Sam Seder talks about a guy having a meltdown for getting thrown out of Costco for not wearing a mask…NSFW/H – and apparently, he called Sam about it later; I’ll give him points for that, even though he’s a totally selfish idiot…
…and Kyle discussed a recent CNN commentary by Fareed Zakaria – I have a slight disagreement with Kyle on the financial well being of the 2.0 Teahadists protesting shelter-in-place requirements…yes, many are in comparatively lower wage jobs, but a hell of a lot of them are playing dress up to egg on the “rabble”…but other than that, I think Kyle and Zakaria’s commentaries here are pretty good, and boy, does Kyle make a GREAT point at the end about media coverage of left wing protests vs. right wing protests…I think it’s because our media geniuses are afraid of being called “liberal” for some reason, probably having to do with what they fear would be a loss of subscriber revenue (and yes, once in a while, Zakaria finds the proverbial nut, and he does here)…
…and I honestly didn’t know about this until a day or so ago, but apparently Mango Mussolini has a plaque at one of his golf courses commemorating an alleged Civil War battle that never happened (more here – figures)…
…and comedian (and proud New Yorker) Vic Dibitetto gives Sen Mr. Elaine Chao the treatment he deserves here (to do something about Sen. McTurtle AT LONG LAST, click here, here and/or here)…
…and in the spirit of the holiday, I offer the following selections.
Farron Cousins gives us his take on the recent Trump/Pelosi name calling stuff (I think Pelosi’s tone-deafness on going after Trump on this says volumes, primarily because there are AMPLE OTHER WAYS to go after this cretin on policy, though that might expose the fact that, thus far, Pelosi and the Dems have been meekly quiet while The Grim Reaper in the U.S. Senate continues to stall on House legislation aimed at helping those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic…if Pelosi is going to have a hissy fit, do it over THAT instead...and speaking of phony controversies)…
…and with the prior clip in mind, I give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 5/24/16, in which Our Orange Pustule made a joke about former NJ governor and one-time Repug presidential candidate Chris Christie not “eating Oreos anymore” (here)…somehow, I don’t recall that there was a festival of hand-wringing and fetching the fainting couches after that happened…
…and Lawrence O’Donnell speaks with Dem U.S. Senator Kamala Harris in response to the confirmation by party line vote of DNI John Ratcliffe…the clip doesn’t really give you an indication of why Ratcliffe is ill suited for the job (though, for the regime of Mango Mussolini, Ratcliffe is perfect) – this tells you a bit more about that, and a longer clip of Harris questioning Ratcliffe during the latter’s confirmation hearing is here…
…and speaking of underlings in the administration of the Gropenfuhrer, this Now This clip shows Dem U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio questioning Treasury Secretary and aspiring Bond villain Steve Mnuchin over what you could loosely call the “legislative priorities” of Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao…apparently, there are 3 Dems vying for the nom to unseat #MidnightMoscowMitch (here, here, and/or here...a related column to this topic is here)…
…and this recent Rachel Maddow clip tells us about a poll in the WaPo of health care workers basically saying that they STILL don’t have the equipment they need to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic…
...and happy belated 70th birthday to longtime Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin - good luck with choosing a single great tune, but this one does seem to fit in with a theme here.
It looks like the outpatients were out in force in Sacramento as of about a week ago…
…and I realize this clip is disturbing, but as far as I'm concerned, I think it’s important to interject this into our discussion of all things related to COVID-19…it has to do with medical students in NYC helping with managing dead bodies in shroud packs (or, in some cases bed sheets) in refrigerated trailers…
…and with COVID-19 very much in mind, Rachel Maddow interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Shaman last night; he claimed that, had our government acted a couple of weeks earlier with shelter-in-place requirements, as many as approximately 36-54,000 people could have been spared – the setup prior to the interview was cut out for some mysterious reason and this is a particularly badly edited video overall, kind of an amateurish job actually but typical for The Comcast Network – the setup to the interview can be found in this story…
…and Thom H. tells us about big bidness Repug donors using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to basically gut government oversight; and yeah, this “10 grand for a year of Social Security” is their latest scam aimed at a popular program that Repugs have hated FOREVER, as Thom notes…sync is still a little off...
Update: The Repugs will NEVER, EVER stop trying to destroy Social Security and Medicare (here).
