was never quite scared of that episode of Star Trek, though, I have to say...and this is curious also)…



…and yeah, nothing to see here as far as the “party of Lincoln” is concerned – just collusion with a foreign hostile power trying to hack into our political infrastructure to help install their Russian operative who lost the popular vote by about 3 million, and are as of now are primed to do it all over again and hack into God knows what else…move along…

Donald Trump Jr. might've colluded with the Russian government - and the GOP doesn't seem to care pic.twitter.com/XifjqlWI3X

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 13, 2017

…and I thought this was a pretty good response to this garbage from Dana Loesch…



…and I give you now the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 7/13/12 – Social Security and Medicare are INSURANCE and NOT A SAFETY NET, as Stuart Zechman explains – important to keep in mind while politicians, mainly but not totally on the other side, try to come for something that we’ve paid into and deserve and they should keep their grubby mitts off of – bad sentence, but you know what I mean; a little wonky I’ll admit, but important stuff…



...and yep, activism ALWAYS matters, people (here)...



…and here’s another summer tune that I hope you enjoy.



And with that, I now take my leave of you for a little while – as long as I’ve been doing this, I don’t know if I’ve ever needed a vacation as much as I need this one. All things being equal and God willing, I’ll look to start this up again some time around the 24th or 25th…all the best.

Wednesday Stuff

I’m very aware that, while posting about Generalissimo Trump and his collusion with a foreign hostile power in pursuit of electoral victory, I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like about stuff like the environment, economy, Net Neutrality, what you could call the “last stand” for public education in this country at the hands of the thoroughly execrable Betsy DeVos, Net Neutrality, common-sense gun laws, protecting women’s health and health insurance for the majority of this country overall, etc. etc. etc. And I feel bad about that, but the Trump/Russia stuff is so monumentally awful that I believe it deserves exactly this kind of treatment (and those who did anything whatsoever to aid in the victory of President Impulse Control Issue Tiny-Handed Egomaniac deserve to be pilloried as much as the law and conscience allows).

And with that preface in mind completely, I’d like to turn to this video (a reminder that, as I said, the non-Trump stuff matters greatly also of course)…

Here's why everyone should run for office pic.twitter.com/2LDldm6PdS

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 12, 2017

…and I apologize a bit for making you endure the human stain that is Steven Arnold King once more, but I would ask that you watch this if for no other reason that for the very end…

Republicans want to pay for Trump’s border wall by cutting food stamps and Planned Parenthood pic.twitter.com/37tvjnoPSj

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 12, 2017

…oh, and by the way, Scott Pruitt and the “Gropenfuhrer” are trying to overturn a rule protecting our clean water, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains…



…also, lawmakers in AK have apparently passed a law requiring a woman to get permission from someone who impregnated them to dispose of the fetal remains, which is yet another slide down the slippery legal slope to fetal personhood (yeah, I’m definitely not an expert in the Old Testament, but I have to admit that I think that’s a pretty creepy passage from Numbers also)…



…and a Pew poll indicates that most Republicans are opposed to college, as Kyle tells us – almost no words at this point (NSFW…a little too dismissive of religion as far as I’m concerned, however)…



…and it’s been a little while since I brought you a song from 1967, so here’s another one (yes, this cover was from ’68, but the original was written the year before) – I always thought “The Big Lebowski” was one of the most overrated movies I ever saw…the Coens are great filmmakers, though I personally think they get a bit excessive now and then…maybe just me I know.

Tuesday Stuff

Yeah, it sure looks like Uday (or is it Qusay?) is in deep doo-doo (and I agree with Tim Kaine, though, given his role in the election last year, couldn't these observations have come from another Senate Dem?)…

ICYMI: Donald Trump Jr.‘s apparent involvement with the Russian government has reached an unprecedented level pic.twitter.com/XffkKcmNon

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 11, 2017

…and as Rachel Maddow among others points out, this really is the stuff of tragedy with all of the long knives out all over the place (though, given the idiocy of the principals involved, I guess it has elements of a low farce also)…



…and of course K.O. is up on this also (“Resist” – “Remove”…kind of catchy)…



…and as Chris Hayes reminds us here, having to flak for Generalissimo Trump is a pretty sucky way to try to make a living (utterly pathetic at this point)…



…and in non-treasonous news, Kyle tells us here about the KKK protesting in VA to keep the statue of Robert E. Lee (NSFW)…



...and given the stuff with Jr. in particular, I've had this song on my mind a bit.

Monday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I know this clip has “made the rounds” by now, but I think these observations from Aussie journo Chris Uhlmann need to be seen and heard far and wide, and it doesn’t make me happy one bit to do it (here...and anyone who is still dumb enough to think that this ISN'T playing out exactly how Putin wants should pay attention to the Russian's smirk at about 2:02)…

Holy smokes. Australian journalist provides one of the most brutal takedowns of Trump I've heard in a while. 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/MPoDJXATlM

— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) July 8, 2017

...sentiments echoed, sadly but accurately, by Carrie Cordero, legal expert on national and homeland security...



