Farron Cousins tells us about one North Dakota farmer in particular who has had enough of Mango Mussolini and his tariffs (I think Cousins misspoke on the “voted on by a court” phrase, but the rest of his commentary is spot-on IMHO)…
...and Cenk and Ana of TYT connect the dots, as it were, between the rapacious, capitalist corporate greed head scam going on in the Amazon and the regime of the Gropenfuhrer, including Blackstone and Stephen Schwarzman (I don't condone violence, but if I were a U.S. soybean farmer watching this, I might be inclined to go get a gun and arrange transportation to Washington, D.C.)...
..and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now talks to Lee Gelernt of the ACLU about the atrocities going on at our southern border; how anyone can claim to belong to any kind of organized religion at all and still support this is something I will never, ever understand…
…and David Pakman tells us that Generalissimo Trump may be turning on Fix Noise at long last (good point at the end about George Lakoff)...
…also, Rachel Maddow interviews Ellen Weintraub of the FEC about that regulating body being short changed by Moscow Mitch and the Repugs, including *President* Orange Cheetoh of course (more here)…
…and David Doel gives David Koch one more shot, which I think is apropos even though the latter has shed his mortal coil, if you will (stuff is included in this clip which should be part of Koch's legacy for sure as far as I'm concerned)…
…and turning to the world of sports, I thought this was yet another good commentary from Dale Hansen on the occasion of the retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck (ironically named given his injury history) from the NFL (here) – I don’t think Luck has to prove a damn thing to anybody, and any elite athlete who sacrifices his health at this age for fame and fortune is playing with fire – not the most original of “takes” I realize (some in the Philly sports media have been speculating that Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz might do the same thing one day, which Wentz is entitled to do as far as I’m concerned – speaking of the Birds, they just completed yet another ho-hum preseason…I realize those games don’t count, but losing 6-0 to the New York Jets? Really??!!)…
…and it seems we have indeed come to the official end of the summer season with the Labor Day weekend upon us (sniff) – I may work in a couple of more seasonal tunes anyway despite that over the next few days, but for now, here’s a little “Friday with Frank.”
(Oh, and in case we'd somehow forgotten with all of the other Trump lunacy out there, the pic has to do with this.)
Cenk and Ana of TYT tell us about conservatives targeting journalists – and their families apparently – who report negatively on the Gropenfuhrer… good point by Cenk about Roger Ailes with his binder against non-Fox hosts, and an even better point by Cenk about courage...
...and let's not forget about this either...
A source close to Deutsche Bank says Trump’s tax returns show he pays very little income tax and, more importantly, that his loans have Russian co-signers.
If true, that explains every kind word Trump has ever said about Russia and Putin. @TheLastWord 10pm
Update 3: Ugh - in the end, just some sloppy journalism (here)...sometimes I wonder if the networks screw this stuff up on purpose; you either have the proverbial smoking gun or you don't...reminds me of Dubya's pals complaining about broken typewriter keys on the memos about 43's time in the Air National Guard (and don't think for a minute that this lets President Fergus Laing off the hook).
…and Sam Seder and the “Majority Report” crew tell us about Trump AG Secretary Sonny Perdue referring to farmers as whiners, pretty much…and gee, to me, this sounds like the dreaded “S” word that the Repugs like to throw around when it suits them, particularly against Bernie Sanders…
…and speaking of Bernie, David Doel of The Rational National takes Zerlina Maxwell to task for claiming that Sanders doesn’t have any policies, or something – try doing the admittedly hard work of reviewing everything Sanders has written to see if you have an actual disagreement before opening your pie hole next time, OK?...
…and Farron Cousins tells us why it’s a bad idea to cut payroll taxes as a way to try and get out of a recession (oh, but Our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Lunatic In Charge tells us that we’re not heading towards that, of course – uh huh)…
…and I have to admit that I got a kick out of this concerning NYT columnist Bret Stephens and his recent “snowflake” moment (more here and here)…
…and here is a somewhat more conventional musical number for this time of year (James gets a little rude part of the way through, so please listen on your headphones).
Ali Velshi sits in here for Lawrence O’Donnell on “The Last Word” and interviews reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who tells us that voters may be a little further ahead of the media/political/industrial complex when it comes to the “I” word and the Gropenfuhrer (and I guess I shouldn't be surprised by Conor Lamb sitting on the fence here, though it is disappointing)...
…and in another bit of Dem squeamishness, this clip tells us that the DNC voted down a climate debate (and the resolution definitely failed with the full committee – ugh...and I know it's way too early to take this stuff seriously, but the polling data I'm seeing tells me that Biden is sinking like a stone)...
