Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Better Understanding Cultural Marxism and Post Modernism...

Right wing conservatives have been pushing Cultural Marxism and Post Modernism as twin evils unleashed on western civilization by the left in its alleged desire to destroy western civilization. Following we present brief "teasers" followed with links to the full articles both.

'Cultural Marxism,' a conspiracy theory with an anti-Semitic twist, is being pushed by much of the American right.

Television commentator Pat Buchanan says it is being used to "de-Christianize" America. Washington heavyweight William Lind claims it is turning U.S. college campuses into "ivy-covered North Koreas." Retired naval commander Gerald Atkinson fears it has invaded the nation's military academies. Immigration activist John Vinson suggests it aims "to distort and destroy" our country.

"Cultural Marxism," described as a conspiratorial attempt to wreck American culture and morality, is the newest intellectual bugaboo on the radical right. Surprisingly, there are signs that this bizarre theory is catching on in the mainstream.

The phrase refers to a kind of "political correctness" on steroids — a covert assault on the American way of life that allegedly has been developed by the left over the course of the last 70 years. Those who are pushing the "cultural Marxism" scenario aren't merely poking fun at the PC excesses of the "People's Republic of Berkeley," or the couple of American cities whose leaders renamed manholes "person-holes" in a bid to root out sexist thought.

Right-wing ideologues, racists and other extremists have jazzed up political correctness and repackaged it — in its most virulent form, as an anti-Semitic theory that identifies Jews in general and several Jewish intellectuals in particular as nefarious, communistic destroyers. These supposed originators of "cultural Marxism" are seen as conspiratorial plotters intent on making Americans feel guilty and thus subverting their Christian culture.

In a nutshell, the theory posits that a tiny group of Jewish philosophers who fled Germany in the 1930s and set up shop at Columbia University in New York City devised an unorthodox form of "Marxism" that took aim at American society's culture, rather than its economic system.

The theory holds that these self-interested Jews — the so-called "Frankfurt School" of philosophers — planned to try to convince mainstream Americans that white ethnic pride is bad, that sexual liberation is good, and that supposedly traditional American values — Christianity, "family values," and so on — are reactionary and bigoted. With their core values thus subverted, the theory goes, Americans would be quick to sign on to the ideas of the far left.

The very term, "cultural Marxism," is clearly intended to conjure up xenophobic anxieties. But can a theory like this, built on the words of long-dead intellectuals who have little discernible relevance to normal Americans' lives, really fly? As bizarre as it might sound, there is some evidence that it may. Certainly, those who are pushing the theory seem to believe that it is an important one.

"Political correctness looms over American society like a colossus," William Lind, a principal of far-right political strategist Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation and a key popularizer of the idea of cultural Marxism, warned in a 1998 speech. "It has taken over both political parties and is enforced by many laws and government regulations. It almost totally controls the most powerful element in our culture, the entertainment industry. It dominates both public and higher education. ... It has even captured the clergy in many Christian churches."

From PC to Cultural Marxism

The idea of political correctness — the predecessor of the more highly charged concept of cultural Marxism — was popularized by the mass media in the early 1990s, highlighted by a 1991 speech by the first President Bush in which he warned that "free speech [is] under assault throughout the United States." By the end of 1992, feature stories on the phenomenon had appeared in Newsweek, New York magazine, The New Republic, Atlantic Monthly and the New York Review of Books.

The Wall Street Journal, whose editorial writers had recklessly pilloried a University of Pennsylvania academic as the personification of political correctness, said it posed a "far worse ... threat to intellectual freedom" than McCarthyism. In the pages of The Washington Times (see 'Defending Dixie'), Heritage Foundation scholar Laurence Jarvik wrote angrily that "storm troopers" were attacking "Western culture."

Of course, the phrase was basically a politically charged construct that was used to mock the left and even liberals. Challenges to gender bias, efforts to diversify the nation's universities, and similar policies were dismissed as attempts to turn the universities into "gulags" under the thumbs of left-wing thought police. The term was used to attack ideas while avoiding any discussion of their merits {Emphasis mine}.