...and I would say that "it's hard to ignore the pattern" also...

MUST WATCH: @RichardEngel: In 3 years, over 40 Kremlin foes/people who knew too much have been murdered or died in mysterious circumstances pic.twitter.com/ieykzQ0FsR

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 9, 2017

…and oh yeah, we’re the only country of the G20 that refuses to acknowledge that WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, GODDAMMIT!!! (more here - and as always, Generalissimo Trump continues to behave as if this were all nothing more than a damn “reality” TV show)...



...and speaking of climate, don't look now, but a damn iceberg as big as Delaware has broken loose from Antarctica...



…and a happy belated 90th birthday to Doc Severinsen, legendary trumpeter and years-long bandleader of the NBC Orchestra for “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson”; on the last show, Severinsen was gushing in his praise for Carson, which is understandable I know, mainly because, as Severinsen put it basically, this would be the last TV show featuring what was in effect a jazz band orchestra, marking an era passing into antiquity, and sadly, he was right.

Friday Stuff

I was going to put up another snarky pic with our Problem Child In Chief, but since this is the week in which we observe July 4th, I thought this was more appropriate (and I know Number 45 groveled on cue to our former ol’ buddy Vlad Putin today, here and here – how pathetic).

For more background, Rachel Maddow told us about the last time the “Gropenfuhrer” met with his Russian operatives here (this was a nice “B” block, and her “A” block was pretty good also)…



(Kudos, BTW, to TRMS for being on their guard against the likely-faked docs...personally, I smell Roger Stone...but there’s a big legal dif between the Dubya Air National Guard stuff and the Trumpian crap which is being investigated by grand juries and congressional committees…and again, since we were talking about the Bushes, 43 could have just said “Yeah, I was wrong to skip out on my Guard service for 18 months – my bad,” pay a fine and that would have been it…but again, we’re talking about the Bushies who once outed an undercover operative tracking loose nukes named Valerie Plame, so OF COURSE they had to do everything they could to UTTERLY DESTROY their accusers with relatively inconsequential nonsense such as the age of typewriter keys, letter signatures, letterhead, and other irrelevant crap...as opposed to the FACTS and EVIDENCE in the documentation...and install BFF Dick Thornburgh to seal the “investigation” of the CBS reporting exactly how they wanted it).

...and Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us all of the ways that our Twitter-inflicted chief executive has delivered for what was once called the “evil empire” (remember that one? And from The Sainted Ronnie R? My, how Repugs have changed)…

Who benefits from Trump's foreign policy? Putin. Trump has already weakened NATO, alienated U.S. allies, and wants to water down sanctions. pic.twitter.com/wYVBU8HkLS

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 7, 2017

…and David Pakman tells us that more people polled want President Fergus Laing impeached than approve – wow, I don’t even think Dubya managed to pull that off…



…and according to this NowThis video, it looks like our outlaw regime in charge is getting push-back on its requests for voter information (though cautionary notes are here and here)…

Here’s why over 40 states are defying President Trump and his bogus voter fraud commission pic.twitter.com/wGAJI9YkTj

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 5, 2017

…and with that in mind, Thom Hartmann talks with Greg Palast about the latest in voter suppression from Generalissimo Trump and Kris Kobach, this time in Georgia, though they plan to roll out these ridiculous (and likely illegal) voter mailing cards across the country – yep, a variant on “voter caging” all right (and yeah, I’m not a bit surprised that the statewide Repugs are really LYING on the issue of sending the voter lists to Trump/Kobach…and I can’t think of a word for the fact that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, allegedly a Dem, has caved on this – I don’t care that it started under his predecessor’s watch or not)…



…also, I couldn’t let the week end with this GREAT report from John Oliver on the efforts of Sinclair Broadcast Group to take over local TV stations (timed for what would be its merger with Tribune Media - here...NSFW)…



…and yeah, I know this is a real shocker (removing my tongue from my cheek), but it turns out that Hobby Lobby is now resorting to the "stupidity defense" in the case of the Iraqi artifacts it illegally smuggled into this country - great, first they deny health care to their women employees, and now they fund terrorists. Heckuva job! (more here)...



…and I don’t know how many people besides me know this, but today is World Chocolate Day; in response, I know this is a bit tangential of a tune, but I like it anyway.