…and this clip gives us a little insight into what it’s like to try and live off food stamps (sounds like, for at least one week a month, you’re on your own; I give you "the ownership society," something right out of Dickens and “Les Miserables”)…
…and Sam Seder and the crew of “The Majority Report” quite rightly take Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News to task over Generalissimo Trump and immigration (slightly NSFW, and sorry I’m a little behind the curve on this)…
…and Kyle K. tells us how “Goodhair” Perry got scammed recently (if The Eternal Molly Ivins were still with us, she definitely would have fun with this, though, given that Perry is in charge of our nukes, I suppose it isn’t that particularly hilarious)...
…and my musical selection from last Friday was stuck in the ‘70s for sure, and this one is too…last Saturday marked the 45th anniversary of the release of “Verities and Balderdash” by Harry Chapin; we know “Cat’s In The Cradle” was the signature song from that recording, and “Shooting Star” was also a memorable tune, but I’m going to take a bit of a deeper dive with this one (this tune is preachy as hell, but as you know, that’s never stopped me before :-).
I realize that, under normal circumstances, the correct and proper thing to do when someone dies is to either say something good or, absent that, say nothing at all. But I’m going to make an exception for David Koch, for all of the reasons Farron Cousins points out in the video (and for this).
He deserves to be slow-roasting on a spit in hell at this very moment, right alongside Roger Ailes and The Sainted Ronnie R, who should both be experiencing the same fate (and I likewise will feel no remorse whatsoever when he is joined by his brother Charles one day)…
In lieu of flowers, the family of David Koch requests that mourners simply purchase a Republican politician.
…and of all of the ruinous impacts of voting right-wing strongmen into power, their harm to the environment may be the very worst, as Michael Brooks of The Majority Report points out (to help the Amazon rainforest, click here - more predictable Bolsonaro BS is here)…
…and Cenk and Ana tell us that Generalissimo Trump is prepared to detain migrants indefinitely, doing away with something from 1997 called the Flores Settlement (so many reasons why we’re in 25th Amendment territory right now, and this is but one)…
…and John I. and Jayar Jackson tell us about the Gropenfuhrer’s recent remarks about Jews and loyalty (although apparently, this is Adolf Twitler’s latest craziness – hard to keep up with this utter dumpster fire of a “presidency”...will trying to tell corporate America what to do FINALLY, AT LONG LAST be "a bridge too far," as it were?)…
…and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 8/23/10…for anyone who remembers the so-called “ground zero mosque” (which wasn’t planned to be built at ground zero and wasn’t a mosque – more here and here), the protest scene in this clip will appear to be familiar (and yes, the Kochs were connected to the “Astroturf” protest of the mosque through something called the American Future Fund in attacks against Dem Congressman Bruce Braley, as noted here)…
…and I know we had some 1969 nostalgia recently with Woodstock, but I thought I’d change things up a bit here with this tune, which was No. 1 on the Top 40 chart for the week ending 8/25/79 (and a NSFW message appears onscreen halfway through, just to warn you).
Yeah, you can pretty much expect the Gropenfuhrer and his minions (including Fix Noise of course) to plummet to new depths every day as they attack and demonize anyone who they claim to be “the opposition” – Cenk and Ana give us just the latest example as the minions of the Roger Ailes BS Factory gang up once more on Dem U.S. House Reps Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar…”Holocaust envy,” huh? Stomach turning, truly – an item related to the pic is here…
(and by the way, for anyone who thinks Trump/Hitler comparisons are only hyperbole, I give you this.)...
…and I think we entered 25th Amendment territory long ago, but this stuff about buying Greenland from Denmark definitely qualifies as far as I’m concerned – I find nothing funny at all when it comes to mental illness, which I think is completely on display here…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that Shep Smith pretty much busted Generalissimo Trump on letting the air out of the proverbial ball once again on common sense gun laws, opting for the “mental health” dodge after paying lip service to universal background checks…
…and here’s a rockin’ little number with a bit of a Muscle Shoals sound – works for me and hopefully you too.
Robert Reich tells us about the increase in CEO pay in 2018; don’t mean to get anyone’s blood up seeing as how it’s already hot outside, but the data doesn’t lie, people…
…and isn’t THIS interesting - Stephanie Ruhle interviews two reporters who broke a story about the Epoch Times, a Pro-Trump news outlet, funded by the Falun Gong Chinese spiritual group (maybe “Adolf Twitler” really is the Manchurian Candidate after all…and yeah, I think we ALL are curious about exactly what these characters have in mind for 2020 also, though I don’t think it’s too difficult to guess)...