…and when it comes to Mango Mussolini playing more of his disgusting games, Ana and John of TYT tell us about 45 threatening to pull funding from Michigan as well as Nevada for trying to vote by mail (though he apparently relented on providing disaster relief for Michigan)…and part of me wants to see Biden be a little more front-and-center, but maybe it’s better that he lay low while the numbers look good, though they always tighten as we get closer to the fall…
…and David Pakman tells us how the whole alleged “Obamagate” stuff utterly blew up in the face of Our Traitorous Orange Pustule – Trump’s predecessor did absolutely nothing wrong, which we knew anyway, though of course congressional Repugs won’t stop looking for any alleged “scandal” involving a Dem that they think may exist (here)…
…and uh oh – it looks pretty sad when a certain Pumpkin Pestilence has actually lost the support of his cronies at Fix Noise (removing my tongue from my cheek)…
...and I think this is a cool tune for a Friday night heading into a holiday weekend.
I share for sure Rachel Maddow’s utter exasperation with the "sloppy, emotional outburst" of the Gropenfuhrer's recent letter against the WHO...yep, "it's just..." all right (as far as I’m concerned, 45 shouldn’t just pay the price, but everyone who supported him and had anything to do with his election should also)…
…and Robert Reich tells us about Our Traitorous Orange Meat Sack’s nefarious plan to get people back to work despite the threat of COVID-19 (or to “die for the Dow,” as Prof. Krugman put it recently)…
…and sometimes I think Kyle K. is out to lunch on his punditry (you can say that for a lot of people I realize…maybe yours truly at times too?), but on policy he’s usually right on the money, and this is a sorry summation on how the U.S. House Dems utterly punted on student debt relief (I get so fed up with watching Pelosi, Schumer, etc. piss on our legs and tell us that it’s raining...hopefully we'll all work to do our best for November and, God willing, things will turn out fine, but if they don't, the Dem congressional "leadership" should take another look at sorry spectacles like this)…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us, conversely, about a U.S. House Dem actually showing a spine – I’ve had issues with Tim Ryan in the past, but he’s spot-on here with his thoroughly appropriate outrage over the Heroes Act…good to see this from a U.S. House Dem besides AOC, Jayapal and Katie Porter (even better to follow this up more consistently with actual progressive policy, however)…
…and it looks like cannabis may be an inhibitor to the spread of COVID-19, as David Doel tells us, though there needs to be a lot more research even though early indicators are promising...appears to do this with sativa, which is the strain that gets you more "jazzed" (vs. indica, which is apparently more mellow...research going on in Canada and Israel, apparently...good information on comparing pot to alcohol)...
…and who knows if JB is taking a toke or two while he deals with COVID-19…the last I heard, he tested positive, but hopefully he’s OK – apparently, his scheduled concert with JT in Wantagh, NY is going to be rescheduled until May 2021 (here); best wishes for good health to everybody.
Cenk and Michael Shure of TYT bring us the latest from Our Pumpkin Pestilence, namely, that doctors and nurses dying is somehow “beautiful” – of all the stupid things that Mango Mussolini has ever said, as bad as this is, I’ve heard a lot worse and I’m sure you have also…if Traitorous Orange Pustule really cared about nurses and other medical professionals, he’d tell those idiot protestors like the ones in the pic to go the hell home and isolate themselves so we can safely try to reopen everything later instead of engaging in these ridiculous ego trip exercises against people who they think are the enemy (not a bit surprised to see 45 spout this drivel in the relatively safe rural enclave of Allentown, near Lehigh Hospital – I’d pay $20 to see that assclown try to say this stuff at Jefferson or Temple Hospital downtown and see what happens)…
…and I know this was unintentionally amusing, but it just goes to show how saccharine these ridiculous commercials are with everybody trying to be your friend and acting like everyone is sharing the COVID-19 pain proportionately, which most definitely is not the case (Sam and Michael Brooks of TMR explain – clip is clever, though)…
…and the previous clip ends with a question about the votes on a bill related to internet security, and Kyle brings us more on that here (truly discouraging to hear some of those Dem names, including Casey, Shaheen...up for re-election...and Sheldon Whitehouse...and I'm curious to find out what was up with Bernie also...and yeah, pretty sad that we can't even get a freeze of our defense budget too)…
…and this Now This clip presents a lady in West Virginia telling Congress what it's really like to be poor in America...I don't know who she is, but she deserves a freaking medal at a minimum…
…and I have to admit that I’ve been chastising myself a bit because I haven’t had a “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) segment for a little while, so please let me make amends a bit with that now…the late, great Ed Schultz from about 5/18/11 gave us a pretty stark picture of income inequality at the time...can only imagine how much worse it is now (also, when it comes to Navy SEALs, Schultz was referring to this)...
...and happy belated 75th (!) birthday to Pete Townshend.
Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the speech from home that Former President Obama gave on Saturday to high school graduates (I have no idea what the hell that blabbering orange idiot is talking about with allegedly turning away 175,000 people from a 9,000-seat meeting place or whatever in New Jersey, and I really don't think he does either)…
…and I have to get a kick out of watching the “party of Lincoln” gang up on each other like this – they know how to go for the jugular, and they do that best against each other…
…and Farron Cousins tells us about a Repug high roller named Clay Lacy, who managed to get $27 million for his private jet company from the CARES Act…
…and I have to admit that I’m a bit hot and cold on Emma Vigeland, but when she’s on an important story, as I think she is here, she absolutely nails it; the clip has to do with Repug South Dakota Governor Kristi (Unsafe At Any Speed) Noem trying to get rid of COVID-19 checkpoints for tribal lands in her state…for the reasons Vigeland states, the tribes are completely within their legal rights to do what they’re doing (and of course, Noem refuses to provide specifics of how the checkpoints are allegedly being abused, probably because no such evidence actually exists)…
…and RIP comic actor Fred Willard (I used to watch Fernwood 2 Night forever ago – it was kind of quirky and odd, but I thought it was funny, with Martin Mull also)…
…and RIP also Astrid Kirchherr, who had a lot to do with the iconic look of the Fab Four.
I guess the only thing missing now that we have a “super duper missile” is sharks with laser beams on their heads (or ill-tempered sea bass at a minimum) – seriously, though, my response to this idiocy is here…
…and Chris Hayes gives us the grim picture on how we are faring in this vs. the 32 other countries doing better than us and other so-called “developed” nations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about that assclown Rand Paul trying to confront Dr. Fauci on the shelter-in-place requirements (and yes, please tell me once more how the “party of Lincoln” LOVES children, who they are apparently willing to sacrifice in order to revive our economy and make sure all the hair salons and high-end retail stores are opened once again...and I think we've pretty much established what Generalissimo Trump is all about on this issue in particular)…
…and Cenk and Michael Shure of TYT discuss the threats against journalist Kevin Vesey by the Teahadist crowd in Long Island… the last clip where Vesey is literally getting chased is truly disgusting (“I’m fine, I’ve got hydroxychloroquine” – no, you’re not “fine,” you fucking coward)...and allegedly, there was a security presence of some sort there - what the hell were those jackasses doing? And boy, would I LOVE to see Vesey’s news organization file charges against these miserable cretins, who made themselves look like the utter fools that they are when, instead, they could have actually been portrayed in a sympathetic light if they had let Vesey do his job, though I know portraying these life forms sympathetically is impossible…
Update: Yep, I guess Our Treasonous Orange Dictator can't get through the day unless he's punching down at somebody (here).
…and no sane person wants a violent revolution in this country – I certainly don’t – but if it ever happens, it will be because of stuff like what is described in this video…
...and I've been in search of a good new tune for a little while; I think this will suffice.
I haven’t checked in with Seth Meyers in a little while for no particular reason, and I’m glad I did so here – we know what the Gropenfuhrer is by now, and we also know what his propaganda channel is all about (and leave it to Gramps Grasshole to dutifully tow the line also of course...also, check out the changing book titles)…
Update 5/21/20: Oh, and with garbage like this (outlined in red) appearing on my video screen, please tell me why I'm supposed to play nice with these scumbags (with that perpetually stupid and confused look on the face of the Swanson TV Dinner heir).
…and why do I have an utterly sick feeling that Dr. Rick Bright’s words about what it coming will turn out to be prescient? And believe me when I tell you that I want desperately to be wrong (and yeah, I think this just about says it…and why am I not surprised by this from Markwayne Mullin? More on this nematode is here)…
…and yeah, I think Chris Hayes is pretty spot-on here with his assessment of Mango Mussolini’s cavalier, criminal indifference to suffering from the COVID-19 plague (voicing probably as much disgust as is allowed by his Comcast handlers)…
…and Farron Cousins opines here that Our Pumpkin Pestilence is mad at Former President Hopey Changey because of #44’s popularity (he may be right about personal reasons for disliking Obama, but I think it has more to do with Trump trying to play off the “birther” garbage that made him popular with a particularly demented segment of our voters…well, that plainly ain’t gonna happen again, at least not in the numbers he needs for, God help us, a second term)…
…and I’m going to look the other way for now on Kyle’s snark about “Russia-gate,” which very definitely was NOT a “fake scandal,” and instead present this clip which focuses on the ongoing food crisis in this country from our economic collapse…
Update: And by the way, in the matter of COVID-19-related relief legislation currently pending in the House, I have to admit that I got a thoroughly-not-intended-I’m-sure laugh out of these excerpts (an AP story from here)…
Democratic leaders were pressing ahead despite grumbling from party moderates leery of the measure’s massive price tag and liberals who wanted bolder steps, like money to cover workers’ salaries. The measure cleared an early procedural hurdle 207-199 with 14 Democrats voting in opposition, an unusually high number of “no” votes but small enough to suggest that leadership had things under control.