Thursday Stuff

I thought that this was really hilarious, in response to the latest from our President Impulse Control Tiny-Handed Egomaniac in his ongoing battle with CNN (cringing at the thought of how Number 45 would handle an ACTUAL threat against this country as opposed to a made-up one to keep ginning up his beloved “base”)…



…though I admit that this isn’t amusing at all – I still thought this was an interesting segment that you could call When Trump Trolls Attack, with Chris Hayes, Lynn Sweet and Ben Howe of the Red State blog over the CNN video nonsense (oh, and I’m supposed to feel sorry for Dana Loesch? GMAFB) – Sweet also comes perilously close to Both Sidesism in her remarks in my opinion, something to keep in mind while you read about this - once again, MSNBC's videos aren't playing nice with Chrome, but are OK everywhere else…



…and I also thought this was a pretty good synopsis recently by Rachel Maddow of how we’ve come to our present (president?) predicament with Generalissimo Trump…



…and I always respected Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, but I REALLY respect him now (and speaking of great "burns")…



…oh, and it looks like CA has so much solar energy, it needs to get rid of some of it or it will be "high on its own supply," as it were…

California is producing so much solar power they're now giving it away pic.twitter.com/rsjHdW9CAr

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 6, 2017

…and I first thought this was a pretty “goth” video with a message of doom, but it’s really life affirming in a way as far as I’m concerned.

Wednesday Stuff

Yeah, that “Carrier” deal really ended up helping those workers in Indiana and South Carolina, didn’t it?...



…and it looks like Kentucky is teaching the Bible as part of Social Studies (yeah, they could have elected a Dem, but nooooo – they voted in “glibertarian” Matt Bevin instead, who, as it turns out, is just another Repug…NSFW)…



…and Lee Camp tells us about the Net Neutrality Day of Action here (yeah, with a bit of a sense of humor also, arguably…NSFW also) on 7/12…



…and fortunately for us, Neil isn’t shy about his politics (more here).

Tuesday Stuff

I once again offer more proof, as if we needed any, that the worst threat we face in this country comes from scary white people with guns (here and here)…



…and I just feel like we need a reminder as to the importance of this day (it concludes with John Adams’s salutation to his wife Abigail in one of their many letters to each other...more here and here)…



…and yeah, I think Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich has some pretty spot-on words for the holiday here…

Real patriotism requires sharing sacrifices, paying taxes, cherishing democratic institutions, and bringing Americans together. pic.twitter.com/rA3fjit3hg

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 3, 2017

…and happy 4th, everybody.

Monday Stuff

Kudos to those protesting the “Gropenfuhrer,” and I have news for all the “ammo-sexuals” out there; we’re going to KEEP protesting until he is gone, kind of like the way you clowns did everything you could possibly do to undermine Number 44, who was actually elected and re-elected without the help of a foreign hostile power (more here)…

…and God, Governor Bully can’t depart from public life soon enough (here...more here)…

Chris Christie​ hung out on a beach that was closed to the public because of his own government shutdown pic.twitter.com/OHdtEzGNwB

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 3, 2017

Update 7/4/17: From Pat O'Leary at the "Lower Makefield Is A Great Place To Live" Facebook group - ROFLMAO!

..and David Pakman with more on Generalissimo Trump’s unpopularity overseas…



…and when we’re getting schooled on proper behavior by Jerry Springer, I think it’s safe to say that we’re in the midst of a Kubrickian nightmare…



…and Rachel Maddow tells us more about the typically bogus garbage from our Tiny-Handed Egomaniac-In-Charge and the thoroughly scurrilous Kris Kobach in an effort to intimidate and harass Democratic voters (and when even Republican states can see through this charade, that’s when it’s time to say “oops” and get out - more here)…



…and I guess it’s safe to say that we all need a little “down time” now and then, don’t we? And if you want to consider this a rebuke to Christie, fine with me.




Note: There's currently an issue in Chrome with MSNBC's videos, probably because they're not accessible from an https connection. All other environments are fine as nearly as I can tell. If I find out anything else or come up with a workaround, I'll let you know.

Saturday Stuff

The first 9:05 of this “A” block from Rachel Maddow last night should be viewed by this entire country at a minimum, though, to be sure, we should watch all of it – so much important stuff here that we need to pay attention to…



…and it looks like our tiny-handed orange dictator has Made The Planet Great Again – by uniting against him…



…and kudos to Dem U.S. Senator (and disabled vet) Tammy Duckworth for giving Bushie Steven Bradbury the treatment he so thoroughly deserved here…

This senator just completely torched a Trump appointee who's justified torture in the past pic.twitter.com/h2j7UD2osP

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 30, 2017

…and on the issue of abortion, here is the US (including New York – not just “red” states to blame here)…

This week in crazy anti-abortion bills... pic.twitter.com/ra0Qb1Am0n

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 29, 2017

…and on the issue of abortion, here is the UK…

Hundreds of doctors just voted to expand abortion rights in the UK pic.twitter.com/UE4Fg0hQl3

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 28, 2017

…and I thought this was a nice video to usher in the new month.