…and Cenk and Ana of TYT tell us that Joni Ernst and her typical Repug fallback position on “mental health” in the wake of our most recent gun tragedies didn’t play too well with the Iowa folks back home – like to think this might lead to Ernst’s removal from public office, but given the history of that state, I’m not getting my hopes up…
…and Kyle K. gives it back to Bill Maher on the latter’s attack of the BDS movement – for all the reasons Kyle points out, Maher is completely and utterly wrong (to say nothing of utterly un-funny anymore also...mildly NSFW)…
…and I normally stay out of lefty “food fights,” as it were, because it’s really just an excuse for our corporate media and their wingnut counterparts to jump in and have good sport while beating the “divided Democrats” narrative completely and utterly to death, but I’m going to make an exception over what I consider to be the recent antics of Susan Sarandon (here, and some noteworthy context is here).
It apparently started when Sarandon, while endorsing Bernie Sanders, made a remark that Sanders was never a Republican, which apparently was intended as a swipe at Elizabeth Warren. Well, people change political parties all the time for various reasons, some having to do with seeking the best deal you can get, which is just human nature after all. To me, what matters is what you do (if anything) to take advantage of someone and promote yourself by doing that. And I have no indication that Warren has ever walked on anyone to get herself where she is (if it turns out later that that has happened, then I think we should look at it on a case-by-case basis, but again, this is only “if”).
Well, in response, Neera Tanden complained that Sarandon did her part to drive down Dem turnout and elect The Gropenfuhrer, which is completely accurate. So of course, the Sanders camp (led by David Sirota) got all unglued because apparently YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO CRITICIZE SUSAN SARANDON BECAUSE THAT’S A DE FACTO CRITICISM OF BERNIE!!!
Well, @ReignofApril on Twitter brought back this clip from shortly before the 2016 election, and I submit it once more for your approval – YOU tell ME how well this has aged after almost three years (God help us) of Mango Mussolini and his utter misery of a “presidency” ("I don't vote with my vagina" - just too precious for words)…
Gee, it looks like Steven Arnold King of Iowa’s Fourth District wants an actual apology from US for his utterly twisted, bigoted, misogynist remarks – once more, to do something about this monster, click here - and get a load of this…
…and in somewhat of a King-esque vein, Rachel Maddow tells us about another wingnut circuit court judge who Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao and Generalissimo Trump just railroaded into a lifetime approintment, and that would be Steve Menashi…yeah, when you get rid of the flowery language, we’re talking about white nationalism here, folks (and yeah, the BS “Blackjack” Pershing and the pigs blood story is back again – God almighty, I wish Senate Democrats could find a way to make this a campaign issue since it’s really damn important)…
…and I think this is a really good “Rational National” clip with some harsh medicine for the Democrats, and as usual, AOC is in the middle of things speaking truth (and I think people should vote regardless, but the reality is that, to motivate the Dem base, they need a reason…and if you want to get an idea of how truly insular and out-of-touch the Dem “leadership” truly is, I give you this tweet, in particular the part about the 75 Democrats who allowed themselves to be interviewed by that pig Mark Halperin – it’s a shame that money is the measure of political clout, but it is what it is)…
Mark Halperin’s book deal must be one more sign that his career was destroyed by the women who described him grabbing their breasts, propositioning them for sex, and “pressing an erection against” their bodies multiple times. https://t.co/jDzoU0y4fF
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that it looks like Larry Kudlow is whistling in the dark on the economy once more – wonder if he’s visiting the snowman again?…
…and John, Cenk and Maz Jobrani tells us about someone who may not be the new Dem poll leader yet, but she’s getting awfully close (and given the prior clip, it probably isn’t surprising – and I wouldn’t exact call this a ringing endorsement of Biden)…
…and here’s another summer tune – hope you’re staying cool wherever you are.
Seth Meyers tells us about the Gropenfuhrer holding another hate fest, this time in our beloved commonwealth (gotta love the “fib bit” thing; totally fits for him - I personally think we should start a tourism boycott of places where Our Treasonous Orange Meat Sack spews his bile, and if that includes PA, so be it)…
Update 8/18/19: And yeah, this sure figures, doesn't it?