For the love of God, you’d damn well better find a way to work “divided Dems” into your corporate media reporting, or it’s back to general assignment reporting of 3 AM traffic accidents and zoning board meetings.
Also…
In a scene that’s become uncomfortably familiar since the virus took hold, the sparsely populated House chamber was dotted with members and aides wearing protective masks, though some Republicans were not.
There were few clusters of chatting lawmakers and Pelosi edged away from anyone who stepped near her.
And why on earth for the love of all that’s holy am I supposed to give a flying coitus if Nancy Pelosi breathed on anybody?
And finally...
The bill would flush almost $1 trillion to state and local governments and provide more money for virus testing and to pay front-line emergency workers.
“Flush”? Gee, that’s a rather curious and thoroughly non-judgmental way to put it, right?
I retrieved this dreck from philly.com, home of the Inquirer, to which I continue to no longer subscribe.
…and I’ll give this “Republicans for the Rule of Law” group some credit for speaking out now, but I’d honestly like to know where the hell they were when we attacked Iraq in response to 9/11 and New Orleans drowned from Hurricane Katrina…for the time being, though, this is a good ad (and this guy should open his Club-for-Growth-owned pie hole and speak out for mail-in ballots for everybody also…and to do something about Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao at long last, click here...for more on mail-in ballots, click here)…
Update: More McConnell garbage is here - and once more, here is a way to fight back.
…and I’m including what may be my favorite cover of a Little Richard tune here to indicate his influence on legions of rock n’ rollers…
…and of all of his huge hits, this may be the biggest of all (maybe the most covered too).
Boy, is this ever a great Now This commentary on rights vs. responsibilities – I don’t know who this guy is, but he absolutely nails it here…
…and I think this a good transition from the prior video, with Cenk and Ana talking about the Michigan ammo-sexuals out there threatening Dem Governor Gretchen Whitmer, now for trying to get guns out of the state capitol, which probably won’t happen because, for some utterly daffy reason, Michigan is an open carry state (and good anecdote about The Sainted Ronnie R)...
…and Thom Hartmann speaks with Dean Obeidallah about an attack on a mosque in Missouri (with Our Orange Pustule’s typically horrendous remarks to gin up more racist hatred…lip sync is off again for some reason…another reference to what Whitmer is dealing with also)…
…and speaking of racism, the “lens of history” and buildings burning to the ground, today is the 35th anniversary, believe it or not, of the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia.
And by the way, if you want to look for a clip of Ramona Africa (you can Google the name if you want) portrayed in a sympathetic light, you should look somewhere else (like the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner by Mumia Abu-Jamal…and yeah, that’s what happened…I was growing up in Philly when MOVE happened also).
Yes, it was criminally stupid incompetence by the administration of Mayor Wilson Goode (who, at the hearing that followed, made a remark that he thought water was being sprayed on the fire, though it turned out that it was snow…as in bad reception…on his TV set), though Fire Commissioner William Richmond, as nearly as I can recall, was a notable exception, having been genuinely wrecked emotionally by what happened (Richmond passed away about two years ago). Also, I have it on very reliable information that the city’s building trades offered to rebuild the homes lost to the inferno at no cost, but were rebuffed in favor of well-connected individuals who ended up doing shoddy work and bilking the city in their “bargain.”
But make absolutely no mistake; MOVE was guilty of waging a campaign of terrorism of a sort on their neighbors (trash, loud music, all sorts of other disruptions to people living in what was a pretty prototypical blue collar neighborhood). They very definitely were not “innocent,” though they didn’t deserve what happened either (especially the children, including Michael Moses Ward, formerly known as Birdie Africa). And this historical context is important – in 1978, there was a shootout with MOVE members in which Police Officer James Ramp was killed, which also prompted the city’s heavy-handed response (again, not a justification – as I said, I’m only providing context…more is here)…
…for something a little more positive, I give you this New York Times clip about Albany, GA and the pastors in the predominantly black communities trying to reinforce shelter-in-place restrictions – I’m not going to have a hissy fit over the hairdresser who decided to reopen; I mean, I still think she’s wrong, but I get it that working people have hard decisions to make because our federal government doesn’t represent them…I mean, how many more versions of the PPP are we supposed to expect before the rest of this country is actually helped instead of the “pay no price, bear no burden” one percent crowd?...