Although he didn't use the words "cultural Marxism," white nationalist Pat Buchanan (see description of The American Cause), helped frame the debate as a "culture war" in his inflammatory speech in support of the first President Bush's nomination for reelection at the 1992 GOP convention in Houston.
"There is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America," Buchanan said in his nationally televised address. "It is a cultural war, as critical to the nation we will one day be as was the Cold War itself."

But it may be William Lind, who has long worked at the Free Congress Foundation that his ally Paul Weyrich founded, who has done the most to define the enemies who make up the so-called "cultural Marxists." Ultimately, this enemy has come to embody a whole host of Lind's bĂȘte noires — feminists, LGBT people, secular humanists, multiculturalists, sex educators, environmentalists, immigrants, black nationalists, the ACLU and the hated Frankfurt School philosophers.

Continue reading HERE.


Postmodernism Critique

Where Postmodernism Came From

When performing a postmodernism critique, it is helpful to understand where postmodernism came from. Postmodernism comes in all kinds of shapes and expressions. This sort of variety can make it difficult to understand. Further, postmodernism resists categories and distinctions, and this makes it more difficult to nail down as a worldview. There is a larger intellectual history that must be understood in order to grasp the uniqueness and significance of postmodernism as a worldview.

Ideas Have Histories

While dividing history into distinct time periods is not an exact science, there are two major historical transitions that can help us clarify the emergence of postmodernism: (1) the transition towards modernism, typically dated around the 1700s, and (2) the transition away from modernism, which began in the late 20th century.

The transition from what is often called the pre-modern period into the modern period corresponds with the influence of Enlightenment thinking and the scientific revolution. Prior to the Enlightenment, there was a dominant cultural belief in the existence of the supernatural. This was due in large part to the rise of Christianity, and specifically the Roman Catholic Church as the most powerful cultural presence in medieval times. This was a world of authority, and authority rested in the hands of traditional institutions, especially the church, since it was entrusted with interpreting and communicating this truth to the common person.

With a belief in God came a strong belief in the concept of revelation, that God not only existed but had revealed Himself and His will in the Bible. This revelation was considered the primary source of truth, and could be trusted to unlock God’s metanarrative (or “Big Story”) for the world. Believing was the starting point of real knowledge.

St. Anselm typifies a pre-modern perspective on truth: “For I seek not to understand in order that I may believe; but I believe in order that I may understand, for I believe for this reason: that unless I believe, I cannot understand.” This view of revelation and authority did not fare well during the Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment was a movement among European intellectuals in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the decades leading up to this time, the church’s authority had been successfully challenged politically (reactions against corruption), theologically (Luther, Calvin and the Protestant Reformation), philosophically (downfall of scholasticism), and scientifically (Galileo, Copernicus, and Baconian method). There was a growing disillusionment with the traditional educational, political and religious institutions, as well as their authoritative sources.

During the Enlightenment, authority shifted from traditional institutions to human reason. A scientific approach to the world yielded tremendous advances in medicine, technology, and communications and challenged the centrality of theology and religious belief as the paradigm for learning. Free from the restrictive shackles of traditional beliefs (thus, modernism), progress seemed inevitable. Immanuel Kant described this period of time in this way: “Sapere aude! ‘Have the courage to make use of your own mind!’ is thus the slogan of the Enlightenment.”

The modern period had begun. The growing skepticism in regards to anything supernatural was matched by growing faith in human ability to know the world, control it, and reap the inevitable benefits. The “Big Story” of the world was not given by revelation; rather, it was to be discovered and perhaps even determined by science, reason and technology. This major transition was at the heart of the modern period.

However, from our 21st-century perspective, it is clear that the predictions of utopia guaranteed in the modern period never materialized. Instead, modernists became disillusioned as military increase brought world wars, failed development policies led to class oppression and colonialism, economic idealism resulted in communism and the Cold War, and our best science created nuclear weapons and the threat of global devastation.

Postmodern writers, beginning with Nietzsche, began to question the integrity of modernism’s metanarrative of progress. In fact, the main casualty of a postmodern perspective is the very idea of a metanarrative. Postmoderns are skeptical of any and all claims to an authoritative comprehensive worldview, absolute truth about reality, and an overarching purpose to the human story. Postmoderns embrace local narratives, not metanarratives; a multitude of stories, not a “Big Story.”