Friday Stuff

Leave it to Samantha Bee to sum up the prior week of Rethuglican garbage, specifically on Trump/Ryan/McConnell-Scam-Care (here - NSFW)…



(Speaking of health care, I thought this was a GREAT article about what went wrong with the recent attempt by California to go single-payer; basically, it would have entailed a lot of legislative sausage-making that those who lament SP’s demise fail to acknowledge, to say nothing of CA residents remaining vigilant against the slew of attack ads from the usual corporate suspects.)

…turning to Generalissimo Trump, I believe that whatever eventually comes after us will find recordings of this era in whatever form, and when they come across K.O.’s “Resistance” videos, the former ESPN commentator will be viewed as one of the few among us who truly knew the danger we ended up inflicting on ourselves last year and the ruinous consequences (and no, I don’t absolve Democrats with that remark)…



…and Lawrence O’Donnell speaks with Wendy Sherman, Annie Karni and Ana Marie Cox about the latest Trumpian garbage, which of course is more gaslighting when you get right down to it to try and divert attention, for some reason, probably having to do with the Robert Mueller stuff…and anyone who thinks that “President” Bannon doesn’t have a hand in this is truly too stoo-pid for words…



…and don’t look now, but there’s a possibility that the AUMF may be relegated to the dust bin of history, with the able help of Dem U.S. House Rep Barbara Lee, the only person in that body who saw the danger behind it when it was originally passed (more here)…

Congress just moved towards repealing the ‘endless war’ authorization passed after 9/11. pic.twitter.com/BWOXGbbGxA

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 30, 2017

…and I didn’t say much about that garbage ad from Dana Loesch yesterday, but luckily Sam Seder did here (and more on that guttersnipe Peter Schweizer is here)…



…and I know I’m a little behind on this story on the PA radio personality who quit for not showing proper deference to the “Gropenfuhrer,” but here is John of TYT to tell us more (note to self: never listen to WTPA...and yeah, I know about the political bent of media management, but last I checked, the public airwaves were PUBLIC)…



…and yeah, as long as we’re still discussing President Fergus Laing, Nicolle Wallace gave what I thought was some really nice push-back here (re, the Mika stuff), but all you'll ever hear from too many Repugs on this (including women) is the sound of grass growing, unfortunately...

DROP EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING AND WATCH THIS.

BRAVO @NicolleDWallace https://t.co/Sl6D7K9As8

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) June 29, 2017

…and Keith Richards had a little run-in with the law 50 years ago yesterday (here), leading to his quote about “petty morals” (just reporting, not commenting on it, which is an excuse for the following tune).

Thursday Stuff

Yeah, I heard about the Trump/Mika B. stuff (here) – as far as I’m concerned, at this point, anyone who isn’t doing anything at all to try to get him removed from office is nothing but a traitor to this country.

And sometimes, there truly are no words (from the ridiculous to the even-more ridiculous)…



..and Chris Hayes returns to talk with Rachel Maddow about the utterly horrible Trump-scam-care sitting in the U.S. Senate with no action at the moment (yep, the goal is to kill Medicaid, which would end the lives of many others also…and by the way, the interview was all about this)…



…and given this development, I think we should recall this video from Ed Schultz before he went to work for Putin (here)…it’s dated about 6/28/13, and it tells us about Lauren Valle, a MoveOn volunteer who got her head stomped during the U.S. Senate campaign of Rand (“Fake Ophthalmologist”) Paul in 2010…in addition to death and taxes, you can always count on two things 1) The wingnuts to encourage – or actually carry out – violence every chance they get, and 2) That they’ll accuse our side of being worse than anyone…and yes, you guessed it – this is the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less)……and yeah, Tim Profitt got a heaping dose of white elderly Republican punishment for this, as noted here – and yes, I’m being totally sarcastic…



…and Cenk Uygur tells us about idiot Repug U.S. House Rep Francis Rooney of FLA on how "trickle-down" is supposed to replace O-care, or something (what decade is this again? Wasn’t this brand new in the ‘80s? What’s next, parachute pants, a deluxe special edition of “Top Gun” on VHS and an in-depth profile of “The Keating Five”?)…



…and harking back to the president in the decade before The Sainted Ronnie R, Kyle K. tells us how Jimmy Carter summed up IMHO what led to our current presidential affliction (the clip is a few weeks old, but still timely as far as I’m concerned…NSFW)…



…and happy belated 40th birthday to Mark Stoermer of The Killers.

Wednesday Stuff

(Oh, and as long as I'm referencing Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao in the cartoon, I might as well pass this along also.)