...and to contrast once more with the troglodytes protesting Gov. Whitmer, here is a genuine Michigan story of courage and teamwork (I know National Nurse’s Week was last week, but as far as I’m concerned, their valor and sacrifice should be honored the whole year ‘round)…
I think this latest Biden ad, presented on Morning Joe recently, pretty much says it (and yeah, this is the latest insanity from this utter fraud - not sure what else needs to be said about it)…
…and Trumpster Peter Navarro recently whined repeatedly here about a “great depression pity party,” or something, on Fix Noise of course…here is one response to Navarro’s idiocy (more here)…so many ways to refute it, but one right off the bat is to point out that Mango Mussolini inherited an economy from President Obama that was perking along just fine; all 45 had to do was maintain the status quo but, as was the case with his failed businesses, he couldn’t even do that…I shouldn’t be negative I know, but I truly can’t think of anything bad enough to happen to these characters after about three and a half years of this garbage (not sure what is up with the sync on some YouTube videos)…
…and yeah, I think “management by optics” pretty much says it when it comes to Trump/Pence and wearing a mask in response to COVID-19, as David Pakman tells us…
...and as Farron Cousins tells us here, I guess it’s not entirely surprising that the Gropenfuhrer vetoed a bill to limit his war powers, but the reason why is particularly juvenile and utterly Trumpian, as Cousins tells us…
…and here are two more legendary tunes from Little Richard.
This Now This clip tells us what Former President Obama thinks of his successor’s godawful response, or lack of it, to the COVID-19 pandemic (the wingnut caterwauling over this, by the way, reminds me of the hue and cry over the remark about a certain segment of people clinging to their guns and religion, which was also 100 percent accurate)…
…and what does it tell you about the “party of Lincoln” that they apparently have NO COLLECTIVE ANSWER for the fact that the head of their party has feet of proverbial clay on the subject of nationwide testing and making sure the people who need it have PPE (and I’m thinking about this guy and this guy in particular when I say this…Bri-Fi and “No Corporate Tax” Toomey just meekly whimper like the lap dogs that they truly are, along with the rest of their sorry same-party brethren…I’ve taken some well-deserved shots at the Dem “leadership” lately, and I think it’s time to aim my fire in the opposite direction for now – more from Ana and Cenk)…
…and the Morning Joe people including Willie Geist discuss longtime Repug fixer Bill Barr tossing charges against Michael Flynn who, as is pointed out, pled guilty twice already (not the biggest fan of this show, including John Heilemann, but they're all spot-on here)....
…and Farron Cousins tells us all of the reasons why Our Orange Pestilence doesn’t want to wear a face mask…well, if it turns out that he doesn’t want to look stupid, I’m afraid that metaphorical ship has already sailed (and in a somewhat worrisome related development, I give you this)…
…and I give you the following as part of this week’s tribute to Little Richard (I'm pretty sure John Lennon, among others, covered both of these tunes).
Sam Seder of “The Majority Report” speaks with National Nurses United president Jean Ross about the lack of PPE (despite the latest lies on this topic from Mango Mussolini) and the White House protest in response (and with all due respect to Ross, it isn't "his" house - it's the people's house)…
…of course, what you can say when Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Chief Executive apparently doesn’t even understand the concept of testing in the first place, as Chris Hayes points out here…
...though our narcissist-in-chief apparently thinks this catastrophe has been manufactured to discredit him, as Rachel Maddow points out (pardon me while I gag)...
…and turning away from the Gropenfuhrer for a minute, I give you this “Lincoln Project” ad against Repug U.S. Senator Martha McSally in AZ – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I wish the Dems knew how to go for the political jugular like this (to do something about her, click here)…
...and RIP Betty Wright (happily, Betty White is just fine)...
...and I'm sure I will be featuring tunes by the former Richard Wayne Penniman over the coming week, including this one.
Being the utterly filthy and still-unkempt liberal blogger that I am (with blogging way past its usefulness in most cases I’ll admit), let it be known that I somehow forgot that today is the 75th anniversary of VE Day, so with that in mind, I give you this clip of U.S. troops marching through London upon their arrival in the UK in 1942…
…and here is a BBC clip of the 75th anniversary celebration, with Winston Churchill’s declaration of victory…
…along with a clip of US troops returning home…
…and when I think of that era of my parents, it’s impossible for me not to think of this song.