In short, it could be said that religious metanarratives were dismissed by modernism. Man-made ones are dismissed by postmodernism. This is what Myron Penner and others have referred to as “the postmodern turn”: postmodernism is a turn away from the certainty and optimism of modernism. As Jean Francios Lyotard wrote: “Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.”

Continue reading HERE.

If you've made it this far you are obviously interested in the subject content herein. In which case you might want to hear the views of Jordan Peterson found HERE

If you have stuck it out this far please take a moment or few and share with us your perspective(s) on the subjects of Cultural Marxism and Post Modernism.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Transgender Female High School Athlete Wins Girls’ State Wrestling Title for Second Time...

I do not know for a fact the following is true. However, since it is published in the New York Post I shall assume that it is.

I get the transgender thing, which is, denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity does not correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth.

What I don't get is THIS:


CYPRESS, Texas — For the second year in a row, a transgender wrestler has won the Texas girls’ Class 6A 110-pound division.

Mack Beggs, an 18-year-old senior from Euless Trinity High School near Dallas, entered the tournament in Cypress outside of Houston with an undefeated record. He beat Chelsea Sanchez — who he beat for the title in 2017 — in the final match Saturday.

Video posted online showed a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd following Beggs’ win.

Beggs is in the process of transitioning from female to male and taking a low-dose of testosterone.

It was his steroid therapy treatments while wrestling girls that stirred a fierce debate about competitive fairness and transgender rights last season. It’s been a lot quieter since last year when his march to a state championship was dogged by a last-minute lawsuit that tried to stop him.

Beggs had asked to wrestle in the boys’ division, but the rules for Texas public high schools require athletes to compete under the gender on their birth certificate.

Beggs entered the state tournament with a 32-0 record, beating three female wrestlers on his way to the championship.

Beggs is right, the state of Texas wrong. Here is why.

Generally, the muscles of men and women are the same and will perform and respond in a similar manner. However, men can develop more muscle mass than women. The activities of both sexes differ which is why muscle group development will change depending on your current exercise program and lifestyle.

According to a 2004 study published in American Physiology Society, the skeletal muscles of men are faster and render higher maximum output compared to women’s skeletal muscles. However, women have the advantage of recovering faster and being more fatigue-resistant. Estrogen-B seems to have an effect in muscle contractile speed, making men more efficient in producing power and women more efficient in healing. Men also release testosterone which is very important in muscle-building. It sufficiently explains why men develop bigger muscles than women.

The muscle tissues of men and women are the same, but fibers among individuals can differ depending on genetics and their regular activities. There are three main types of muscle fibers namely Type I fibers, Type IIa fibers and Type IIb fibers. These are also called slow twitch fibers and fast twitch fibers according to an article published in FASEB Journal. Slow twitch fibers are important for endurance and conditioning while fast twitch fibers are important for power. Men usually have more fast twitch muscle fibers compared to women which is why men are stronger and women are more fatigue-resistant.

SOURCE

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Simply put Beggs, through artificial means is transitioning from a female to the physiological state more resembling that of a male. Because of this transition Beggs has a distinct advantage over the other females in the weight class she/he is competing in.

Beggs understands this. Texas is foolishly forcing Beggs to compete in the female division which results in females competing against Beggs being unfairly disadvantaged as it stacks the deck against them.

If Beggs were to compete in the male division in his weight class he may very well not win championships, having not yet completed the full transition to a male's muscular physiology. This however is a fair situation as Beggs is the one who made the decision to transition to a physiological state more in line with male muscular physiology and development.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

It Is Time To Create A New Playbook To Control Firearms and Eliminate School Massacres......

Lets take a look at President Trump's White House listening session hosted Wednesday with students and families affected by the Parkland school shooting.



Trump voiced support for the idea during an emotional White House meeting with students who survived the shooting and a parent whose child did not.

“If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, it could very well end the attack very quickly,” said Trump, who acknowledged the idea would be controversial.

How about installing metal detectors at authorized entrances at schools and placing two trained individuals with concealed weapons at entry points Mr. President. This could be expanded to all after school activities and events as well.