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Minnesota farmers unhappy with Trump (I wonder how many of those MAGA, Trump-cheering idiots in PA and New Hampshire know about this, or care)…
…and Farron Cousins of Ring of Fire tells us about “Adolf Twitler” musing about trying to purchase Greenland – video basically ends at about 3:20 (and I think this is way too damn funny in response)…
…and Willie Geist of “Morning Joe” talks with Jonathan Swan about companies pushing back against Generalissimo Trump on immigration – about freaking time (“the benefits of tax reform have worked themselves through the economy,” huh? Not for me, they haven’t – and about China and agriculture, see the first video…Joe Scar takes a while to ask his question, but I think Swan is right about people overcompensating on the whole “wobbles” thing…and my 401(k) is breaking even at this point, but that’s about it, so to hell with that talking point)…
…and here are a couple of more memorable tunes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
Rachel Maddow tells us about a recent Pentagon white paper on how Russians move in and take over in countries that they consider “targets,” and it looks like the US of A qualifies for that, sadly…pretty damn amazing “A” block on Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (sorry she hurt her leg on vacation, but I would definitely say that took lemons and made lemonade, you might say)…
To me, it will be absolutely beyond belief if congressional Democrats (to say nothing of Democrats in McConnell's home state) can’t make the case that maybe investment in a Kentucky aluminum plant by a Russian targeted for sanctions might not have been necessary if “Moscow Mitch” hadn’t blocked all of the infrastructure bills that could have helped stimulate actual U.S. investment, instead of having to go “hat in hand” to a foreign hostile power (and I don’t think it would take too much imagination to tie the actions of the “Grim Reaper” to blocking election security bills either).
This tells us about McConnell blocking infrastructure spending in December 2016.
This tells us about McConnell doing the same thing earlier this year because he was apparently PO’ed that “Adolf Twitler” vetoed a short-term funding bill that passed the Senate by unanimous consent (particularly pathetic that we’re talking about the same political party for both of these cretins).
This tells us that, in spite of that, McConnell does indeed take his lead from the Orange Pustule on the issue of pretending to care about infrastructure.
And oh yeah, trying to wreck the climate vis-à-vis infrastructure is definitely a feature, not a bug (here).
Also, blocking infrastructure spending goes back at least to the Obama Administration, as noted here (and probably much further than that).
So, McConnell, in addition to blocking smart investment in his state (which would be economically stimulative also, let’s not forget), is also responsible for the treason of allowing a foreign hostile power to embed itself in his state so it can wield economic influence and subvert any and all sanction in the event that it decides to interfere in our elections again.
Didn’t we used to shoot or hang people in the past who did stuff like this? Just asking...
…and I thought this was a pretty good summation of the news that Dem U.S. House Reps Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will now be barred from entering Israel (I think this video pretty much says it)…
…and oh yeah, the Dow lot 3 percent of its value on 8/14 (Cousins kind of bungles the start but regroups and does a good job IMHO – I’d never heard his “three little pigs” analogy before, but yeah, it fits)…
…and here’s another great Woodstock tune to commemorate the 50th anniversary.
It looks that that mistake from Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives showed his true color again today (I would say “colors” but apparently only white registers as far as Steve King is concerned; I really hope the voters in King’s district finally wake the hell up and dispatch King to wingnut talk radio and Fix Noise, where he would have nothing whatsoever to do with public life ever again– to do something about this, click here)…
…and Seth Meyers gives us the latest on Generalissimo Trump’s conspiracy theory BS, as well as that nut Jeanine Pirro…I’m getting the message that Meyers is probably more than fed up over having to provide a voice of reason in opposition to this insanity, and I don’t blame him at all, but he’s holding up pretty well to his credit…
…and Sam Seder and The Majority Report let us know about the truly awful Ken Cuccinelli telling us that, well, that stuff on the Statue of Liberty from Emma Lazarus really didn’t apply to that brown-skinned horde on the southern border – JFC (and great point about what tax breaks really are - “cultivating a more favorable electorate” indeed)…
…and John I. of “The Damage Report” tells us about Chris Cuomo giving it back to a wingnut heckler…and GREAT point about the Gropenfuhrer trying, stupidly as you might expect, to try and attach the issue of gun control to this somehow – I don’t think anyone else in the universe besides Mango Mussolini imagines any kind of equivalency here…
…and according to Lex Luthor Scott, we need to cut taxes to find our way to prosperity– again…please – as actor Bradley Whitford said forever ago about the Repugs, “Tax cuts are their Jesus” (Farron Cousins explains)…
…and as most of us know, tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock (from 8/15 – 8/18/69) – here is one legendary tune, and I’ll plan to have at least one more soon.
Farron Cousins tells us about the U.S. Army veteran in Montana who fractured a boy’s skull when the 13-year-old did not remove his hat for the national anthem – and no, I never in my life thought I would ever be typing these words either (I’m glad Cousins looked beyond the headlines a bit here…because one life was severely traumatized, another will be also…a Stars and Stripes story on this is here)…
…and speaking of out-of-control behavior from the MAGA crowd, I give you this video of an incident that took place uncomfortably close to Le Manse Doomsy…
…and the prior two clips make this moment featuring “the paper of record” even more absurd as far as I’m concerned (Sam Seder continues his discussion with Heather Digby Parton; I’d be perfectly happy just posting clips of the two of them discussing news stories of the day – hope you would too – more on the headline in question is here)…
…and hey, who knew that Tucson, AZ city council meetings could be such a bangin’ good time; apparently “green shirt guy” was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it came to making a public statement…
…and believe it or not, yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Robin Williams (the clip is definitely NSFW but funny as hell of course)…
…and this post started out pretty dark for a good reason given the initial clip, but I’m going to try and end it on a high note with this summer tune.