TMR's Sam Seder tells us how that human stain Ron Johnson, Repug U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, said that people with pre-existing conditions are like crashed cars, or something…



…and Chris Hayes tells us that, yeah, it must be nice to be a Repug politician like U.S. House Rep Chris Collins of New York – I don’t know anyone who could drop about $17 mil and shrug it off like this (more here)…

…and awww, it looks like “Caribou Barbie” is going to sue The Old Gray Lady for making a direct connection between Palin’s rhetoric and the shooting of former congresswoman Gabby Giffords (here) in January 2011, among others who were wounded and killed including the 9-year-old niece of late Phillies manager Dallas Green – yes, the paper was wrong, but they retracted what they said…of course, the former half-term Alaska governor has no such impulse, as we know (and don't give me that "surveyor's symbols" crap either)…



…and Seth Meyers tells us that the “private prison” industry is rebounding under our Impulse-Control-Issue-Child-In-Chief – this should NEVER have been a “thing” in the first place, but once again, stand up and take a bow, all of you numbskulls who made sure we were stuck with President Big Orange Cheetoh (kind of a dig at the post office, though – hard to be funny all the time I know)...



…and I don’t know if this is the finest “Resistance” commentary Keith Olbermann has yet done, but it has to be in the top five at least…



…and after this tweet, I had absolutely no choice but to put up this video (heh).

Tuesday Stuff

I defy you to produce a list of similar falsehoods from any other president…



And by the way (speaking of the media), kudos to reporter Brian Karem here for trying to get this Sarah Huckabee Sanders person of the Trump pirates to owe up to the way they have treated the press in general, which is like garbage, not just since inauguration but during the campaign of course…the spox for President Tiny-Handed Egomaniac, in typical fashion threw all kinds of lies and charges at the media, calling them “fake news” as always, and then criticized the press for being divisive, or something.

The Trump regime is nothing but a bunch of moral lepers. And they should be treated as such without exception.

…and oh yeah, nice job by the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR (including its brand new conservative hammer) to basically reinstitute Generalissimo Trump’s Muslim band (and oh yeah, hate rallies in Washington D.C. – what country am I living in again? And I thought it was pretty weak of Chris Hayes to try and draw an equivalency between the Alexandria shooter and the Trumpian “brown shirt” rhetoric…and good job by Ellison to NOT let anyone forget about all the Repug voter shenanigans)…



…and with the prior clip in mind, here’s more “winning” from the Gropenfuhrer…

The White House just totally ignored the end of Ramadan pic.twitter.com/Xa0xcuyaav

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 26, 2017

…and the pressure is working – we need to keep it up (more here, though of course, Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao will try to sneak something past us later, as all weasels try to do)…

And by the way, I know it’s self-defeating to engage in name-calling and it’s something I suppose I really shouldn’t do, but sometimes no other descriptions fit – anyway, this jagoff is Doug Deason, who apparently is a BFF of Chucky and Davey Koch, as noted here. And here’s the thing – as far as Deason and his pals are concerned…dammit, those in this country who aren’t rich like him just aren’t suffering enough! And Deason and his like-minded gang of scurrilous weasels just aren’t going to give any donations to Repugs anymore unless the “party of Lincoln” makes damn sure that the “poors” and the “blahs,” to say nothing of men, women and children of other skin colors, suffer the way they’re supposed to! Who cares how many die without health care – AS LONG AS DEASON, THE KOCHS, SHELDON ADELSON & CO. GET THEIR STINKING TAX CUTS! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

…and yeah, it looks like a certain thoroughly unfit person residing in An Oval Office may turn to the “stupidity defense” if and when all else fails…



…and I’ve had this song on my mind with all of revelations about our problem-child-in-chief and his crew, so here it is (a bit dated, but you get the point).

Monday Stuff

Like you I’m sure, I’ve been watching a lot of these fine K.O. “Resistance” commentaries, and though I hope he’s right of course (because I want to see President Big Orange Cheetoh GONE from office like many others), I think the point that genuinely matters here is the one he makes about our media landscape at about 4:20, unfortunately; conservative Charlie Sykes said recently on Bill Maher that he’s not sure Nixon would have been forced from office if there had been the wingnutosphere and Fix Noise in place along with Drudge, Breitbart and the other usual suspects back then that we have now, and unfortunately, I don’t think Sykes was wrong…



…and here is an update to a recent Rachel Maddow report; so it looks like actual voting machines WERE hacked – terrific…



…and I know I’m a little behind on this, but kudos to this courageous 12-year-old Mormon girl…

This 12-year-old gave a beautiful coming out speech at her church - but it didn't end well pic.twitter.com/h72m46TlyF

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 20, 2017

…and I wonder if Carrier employees are tired of the “winning” yet (and no, I don’t think it’s the least bit funny when someone loses their job)…

Trump told workers at Boeing and Carrier he’d save their jobs. You’ll never guess what happened next. pic.twitter.com/IASTZbSPD4

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 23, 2017

…and Dem U.S. House Rep Cedric Richmond of Louisiana is my new hero for this; there was a time when I laughed at arrogant assh*les like Steve King…now, I laugh at the fools who keep sending him back to Washington so King can continue to grift from them – none of this will change unless we VOTE AGAINST EVERY REPUBLICAN IN EVERY ELECTION (And concerning King, why am I not surprised by this...yeah, let's use threats and intimidation; I guess it will make no difference to the "children of the corn," huh?)…

A congressman with a long history of racist remarks just got called out for his 'white privilege' pic.twitter.com/D4KVXJUt8f

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 23, 2017

…and here’s a tune for all of you wonderful voters for Generalissimo Trump – may you continue to be proud of yourselves…hope you don’t lose your health insurance (here and here), but if you do, don’t come crying to me.