“If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, it could very well end the attack very quickly,” said Trump, who acknowledged the idea would be controversial.

Or, you could detect and confiscate before gunfire breaks out. Be creative. It's worth a try.

“I don’t understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an AR,” said Sam Zeif, 18, sobbing after he described texting his family members during the Florida shooting.

Neither do we Sam. But we're pretty sure it has something to with the NRA, the firearms lobby, and a gutless republican congress. They stand on the 2'nd Amendment while kids are killed in their place of learning. BTW, until today Trump has essentially supported the insanity.
Taking a look at the President's listening session with students and families affected by the Parkland school shooting, as well as a few additional suggestions.


”We’re going to be very strong on background checks, we’re doing very strong background checks, very strong emphasis on the
mental health,” Trump said.

“It’s not going to be talk like it has been in the past,” Trump said.


Here is what he told the NRA.


“I am here to deliver you good news: the eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.

The NRA spent more than $30 million to help Trump get elected.

With all due respect Mr. President perhaps the following might help.

A) With input from the governors develop and implement a uniform national regulatory standard for firearm control.

B) improve federal and state background checks, including mental illness.

C) Require psychological testing to determine if applicant is stable enough to own and use a firearm.

D) Require both intensive classroom and field training in safety and proper use of firearms.

E) Require booth written and practical exams to be passed with a 90% or better score to receive license.

F) Following completion of requirements and approval for licensing require a 30 day waiting period before purchase of a firearm.

G) Require relicensing every three years.

H) Make illegal to purchase or own the following... bump stocks, high capacity drums and magazines, semi automatic assault style weapons, and consider capping the amount of ammo a person can purchase yearly for each firearm.

Just a few ideas. Some we know are controversial. Given our present national disgrace isn't it time to start thinking beyond the paraneters we've been told for years we must accept as "normal"?

Via: Memeorandum









The Bob, Weave, and Dodge "President"...

Trump is the master of buls*it. He works for maximun distraction from the truth and is an accomplised and successful manipulatior. In short a man lacking integrity and not to be trusted.

Every statement from his mouth, every action he takes, every consideration, no matter how small and insignificant, is guided by his narcissism as he make everthing about himself and his self perceived greatness.

He will face his day of reckoning. We hope it comes sooner rather than later. For the sake of our beloved nation.

From Raw Story:

resident Donald Trump on Wednesday once again attacked his own attorney general and asked why he isn’t investigating former President Barack Obama for alleged Russian election meddling.

Writing on Twitter, Trump told his followers to ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions — whose name the president misspelled as “Jeff Session” — why Democrats weren’t being investigated for “crimes” related to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

“Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation?” the president asked. “Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Session (sic)!”


This is not the first time that Trump has publicly called out Sessions for not doing his bidding.

Over last summer, for example, Trump called Sessions “beleaguered” and “weak” because he was not sufficiently investigating former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.

Trump has also raged against Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election after it was revealed that Sessions falsely told the Senate during his confirmation hearing that he had never met with any Russian government officials during the campaign.

Make no mistake. This is simply part of the ongoing effort by Trump to distract attention from his own administration's alleged collusion with the Russia to influence the 2016 presidenntial election outcome. Trump continues to act like a very guilty person.

Monday, February 19, 2018

America Under Attack By Russia, and, Indirectly by the American President...

America is, without a doubt, witnessing the most corrosive and destabilizing political environment since the War Between the States. Its magnitude is frightening, the potential for our nation completely fracturing is real. Extremes in the rightwing as well as extremes in the leftwing are the forces and drivers behind our present inability to unify as the diverse nation that we are and always have been.

From the Mueller investigation to mass shootings and immigration we are facing difficult issues. At a time the nation is in great need of leadership capable of providing moral guidance, strength with empathy, and standing up to a very real threat and present danger from a hostile foreign government, we are saddled with a narcissistic president who has displayed none of the aforementioned qualities and strengths.

For the purpose of this post we focus on the Russian threat to our democracy and its democratic principles. by turning to a most excellent analysis by 

As the rest of America mourns the victims of the Parkland, Florida, massacre, President Trump took to Twitter.