I think this is a Nail. Hammer. Head. commentary from Chris Hayes, a superb example of connecting the dots, something our corporate media in general steadfastly refuses to do (here)…
…and I have to admit that it never occurred to me that the Mississippi ICE raid could be payback for losing a lawsuit, but knowing the regime of Generalissimo Trump, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least (to get workers to stop complaining…and yeah, so what if the little girl is crying her eyes out…as long as the usual suspects get their freaking tax cuts – I’d honestly like to know which Democrats Ashlee Marie Preston is accusing when it comes to benefiting from this horror show, though Cenk makes a great point right after Preston’s inanity about the Dems not pushing back the way they’re supposed to)…
…and Kyle tells us about “Operation Clean Sweep” in Boston, and that’s a pretty benign name for the awfulness that they’re doing with the homeless population – “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” indeed (and yes, we should have a national program for sheltering the homeless, but all you have to do is yell “Section 8 Housing” and people totally lose what’s left of their minds…NSFW)…
…and the whole Jeffrey Epstein thing really isn’t my “beat,” as it were (here), and I’m not sold on the veracity of this clip, but this is interesting if nothing else; the only thing I have to say about this is the highly unoriginal observation that anyone who had sex with minors, otherwise known as rape, that was facilitated by Epstein should go to prison, and I don’t care what their political party is/was…
…and Sam Seder and the Majority Report crew talk with Heather Digby Parton about Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator Wannabe (interesting to draw a line here back to the ‘60s protests, which I think is completely correct)…
…and here comes another summer tune – hope the weather is fine where you are too.
Chris Hayes tells us about corporate America’s sucking up to the Gropenfuhrer in the way of high-priced fundraisers (and Josh Marshall makes a GREAT point about Citizens United saying that speech is really public – can’t try to put that metaphorical genie back in the bottle by making speech private again when it’s con-vee-nient – also, Elie Mystal just kills it here)…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen brings us Shep Smith responding to our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Wannabe Dictator (not surprised to see Smith handle “Adolf Twitler” like a boss – nicely done)…
…and I thought this was an informative NowThis clip about automatically blaming mental illness as a cause of gun violence – yes, look at the data, but DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE FREAKING GUNS TOO!!!...and I realize “red flag” laws are literally better than nothing, but I don’t see how they could be of much use unless accompanied by supporting data that truly indicates that the subject whose gun is being apprehended is truly a threat…
…and with the dominant theme of the week in mind, I now bring you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 8/7/12 – Tucson survivors “demand a plan” from Obama and Willard Mitt Romney on gun violence; should have intended this message for Congress also, but it was definitely spot-on (and yeah, speaking of weapons of death, it seems like we have a story nearly every day anymore as noted here, and in a related vein, this is typically deplorable also...I blame the hospital administrator too)...
Update 2: This absolutely should be disqualifying.
...and given all of this gun-related insanity, is this really surprising?…
This was inevitable. America doesn't feel safe to those of who live here, thanks to the NRA. Why would foreign travelers feel safe surrounded by random men carrying around long guns that look like the front lines of a war, and knowing even people you can't tell could be packing? https://t.co/LmpdebdpcU
…also, Thom Hartmann speaks with Yosef Getachew of Common Cause Media and Democracy about Gatehouse merging with Gannett, the two biggest newspaper chains in this country apparently (Gatehouse, based in NY, bought the Bucks County Courier Times a couple of years ago and other papers in the Calkins newspaper chain, and anecdotally I hear that that’s a bad thing…and while, on the one hand, it’s a good thing to have diverse points of view, I would argue that it’s a bad thing if we don’t have the savvy to be discerning about who is trying to inform us and who is trying to con us)…
...and Cenk, John and Mark Thompson discuss the guy who we deported to Iraq who died without his insulin (Jimmy Aldaoud from Detroit – TYT with Cenk, John and Mark Thompson…and boy, am I glad that John made that point about Chicago, as well as his great “one of us” commentary at around 7:00)…
...and David Pakman tells us about Texas Republicans trying to suppress an apparent “hit list” of primary political candidates (and good point about Al Franken as far as I’m concerned – more here)…
…and yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic cover photo for the Beatles Abbey Road recording (here, and I know there’s yet another anniversary release of material – not sure if I’ll pony up some bucks for that or not) – here is a tune for the occasion.