Here’s another (pointless, I’ll admit) “hot take” – Mango Mussolini and his pals let the COVID-19 disaster occur partly because of his hissy fit over the Mueller investigation (everybody remember that?) and impeachment, so he said “F.U.” to the country and decided to let everybody die in response…and I swear, JUST ONCE I’d like to see one of these network news personalities point out to Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed, COVID-19-ignoring "`chief executive" that he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about (”the cupboard was bare,” blah blah blah…Trump is the biggest WATB I’ve ever seen!)...Brian Tyler Cohen presents the gory details – and I give that nurse credit because I would have said everything I just pointed out to The Orange Pustule, and I probably would have lost my job as a result…
Update 5/9/20" Yeah, I think this about says it - hope David Muir has fun cashing the check for his hard-earned stenography.
…and Sam and Michael Brooks of The Majority Report tells us about how the “reopen” movement is executing the “disaster capitalism” playbook, especially in Iowa; this clip is about a week old, but I think it’s still timely…
…and Stephanie Ruhle speaks with Jason Furman, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration, and Chris Lu, former deputy labor secretary under Obama, about just how truly bad this economic downturn is and how the PPP as a response was wrong for so many reasons…
…and Kyle K. quite rightly complains about lobbyists getting bailouts as part of the COVID-19 “stim”...pardon me while I retch…no defending the Dems on this one, people (here), and that goes for our corporate media too, but in fairness, I also give you this…
…and with all of the other insanity going on out there, I really hadn’t said anything about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, who apparently was guilty of the “crime” of jogging while black; David Doel tells us that two life forms have been charged…and yes, I saw the video, and no, I’m not going to present it either – it’s out there if you want to find it…so much that’s utterly unconscionable about this, not the least of which is the fact that this happened in FEBRUARY and we’re just hearing about this now! (mildly NSFW/H..Doel’s disgust is palpable, and thoroughly called for)...
…and once in a while, I just feel the need to present this clip from “Network,” with Peter Finch as Howard Beale, the “mad prophet of the airwaves” as context for everything, since I think it’s still timely…I guess what he says here also now applies to what we get through our phones and computers, and if you wish to lump in your humble narrator here, that’s your right I’ll admit, though I endeavor to tell the truth, in an imperfect manner I’ll admit (mildly NSFW/H)…
…and just as a reminder than life goes on, today is the 55th anniversary of this video (here), believe it or not (and a new Dylan recording is on the way, apparently).
This clip from NowThis presents more idiot protestors, this time in Minnesota, yelling about opening up that state and nurses pushing back in response – I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is the “endgame” for the wingnuts…they want others not like them simply to die…
…and the numbers don’t lie – this clip from Rachel Maddow tells us that New York City, at a terrible price, has flattened the COVID-19 curve somewhat, but that definitely is NOT what is going on in the rest of this country…
…and Ana of TYT brings us this video about an 89-page whistleblower complaint from Dr. Rick Bright, who (commendably) finally said ENOUGH of the criminal regime of Our Pumpkin Pestilence and stepped down from his post leading the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (more here)…
…and this clip from Thom Hartmann is a few weeks old, but I think it bears repeating…he discusses the nearly-40-year campaign of billionaires to wreck our government (I think Thom means Charles Koch, not David)…
…and I give you this Billy Bragg tune in recognition of National Nurse’s Day (true, sadly, especially with what is going on now)…
…and RIP Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk (not related to COVID-19 apparently, which is cold comfort I guess).
This is the best parody of the thoroughly disgusting “Morning in America” Ronald Reagan ad from way back that I can ever remember, and what does it tell you that it was created by Republicans? And yes, I know there’s nothing even remotely funny about the COVID-19 casualties and our thoroughly wrecked economy, which is what this is all about of course…
…and sitting in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which to me is an obscenity all by itself, Mango Mussolini tells us that he thinks he’s been treated worse than our 16th president…years from now, mental health professionals will be trying to diagnose Number 45’s utter sociopathy…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us how Koch baboon and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can’t get his story straight on whether or not he thinks COVID-19 was manufactured by the Chinese or not (kind of low-hanging fruit I guess since the whole thing is a ridiculous talking point as far as I’m concerned manufactured to try and hide the murderous incompetence of our ruling regime of frauds and criminals)…
…and David Pakman tells us about Generalissimo Trump threatening to sue states that don’t lift pandemic orders (and when it comes to states and people protesting shelter-in-place and other restrictions, I have to admit that I was shocked by this, though in context, this is a good point)…
…and for an example of real leadership, I give you this (more here)…
…and RIP Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers (another victim of our modern plague).