Not for him the rituals of grief. He is too consumed by rage and resentment. He interrupted his holidaying schedule at Mar-a-Lago only briefly, for a visit to a hospital where some of the shooting victims were treated. He posed afterward for a grinning thumbs-up photo op. Pain at another’s heartbreak—that emotion is for losers, apparently.

Having failed at one presidential duty, to speak for the nation at times of national tragedy, Trump resumed shirking an even more supreme task: defending the nation against foreign attack.

Last week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian persons and three entities that conspired to violate federal election law, to the benefit of Trump and Republican congressional candidates. This is not the whole of the story by any means. This Mueller indictment references only Russian operations on Facebook. It does not deal with the weaponization of hacked information via WikiLeaks. Or the reports that the Russians funneled millions of dollars of election spending through the NRA’s political action committees. But this indictment does show enough to answer some questions about the scale and methods of the Russian intervention—and pose a new question, the most important of them all.

The new question is this: What has been—what will be—done to protect American democracy from such attacks in the future? The Russian attack in 2016 worked, yielding dividends beyond Vladimir Putin’s wildest hopes. The Russians hoped to cast a shadow over the Clinton presidency. Instead, they outright elected their preferred candidate. Americans once thought it was a big deal that Alger Hiss rose to serve as acting temporary secretary general of the United Nations. This time, a Russian-backed individual was installed in the Oval Office.

From that position of power, Trump has systematically attempted to shut down investigations of the foreign-espionage operation that operated on his behalf. He fired the director of the FBI to shut it down. His White House coordinated with the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to misdirect the investigation. He mobilized the speaker of the House to thwart bipartisan investigations under broadly respected leadership. He has inspired, supported, and joined a national propaganda campaign against the Mueller investigation.

And all the while, Trump has done nothing—literally nothing—to harden the nation’s voting systems against follow-on Russian operations. On Sunday, he publicly repudiated his own national-security adviser for acknowledging at the Munich Security Conference the most incontrovertible basics of what happened in 2016.

It’s worth thinking about what a patriotic president would have done in Trump’s situation. He would be leading the investigation himself. He would be scouring his own campaign—doing everything in his power to reassure the country that whatever the Russians may or may not have done, his government owed Putin nothing. He would have imposed penalties on Russia for their outrageous acts—rather than protecting Russia from penalties voted by Congress. Above all, he would be leading the demand for changes to election laws and practices, including holding Facebook to account for its negligence.

At every turn, Trump has failed to do what a patriotic president would do—failed to put the national interest first. He has left the 2018 elections as vulnerable as the 2016 elections to Russian intervention on his behalf.

The president’s malignant narcissism surely explains much of this passivity. He cannot endure the thought that he owes the presidency to anything other than his own magnificence. “But wasn’t I a great candidate?” he tweeted plaintively at 7:43 a.m on Sunday morning.

America is at risk from a foreign government and we have a president (so called anyway) that lacks the intelligence, wisdom, patriotism, character, and true inner strength to do a goddamn thing about it. Makes one very uneasy an uncertain for the future of our democratic republic. The republic men much greater, braver, and more patriotic than our DOTARD president have died defending and protecting.

Continue reading David Frum's article BELOW THE FOLD.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Just Because Post #2...

Assume a world wide shadow government Assume a rich America loving candidate who was never going to use their money or join their Bohemian Grove. He knew all the globalists, and paid them to play. One day, after some soul searching, he was "woke" to see the Spiritual as well as Cultural war. He sees his America leaderless, with whorish compromised Bohemian choices on both sides.

America is lost, bankrupt, decimated militarily, in a race war, and divided. America has to fall. Assume Paula White or Franklin Graham opens his eyes to why Pelosi led the vetting of an unqualified racist pervert with sealed ID papers to usurp the seat of power. And didn´t this smooth operator destablize the Middle East and Europe in no time?


Assume they said: "God has revealed you are the only one to beat back this truly demonic, last of the Age of Grace, parliament of whores. And Trump, age 72, rich and streetwise, teetotaler and drug free [doesn´t even get that sorcery], a "middle of the road Presbyterian} with a Catholic wife -- in the time of Francis the Lightbringer and Obama the Lightbringer -- is taking on a challenge never faced by any President.