Saturday Stuff

Nice work by Jimmy Kimmel here to keep the pressure on (more here)…



…and here is Rachel Maddow’s “A” block from last night (more here); I pretty much agree with Karoli at C&L, and with respect to Charlie Pierce, I don’t agree…when a hostile foreign power is attacking our electoral process, what is called for is a BIPARTISAN response from our elected officials…again, if the shoe had been on the other foot, you want to know how fast the Repugs and our corporate media would have been attacking the Dems if they politicized this the way Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao did (to say nothing of the rest of his party)?...



...and once again, my hometown does me proud...

Philadelphia just added two colors to its Pride flag for queer and trans people of color pic.twitter.com/BGFbJMmYSy

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 24, 2017

…and sticking with Philly, here’s a clip from about a year ago of local guitarist Chris Forsyth and his Solar Motel Band performing what I think are a couple of cool instrumental numbers – the second selection, which he starts at about 7:00, has a bad word in it which he states and appears onscreen once…c’est dommage.

Friday Stuff

Rachel Maddow reminds us how disabled individuals stood up for their rights in Colorado and did likewise yesterday in the office of Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao; as a result, they were zip-tied and carried out.



Oh, and by the way (speaking of the Senate’s version of Mephistopheles), there are people dumping on Occupy Democrats because they have a pic of McConnell stating that he received government-funded care while treated for polio at Warm Springs, GA as a child (the same place where FDR was treated). The fact that McConnell was treated for polio as a child at Warm Springs is not in dispute; what IS in dispute is how much the government paid for it. I think the mere fact that he was at Warm Springs recovering (and again, despite what McConnell intends for us, I don’t wish physical harm for him of course) with people in similar circumstances and apparently learned ABSOLUTELY NOTHING or HAD NOT A SHRED OF EMPATHY for them based on his actions is damning enough. Whether or not he recovered on the government’s dime is needlessly splitting hairs as far as I’m concerned.

…and speaking of people facing risky health prospects, I give you this (once again, heckuva job, baby boomers, and I don’t absolve myself when I say that)…

'Millennial women are poorer, more likely to commit suicide, and 10x more likely to be incarcerated' 😧 pic.twitter.com/evdyTyMFtt

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 23, 2017

…and this just in: Rand Paul is still a thoroughly compromised idiot…



…and Seth Meyers weighs in on Trump-scam-care (and of course, McConnell is an utter lying sack of shit about how supposedly closed the “Obamacare” legislative process was, a point amply proven in this video and in many other places and many other ways)…



…and kudos to young Joe Kennedy again on this subject…

Stop what you're doing and listen to Joe Kennedy trashing the AHCA for its callousness pic.twitter.com/abY16lvCRE

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 23, 2017

…and after watching this, I’m not about to go out and say now that Jon Ossoff lost because of voter suppression, but I WILL say that this further emphasizes the need for increased transparency in our elections (GREAT reporting by Greg Palast on the GA-06 election once again)…



…and it’s time once more for another installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 6/23/08, in which former Dem U.S. House Rep Dennis Kucinich did his best to mobilize us to try and get Dubya and “Deadeye Dick” impeached (given that, how can we do less for the “Gropenfuhrer”?)…



…and time once more for a 1967 tune (a question to ask President Tiny-Handed Impulse Control Egomaniac, though of course we already know the answer).

Thursday Stuff

It looks like Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao and his pals are trying to make us all bend over and say “Aaahhh,” on “Trump-scam-care” based on this (and kudos to Number 44 for this - more here).

…and with that in mind, I would say that Hawaii Dem U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is pretty spot-on here…

'For this bill, no transparency, no bipartisanship – just 13 men meeting in secret.' – This Senator called out Republicans over the #ACHA pic.twitter.com/zCMVXuCRv7

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 22, 2017

…and maybe this is piling on, but as you watch Sen. Elizabeth Warren here, note that “Aggressive Progressive” Jimmy Dore dumped all over her for being a “corporate Dem” for supporting HRC…yeah, what a “winning strategy,” that was, huh genius?...