David Pakman tells us about Florida Repug Gov Ron DeSantis hiding COVID-19 fatalities (at this point, the whole damn state is a Petri dish full of death as far as I’m concerned)…
…and John and Ana of TYT tell us about Repug Gov Greg Abbott reopening his state too early (and this tells us about more related nonsense from yet another Republican governor, this time in Missouri...and it looks like still another Repug governor is having second thoughts, as noted here)…
…and Sam Seder talks about what Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan had to do to protect his state’s PPE from the federal government (Hogan, in a rare exception, is a Republican)…Sam is absolutely right about the utter insanity of this…but don’t wake our corporate media about it - sssshh…rock a bye baby…
…and Jim Schaefer of Raleigh, North Carolina is my latest hero for questioning these gun-toting morons…”you’re actually proving our point, which is fantastic”…really??? And what “point” might that be? That I have a bigger gun than you do, so shut up and let me take charge? Go brandish your external death penises somewhere else, you assclowns…
…and on the subject of legitimate protest, tomorrow, believe it or not, marks the 50th anniversary of the Kent State massacre – here is one tune for the occasion (based on this little number…more here, here and here)…
…and here is the granddaddy of them all (apparently, Neil Young conceived this is a fit of utter rage, and we are so much richer for this great gift in the face of horrific, murderous cruelty).
Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the typical nonsensical response from Our Orange Pestilence when he was questioned about the New York Times report last weekend listing all of the times in January and February when he blew off the Coronavirus pandemic (with 45 displaying the typical “many people” lying tell once more...and "very, very strong...death totals?" What a monster...here)…
…and this Reuters report tells us that the ammo-sexuals were out in force recently in Michigan to protest the shelter-in-place restrictions from Dem Gov. Gretchen Whitmer…OK, there are multiple levels of craziness going on here as far as I can see, mainly because Whitmer, in addition to being a Democrat, is female, which makes her a more inviting target for protest, as well as the fact that Michigan is apparently a hotbed for white nationalism (news to me, I’ll admit, though, given that state's economic decline, maybe it shouldn't be)…make no mistake – these are the Teahadists 2.0; the only difference is that, as opposed to protesting alleged “big gumint” overreach and health care reform 10 years ago, these imbeciles are protesting whether or not people should be allowed to stay alive…also, I’m sure it doesn’t need to be pointed out that there is nothing “grass roots” about these clowns – I’d really be interested to know the median income level for these life forms…they’re doing this cosplay thing like they’re from the “heartland,” when I would venture to guess that a good percentage of them bring in six figures a year (more here)…
…and with a nod to the Michigan craziness, Cenk and Ana of TYT tell us about the Gropenfuhrer pressuring governors to reopen early, schools in particular (and also a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, apparently…color me not shocked)...
...and here’s a new Lincoln Project ad against Repug senators up for election this year...cool to watch Repugs gang up on each other (you could add a few more to this video as far as I'm concerned, like this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one)...pass the popcorn...
…and I thought Farron Cousins brought the proverbial fire here in the matter of a likely second COVID-19 wave this fall, as indicated by Dr. Fauci; love to be wrong, but unfortunately all signs point to that, including the insanity in Michigan noted previously…
…and Ari Melber brought us a bit of a history lesson here on how the prior administration handled science overall, as well as the two outbreaks under the watch of the Obama Administration (truly heartbreaking to watch this now)…
…and in an attempt to lighten things up a bit, I give you this wrapup by Jimmy Kimmel from a day or so ago, including Onward Christian Soldiers Mike Pence refusing to wear a mask when he visited the Mayo Clinic recently (here…and yes, he knew exactly what he wasn’t doing...and what a snowflake...and I know some of this is repetitive; it is for a reason)…
…and in another gesture towards something approaching normalcy, you might say, I give you a little “Friday with Frank” timed for the season.
Chris Hayes brings all the disgust required as far as I’m concerned towards some of the more visible members of The Roger Ailes BS Factory in the matter of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Update 4/30/20: Speaking of Chris Hayes, this is patently ridiculous. As I note below, I don't think there's much to the whole Tara Reade thing, but that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to cover it.
I get really fed up with listening to Bill Maher, among other people, whine about "cancel culture." Well, unfortunately, this is Exhibit A as far as I'm concerned.