Seth Meyers tells us about our Orange Pestilence visiting El Paso and Dayton in response to the recent gun-related tragedies (and yeah, “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey is full of crap, but we already knew that)…
…and Cenk and Francis Maxwell tell us about yesterday’s ICE raids in Mississippi – more here…good point about the Gropenfuhrer having to go to the Big House for hiring undocumented immigrants, among his myriad other abuses (and here is a comparable take from someone I respect in line with what Cenk said about the business owners being forced to do a “perp walk” also)…
…and Richard Nixon resigned 45 years ago today (here) – despite it all, I thought there was a lot of truth in his parting words, from someone who admittedly did wrong but I think realized it at least a little in the end (the ones from the White House podium before he took the helicopter…and I still think that, if Fix Noise had existed back then, he might have gotten away with the Watergate break-in and the cover-up that followed)…
…and apparently Kacey Musgraves is the latest target of the “shut up and sing” crowd, as noted here …sadly and stupidly typical.
Hey, Toledo, Dayton – what’s the diff to Mango Mussolini (and the outrage particularly from Brooke Thomas is palpable and absolutely called for)…
...and gee, it looks like that “Fancy Farm” gathering for Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao sure included a basket of deplorables, you might say, though they did apologize (and what snowflakes also, and I’m referring to McConnell’s campaign including the spokesman, as Cenk and Ana tell us)…
…and I’m not going to say straight up that Fix Noise is the source of all of this garbage, but they’re absolutely not doing one damn thing about it either except making it worse (here)…
Update: Elizabeth Warren does it again.
We need to call it out: Fox News is a hate-for-profit machine that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists. https://t.co/f1QkIE7sbB
I saw Baton Rouge Walmart trending on Twitter, and I said to myself, yep, I know what this is; fortunately, it wasn’t any worse…
And yes, I think this about says it…
Another shooting at a Walmart in Baton Rouge, this time it was two guys with guns in an altercation and a bystander is the one that got shot. You got to love these "good guys with guns". So glad there are so many of them out there. Protecting us.
…and I’m definitely not a fan of Dem U.S. House Rep Tim Ryan, but good for him knowing what his priorities are (and as awful as Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is, I see some stern words from Sen. Charles Schumer on this and other matters, but nothing else – and that’s a scary statistic about the Trumpian judges #MassMurderMitch is ramming through the Senate…and I hope more people pay attention too – long past time for this entire country, not just enlightened segments of it, to wake the f*ck up...I don't think Michael Brooks ever watched a "Snagglepuss" cartoon, or else he would have picked up on Sam's reference)…
…and yeah, I need a bit of a summer “palate cleanser” of sorts, even if it is an admittedly silly video like this one (with a bit of a literary theme I realize).
This Now This clip tells us what Sandy Hook, CT moms Michele Gay and Alissa Parker are trying to do about gun carnage in this country…
Update: And by the way, this is typical, but distinctly unhelpful, which is par for the course with this guy (and I really don't give a damn about what he said in the first sentence of that statement, because the second sentence totally negated it as far as I'm concerned).
…and Chris Hayes tells us about the type of voters “Trumpism” is alienating in Texas, which I’m also sure played a role in the retirement of Repug U.S. House Reps Will Hurd and Pete Olson…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the commentary from Shep Smith of Fix Noise about the Gropenfuhrer’s ruinous incompetence on the issue of the U.S. and the rest of the global economy (it’s really darkly humorous I think to see what a pass Mango Mussolini gets on this issue from our corporate media since he has the magic “R” after his name – if he were a Dem, he would get savaged around the clock)…
…and with the prior clip in mind, I should point out what I guess we all already know by now, and it is that the U.S. stock market took another nose dive today – given that, I was looking for a song about money and privilege that befits our Orange Pustule, and I came up with this.
Like many, many, MANY other people I realize, I have spent years (and probably decades now that I think of it) doing what I can to call for what I would call common sense gun reform in this country (in light of the latest horror show on this issue that we can all read about here). I’m not saying this in an effort to say, “hey, I’m so great – look at me.” Far from it. There are probably marches and protests that I could have participated in but didn’t for whatever reason. I’ve written to politicians of both parties, I’ve written to newspapers, I’ve tried to discuss the issue with family and friends (trying not to incur anyone’s wrath, but trying to win the day with the most intelligent persuasion I could muster), and I’ve posted all kinds of content online that I tried to make as well informed as I could (along with videos sympathetic to my point of view of course), in particular at this dippy little blog that you happen to be reading at this moment (and as always, thank you for that).