I’ve read the Republican “health care” bill. This is blood money. They’re paying for tax cuts with American lives. pic.twitter.com/298DLguNiM

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 22, 2017

…and we know who’s trying to perform this metaphorical bank robbery of sorts, but guess who is driving the getaway car, if you will (hint: they have a whole lot of initials)…

Republicans drafted a health care bill in secret. With some notable exceptions, the reaction from the media has been lackluster: pic.twitter.com/fwcYZUeWPX

— Media Matters (@mmfa) June 22, 2017

…and turning to how we ended up with Generalissimo Trump, Rachel Maddow gets to the election stuff at about 9:00 and does a good job once more of connecting the dots between the Russian hacking and how voting was potentially disrupted (likely disrupted as far as I'm concerned) in Dallas County in Texas, among other places (and yeah, I think it's genuinely sad to see Oliver Stone get played like that)…



…and yeah, Rep. Yarmuth, I think “that’s a shame” too…no disrespect to the Dem U.S. House Rep, but how about telling the “Gropenfuhrer” exactly what you think of him for this? Or, as Bill Maher said, the NEW Dem mantra should be “when they go low, we kick them in the nuts”…

Poor Kentuckians voted for Trump. Here's how he repaid them.

An op-ed from @RepJohnYarmuth: pic.twitter.com/1U50O3kOWI

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 22, 2017

…and try not to be too shocked, but here is actually a good tune from THIS century.

Wednesday Stuff

Yeah, I saw the news today oh boy, and I think this, this, and this sum up how I feel (and uh huh, THIS – and I’m looking at YOU again on this one, Jimmy Dore!). I believe it was Karl Rove, of all people, who said that “demographics is destiny,” and though the demographics aren’t there yet for us, we’re getting closer on that.

That being said, I watched a video that Cenk Uygur, who I respect, made last night right after the word came down about Handel’s victory (I didn’t include it partly because I didn’t totally agree with it and also because he couldn’t keep the camera still). Cenk is a little too doctrinaire as far as I’m concerned (to me, Repugs win because they fall in line, which Dems don’t do as often as they should); he caved on the whole “Nancy Pelosi” thing from the wingnuts because she’s a “corporate Dem,” but as far as I’m concerned, when someone tries to call her out, we should get in that person’s face and say exactly what their problem is with her – speaking only for myself, I’m tired of all of the ZOMG! NANCY PELOSI NANCY PELOSI NANCY PELOSI OOGA BOOGA!!! nonsense (oh, riight – she’s from SAN FRANCISCO!). Just saying she’s a corporate Dem without any pushback against those clowns is validating their idiocy (though, maybe, on the other hand...now DWS is a whole other story as far as I’m concerned).

Update 6/23/17: Yeah, I think this says it.

Also (with the huge qualifier that I rarely saw any political ads from Ossoff), if there is indeed any truth that Ossoff ran that typical losing centrist Dem strategy (for lack of a better word), then yeah, the outcome was totally predictable.

I just know that his ridiculous Emails definitely had the look-and-feel of the typical DNC garbage with headlines like “P-U-M-M-E-L-E-D!” “PLEASE!” “HOPE GONE!” “DEFEATED!” “AWFUL NEWS!” “FINAL REQUEST!” and the like. They got so ridiculous, actually, that I asked to receive fewer of them as opposed to unsubscribing from Ossoff Emails altogether. Well, I eventually DID unsubscribe because the volume was STILL totally out of hand. Then, I received an Email from the Ossoff campaign in the closing days via Daily Kos, so like a fool I made another contribution. And then, that started the whole daisy chain of constant Emails all over again to the point where I unsubscribed again.

Oh, and by the way, if there’s also any truth to this, then Ossoff deserved to lose; with a weapon to beat up Handel like The Great Orange Turd, why in God’s name WOULDN’T YOU FREAKING USE IT??!!

Now to the videos...…K.O. wonders about whether or not there really are tapes of the “Gropenfuhrer” and James Comey, and how exactly we would find that out (loved the Nathan Thurm reference)…



...and yeah, who's in the mood for another global financial meltdown? Show of hands?...

This is why banks love debt. pic.twitter.com/PcN5H54z3G

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 21, 2017

…and damn, how I wish I could vote for this guy…



…and gosh, whaddaya know? It looks like a GOP contractor leaked a hell of a lot of voter information from their voter records – looking for the same degree of self-righteous indignation from our corporate media over this as I would over the Dem stuff during the HRC campaign last year…



…and just because our impulse-control-issue-child-in-chief has a problem with accepting climate change, that doesn’t mean the rest of us should too (I seem to recall the Good Book saying we should be stewards of the earth – oh, but that was from “hippie” Jesus, not Republican Jesus…oh, and let’s not forget who was responsible for this, by the way)…

If Donald Trump won't fight climate change, world leaders like Pope Francis & Angela Merkel will pic.twitter.com/5zfwu7X7mU

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 20, 2017

…and happy first official day of summer, everybody.