…and as a follow-up to Hayes’s reference to what is going on at our meat packing plants, Rachel Maddow tells us how the CDC under Mango Mussolini is now basically a rubber stamp for the industries it is supposed to regulate…”oh, excuse me, if it isn’t too much trouble, could you please abide by regulations to KEEP WORKERS SAFE SO THEY DON’T DIE ON THE JOB???!!!”…
…and Thom Hartmann talks with Marc Dimondstein, president of the APWU, about the Trump gang trying to put the post office out of business, led by aspiring Bond villain and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (the bill in question from the sorry reign of Dubya, by the way, is explained here)…
…and I realize I’m a little late with the whole “Trump/Noble” thing, but for what it’s worth, I give you John and Cenk here…
…and Farron Cousins reminds us that, as bad as Our Orange Pestilence is, Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is somehow worse (to do something about him AT LONG LAST, click here...and unfortunately, I think Cousins is right at the end about the Dems caving in response...and let's not forget about this also, with nary a whimper in response from Democratic minority "leader" Chuck Schumer)…
...(and by the way, when it comes to the "meaningless hot takes" department, I give you this):
I could care less which candidate is endorsed by Joe Rogan and/or Howard Stern. They’re entitled to their opinions even if I thoroughly disagree with them.
I have not a clue about what did or didn’t happen with Joe Biden and Tara Reade, and I have a feeling most other people don’t either; this is probably the best account I’ve read on this matter (also this and this). However, in the “two wrongs don’t make a right” department I know, we have an individual taking up space in An Oval Office who has been credibly accused of sexual assault by MULTIPLE women, and Lord knows he isn’t going to go anywhere, at least not without the good, hard shove out the door that he deserves.
In a related story, for some reason, I’m seeing Stacey Abrams all over the place on my teevee (granted, maybe I watch MSNBC more than I should :-). I admire her, but I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody cares about her at this point. Yes, she quite probably should be governor of the state of Georgia but for some utterly shameless election hackery by Brian Kemp, but the simple fact of the matter is that SHE LOST! And for her to be seriously considered as a vice presidential nominee for Biden is beyond a joke as far as I’m concerned.
…and if I’m going to feature this tune, I’d better hurry up because the month is nearly over.
As far as I’m concerned, these Teahadist 2.0 uprisings (featured in the Now This clip) deserve whatever scorn we can heap upon them (and a pox on Fix Noise, which spreads the utter misinformation that motivates these life forms…in response to that yelling woman, I should point out that a family member is a nurse, and that protester is an idiot...and yeah, I think this says it)…
…and if EVER hear about a politician running for ANY ELECTED OFFICE AT ALL who claims to HATE GOVERNMENT (which automatically begs the question, "why the hell are you doing this?," with their inevitable comeback that the private sector can allegedly do everything better), I’m going to remind them of this story of food utterly going to waste in this country while too damn many people go hungry, as Farron Cousins tells us (which is EXACTLY the sort of problem government run by reasonable people with actual brains can solve)…this is worse than incompetence – this is a bleeping sin!...
…and Robert Reich tells us about the usual corporate suspects making out like bandits as always, this time on the alleged “stimulus” for COVID-19 victims, which includes a hell of a lot of people (and by the way, to learn about a country that actually handled this right, I give you this)…
…and yeah, Biden is the default selection for prez as far as I’m concerned because of our Insane Clown Chief Executive, but he shouldn’t even be in the same area code as Larry Summers, for all of the reasons stated by David Doel here (and probably a few here too)…
…and gosh, whaddaya know? It looks like Diamond and Silk are out at Fix Noise – yeah, just throw these two knuckleheads under the proverbial bus, as John sez (with Jordan Uhl), but don’t you dare impugn Sean Inanity, Ingraham, the Swanson TV Dinner heir or any of the other “talent” on that network (harking back a little to the first video)…
...and in my search for something upbeat, I came across this new Pretenders tune, just in time I would say.
I have to admit that I honestly wasn’t aware of the extent of the airborne danger of COVID-19, which is even more scary, if that’s possible at this point, but that’s one of the important points Sam Seder makes here in this TMR clip…and in a related story, kudos to CNN’s John King (didn’t think I’d ever be saying that) for this, and more is here…you may also have to press the graphic highlighted above to read the important details...
Update: Every word of this should be inscribed for all eternity, to our collective shame.
…and Kyle K. brings us Huckleberry Graham, who for sure doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to unemployment compensation, particularly in our beloved commonwealth; it doesn’t come ANYWHERE NEAR your full salary of the job from which you were just laid off…this is a typical BS Repug talking point from the days of The Sainted Ronnie R (and to do something about it, click here)…
…and echoing what Kyle said in the prior clip, I give you The Rev. William Barber on what we actually should be focusing on during this pandemic (here)…
…and I’m in the mood for a somewhat upbeat, rockabilly-ish tune, and I hope this will suffice.