But really, nothing has worked. I would say that too many Democrats have not shown what I would consider the necessary fortitude on this issue, with notable exceptions such as Connecticut Dem Sen. Chris Murphy, as well as Dem Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who have horrific first-hand experience viewing the carnage from gun violence that I hope and pray none of us ever have to experience (it’s bad enough others had to go through that ordeal). And of course, the “party of Lincoln,” for my money, have been the most steadfast advocates for our nihilistic status quo on the issue of guns among anyone else in this country.
Are we really going to go through this ridiculous cycle once more? No, I’m not saying the proper measure of expressions of sympathy for the victims and their families and friends is “ridiculous” in any way. You know what I mean – our side quite rightly IMHO says that we should reduce clip sizes on assault weapons (or banning them entirely and advertising a buy-back policy, which makes more sense to me – and please spare me another lecture on “fully automatic versus semi-automatic”…both kinds will kill you equally dead), enable sharing of bullet tracing data along with gun purchases in a federal database, mandating a background check for ANY GUN PURCHASE OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, ALONG WITH A MANDATORY WAITING PERIOD OF AT LEAST A WEEK (and yeah, I’m sure that will put the whole “gun show” industry out of business – too freaking bad!), federalizing gun laws to strict standards (and getting rid of the whole “gun law reciprocity” BS favored by this guy among others), sharing mental health data across the country if someone wants to buy a gun, particularly in matters of spousal or domestic partner abuse (another common thread in all of this), more federal $$ to police right-wing sites online (yeah, I know which Orange Pestilence will go bananas over that – heh)…I think that covers a lot of where we come down on this. And of course, the other side, as usual, will offer virtually nothing in response.
Well, in my quest to come up with some kind of a deterrent given this horrible vacuum we deal with on this issue that leads to ever more violence, ever more destruction, ever more ruin, I came up with an idea. And I’ll admit that it’s by no means the best idea out there, but I don’t see anyone else coming up with anything close to a solution on this, so here goes.
Apparently the shooter in our latest gun atrocity actually managed to NOT kill himself also. Given that, I think we should make an example of this life form.
Here’s what I mean – if this person is found guilty by a jury of his peers, then instead of lifetime incarceration or death by a mix of chemicals, electricity or what have you, then we should go “full medieval” on this person, tie him to a stake, disembowel him and hack off his limbs. And with the TV cameras rolling of course. And HBO could broadcast it or another cable service, or standard cable networks – whatever. Hell, they could make it a Pay Per View event. The video clips might end up running on YouTube, Hulu or Netflix forever.
Aw, c’mon conservatives – you KNOW something like this is what you’ve dreamed of! Make a statement to the entire world that this country has truly descended into the dark ages in the Trumpian era, just like you’d been planning for really ever since Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy.” This will satisfy your lust for violence and uphold what constitutes law and order as far as you’re concerned. Stop “talking the talk” and try “walking the walk” instead!
Yes, the ACLU, God bless them, will sue to try and prevent this. But with the Gropenfuhrer and #MoscowMitch packing the courts at record speed, and with a conservative majority on the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, I’d lay even money that this could pass legal muster.
I mean, as long as we’re not going to address this issue in a manner that makes actual sense, let’s do this in a way to puff up ourselves on the world stage like the clueless, narrow-minded ignoramuses we’ve turned into as a country (with notable exceptions of course) and provide at least a minimal deterrent. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!...
(And with all due respect to Cenk, I think guns are a worse issue than corruption, though both are terrible…I read online that, when the cops got to the Walmart, there were so many people with weapons they didn’t know who to try and apprehend first – more here)…
…and I realize I could go after a lot of politicians for the reasons Cenk just noted (including plenty of Dems, including the subject of this piece), but I’m going to highlight these two in particular since they’re particularly craven and compromised on this issue (more here)…
…and before you feel any impulse of gratitude towards “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey on this issue, you should know this (from here)…
(The Center for Responsive Politics) asserts on Open Secrets that Toomey received $79,908 in pro-gun rights money during the 2016 cycle. But that number doesn’t just count contributions from pro-gun rights groups like the NRA or the SCI – the overwhelming majority of that $79,908 is from individuals who CRP classifies as pro-gun rights based on other donations they have made.
If someone donates to a pro-gun rights group like the NRA and also donates to a candidate the group has supported at some point, CRP decides that the donation made to the candidate is motivated by gun rights. Even though the NRA didn’t support Toomey in 2016, CRP classified some individual contributions as gun rights money because the NRA has given to Toomey in the past.
Now to the clip…
...and I don't believe I need to offer an explanation for this tune - here it is.
Update 1 8/4/19:
The House passed two gun safety bills months ago, but you continue to block them.