Tuesday Stuff

Kyle K. gives us the latest on Trump-Scam-Care and all of the disgusting secrecy by Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao and his pals (NSFW…and how typical is this…first comment is great – and boy, is Kyle right about “Medicare for all”)…



…and speaking of health care, this needs to be pointed out again and again and again (yeah, I’m sure Ivanka and Melania are such a mellowing influence for President Impulse Control Tiny-Handed Egomaniac…what a load of crap)…

Planned Parenthood saved this woman's life pic.twitter.com/sD6tboXezs

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 18, 2017

…and of course, this is another health crisis, but at least SOMEBODY may get sent up to do hard time over it (more typical for a third-world banana republic than what this country is truly supposed to be)…



…and in response to this item from that human stain Darrell Issa, I give you the following commentary from Martin Bashir (Remember him? And what exactly was it that got him thrown off the air again? Oh yeah, that’s right…he made an unsettling reference that hurt the fee fees of “Caribou Barbie” – pretty thin given the garbage and viciousness of Generalissimo Trump that came after Bashir’s run had ended)…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and yeah, I think we’re no longer at a point where we should be amused by all of the metaphorical pratfalls of the “Gropenfuhrer” – assuming we were ever at that point in the first place – but genuinely concerned for our country, as K.O. reminds us…



…and I know I’ve been hung up on 75th birthdays lately, but I absolutely had to extend similar best wishes here to Brian Wilson.

Monday Stuff

Rachel Maddow tells us about the “cyber” guy for Generalissimo Trump who the U.S. House Intelligence Committee wants to talk to, as well as asking the question “Where In The World Is Mike Pompeo?” (and more on the thoroughly rancid Bob Goodlatte is here)…



…and this video tells us about the “Fabulous Life of Karen Handel” (I’m not sure if everyone will get the Robin Leach voice-over reference, but nice try – more here and even more unbelievable stuff here…TOMORROW IS THE GA-06 ELECTION AT LONG LAST! And to help Jon Ossoff one last time, click here...and let's not forget this from Handel also)…

The Fabulous Life of Karen Handel:
-State funded luxury SUV
-Wanted $15,000 for office chairs
-Taxpayer funded Intl trips#GA06 #FlipThe6th pic.twitter.com/RH4gD37X3L

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) June 17, 2017

…and let’s also not forget how hugely important an issue this is also (nice job to work in a bit of humor by the guy you’d expect for that, though he’s in deadly earnest also)…

Internet freedom is in grave danger – and these senators are trying to save it pic.twitter.com/uSGAb3nryT

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 18, 2017

...and kudos to the Golden State Warriors for telling President Big Orange Cheetoh where to go (NSFW - and yeah, I guess you could go either way...maybe if Trump were something close to a typical head of state in the tradition of what presidents are REALLY supposed to be in this country, I would oppose what the Warriors are doing, but he isn't so I don't – I’m probably going back and forth a bit on this I’ll admit, I mean the whole “see the president” thing in general...and Kyle is a little rough on Number 44, but unfortunately I don't think he's wrong)...

…and speaking of sports, today is the 45th anniversary of the ruling against Curt Flood, an All-Star centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals who tried to claim free agency rather than be traded to the Phillies – I couldn’t stand Flood for years because of that, but when I learned more about his story and the personal toll the verdict against him ended up taking on him, I was a lot more sympathetic (and for a long time, he was right about many Phillies fans and the organization, unfortunately), especially when Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally did the same thing as Flood three years later and were successful (here)…

…and GREAT commentary here by the Rev. Dr. William Barber in response to the Philando Castille verdict, among other news items…



…and here is another 75th birthday to commemorate, and that would be “Spanky” McFarlane of Spanky And Our Gang (the ‘60s rock group, not the kids show) – this is a really preachy tune too, but it’s kind of my thing after all, isn’t it?

Sunday Stuff

(For Mother’s Day, I had a picture of four women wearing MAGA shirts, so it’s only apropos that I do the same thing for Father’s Day, and I definitely mean it as a bad joke for this day also.)

And speaking of bad jokes, am I the only one who thinks that’s the best way to describe the timing of the mistrial ruling in the Bill Cosby case, coming down on Father’s Day weekend?

And yes, here are the usual caveats when I post about legal stuff – I don’t know all the details, nor do I claim to, and I’m also not privy to any kind of information that shouldn’t be disclosed. If somehow I was, I would keep it to myself because I wouldn’t want to say or do anything prejudicial to the trial.

However, from what I know, I think this sums up how I feel (and having graduated from Temple, I can tell you that I don’t enjoy dumping on Cosby, even when I feel that I have to)…



…and I guess you can apply those caveats to this also (and what does it tell you that Yanez was fired right after the verdict – and by the way, where is the NRA screaming about “gun owner rights” on this one? And great points by Ana, Ben and Alonzo Bodden)…



Update: Uh, yep...

Update 6/21/17: Yeah, I can see why they sat on this, and just add this to the pile I guess.

...and Happy Father's Day, everybody - here are two selections.