Since you tweeted your prayers, another American community, Dayton, has been shattered by gun violence.
Americans are dying, and you’re blocking us from helping them.
And that assclown Kevin McCarthy blamed video games of course (here). Because, as we know, video games are all over the place in Japan and they have the exact same problem we do (smh).
Update 4 8/4/19: Hard to correctly communicate what I think of the utter cowardice behind this statement…
We took the lead in winning World War II and we put men on the moon. Yeah, if we summon the courage and political will, we can definitely fix this (and something in that spirit is here).
Update 5 8/4/19: And speaking of cowardice (here and here...and yes, Cornyn actually DID compare gun violence to homelessness)...if this isn’t a reason for Beto O’Rourke to suspend his presidential campaign and run against Cornyn instead for the U.S. Senate, I don’t know what is.
Update 8/6/19: Gee, "No Corporate Tax" Pat, I would consider "remaining alive and unharmed" to be "popular" too (here).
I definitely agree with Chris Hayes – this is truly a fine report by Trymaine Lee about what has happened to coal mining in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming (and yeah, Generalissimo Trump is lying again, Part The Infinity as Charlie Pierce might say)…
…and one thread in common with the prior clip and this one is the role of venture capitalism; Sam Seder and David Dayen talk at the recent Netroots Nation conference about the closing of Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia (and the role of Paladin Healthcare in this travesty – definitely an unfortunate aspect of “gentrification”…when I read about the real estate exemption of deductibility for tax purposes, I wanted to throw my keyboard right out the window – and by the way, after watching this clip, all I can say is, if you underestimate the Bernie Sanders campaign, you do so at your peril…sorry I’m a little late on this story…more here)…
…and Jefferson Smith sits in here for Thom Hartmann and reminds us of FDR’s popularity with younger Dem voters and how that translated into generational change, you might say – definitely a formula we need to repeat…
…and speaking of younger voters, Kyle drags Art Laffer in exactly the manner that he deserves (well, Laffer – aptly named IMHO – was right at the very end anyway about him being fat and old…NSFW)…
…and David Pakman tells us that the Gropenfuhrer is making noises like he’s actually turning on Fox; I’ll bet money – not much on my budget – that Mango Mussolini, in an effort to monetize EVERY BLOODY THING ABOUT THIS RUINOUS REGIME, will indeed find a way to put together an Official All-Trump Network…
…and I guess it really isn’t that surprising to find out the The Sainted Ronnie Reagan truly was a racist, given what his political party has turned into (as well as this of course), as Farron Cousins tells us…
…and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 8/3/10; remember when Repugs used to run ads like this (referencing the LBJ “Daisy” ad of course – Bill Cooper lost and ended up supporting Bill Huizenga, who eventually won, even though Huizenga is a mess, as noted here…what I would call some fitting current-day context is here)…
…and usually by now we’ve managed to escape to our blue-state paradise for a week or so, but our plans will be a little different this year; here’s a seasonal tune I feel like hearing to conjure up some happy memories (sigh).
Gosh, it looks like #MitchMcTreason won’t do anything to help ensure the integrity of our elections – can’t say that I’m one bit surprised…
…and when Farron Cousins says this stuff, yeah, that’s one thing, but when Joe Scarborough says the same thing with more emphasis – well (and I watched some clips of Majority Leader McTurtle in supposedly high dudgeon over this, blaming “the left” as usual of course, but I didn’t think what he said was noteworthy enough to include here – and by the way, to do something about this U.S. senatorial mistake, click here)…
Update 8/5/19: You're a real sick son of a bitch, #MassMurderMitch (here),
…and I’m not sure how I missed this (I’m playing catch-up here a bit, I realize)…I know there are lefties out there who genuinely despise Bernie Sanders, and I have to admit that I’m not totally sure why (I know he’s a lightning rod for good and maybe bad), but he has been in the forefront of economic populist issues for a while now, and with the possible notable section of Elizabeth Warren, I don’t know anyone else who can make that claim, as Kyle K. reminds us (NSFW…and apparently Bernie was yelling at the debate last night and that put some people off – sounds like it’s time to fetch the fainting couch)…
…and with all of the yammering by Mango Mussolini about the city of Baltimore, I thought this was a particularly ironic response by Cenk and Ana…
…and yeah, I realize these are more lies from the Gropenfuhrer, this time about 9/11, in light of the health care bill for first responders that was FINALLY passed and signed into law (Ari Melber and Barbara Res tell us)…
…and last Monday marked the 45th anniversary of the death of “Mama” Cass Elliot; I think this is a fitting tune for the occasion (and this clip is actually 50 years old - smh).