Much harder. Requires prayer with fasting, and a new and discerning set of counselors for this time of delusion and offense just before the II Thessalonians 2 "departure."

Freethinke 3/17/18

With Robert Mueller's indictment of 13 Russians for tampering with the 2016 election, putting to bed the Trump claim it was all a hoax hatched by democrats because HRC lost the election, the right will turn to more of its delusional musings.

What is funny in the above musing is the preposterous assumption that at 70 something Trump, and it is clearly Trump FreeThinke is referring to, awoke to the great flaws in his character and the errors of his past ways, Of course he was helped by spiritual leaders that share the rights view of America and the world.

Of course the miraculous transformation occurring in FreeThinke musings leave Trump with heroic stamina and powers to overcome the delusions  and perceived offences of the prior president and his administration.

All of this mused by FreeThinke is of course the workings of the Christian God who everyone knows has a special affinity for America. Especially those Americans who trace their ancestry to western Europe and Scandinavia.

It is as though none of Trump's misogyny, xenophobia, promiscuity, adultery, and lying matters. perhaps it is because God works in strange ways.  Besides, who are we to question the musing of FreeThinke who likely has a very special connection to his God.

Evangelicals, along with the rest of the 30%'ers,  have peculiar take on morality and righteousness. But, like I said above, who are we to question. Right?

Moving on . The claim that the indictments clear Trump and his administration of collusions is, of course, not settled fact. Given the earlier indictments of Manafort and Gates, and the fact Papadopoulos lied to the FBI and is cooperating, it is more probable that stage three of the investigations will produce additional indictments. It is reasonable to believe there exists a likelihood they will reach to top levels within Trump's administration.

Perhaps God will intervene and the team investigating the Russian interference, as well as possible Trump administrations collusion, will see the great man FreeThinke dreams that Trump is.

More FreeThinke musings and "wisdom" can be found HERE.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

And The Carnage Continues...

The Left LOVES machineguns –– in the hands of terrorists, dissidents, pirates, thieves, and marauders of all kinds –– ANYONE who UPENDS GOOD ORDER and DESTABILIZES the STATUS QUO –– , but absolutely CAN'T STAND the idea that any decent, law-abiding Americn Citizen should have guns in his home to PROTECT HIMSELF and HIS FAMILY from ATTACK by those very fiends whom the Left so ADORES.


Yesterday another mass shooting occurred at a Broward County Florida High School. 17 studends lay dead, senselessly cut down before they had an opportunity to fulfill their promise, start a family, enjoy life, and grow old. America, alledgedly the greatest nation on earth also has approximately 350 million guns in circulation. Not surprising, the death rate due to firearms in the U.S. is nearly double the global average.

In the aftermath of each and every terrible gun related tragedy the nation grieves, politicians offer their heartfelt condolences, then politicians debate the cause and what to do. America's NRA continues to influence politicians with donations and advocate for more guns while shouting Second Amendment Rights, media reports the data, and the politicization continues. Soon thereafter the tragedy if forgotten, things return to "normal', until... the violence erupts again and we repeat the cycle.

One would think a responsible, civil, caring society could, if not completely solve its problem with firerm violence at least identify and implement ways to reduce the severity. It takes the heart and the will to force change. I chose to believe the majority of American do. Perhaps were it not for folks like the "gentleman" qouted above, the criminal NRA, and the politicians beholding to the NRA and the firearms industry we could get it done.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Snippets From, and Links To, Some of Today's Most Interesting News...

A gunman opened fire at a Southern Florida high school today, leaving "numerous" people dead and sending students running for their lives, Broward County Public Schools superintendent Robert Runcie told a local ABC affiliate.

At least 14 victims are being taken to hospitals from the incident at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the Broward Sheriff's Office said, though their conditions were not immediately clear.

The suspect is in custody but the scene is still active as SWAT teams clear the school, the sheriff's office said. The suspect is not a current student; he had attended the school but it is not clear when he left, the sheriff's office said.

Florida high school shooting leaves 'numerous fatalities,' superintendent says; suspect in custody


John Kasich’s brand is built around the idea of “two paths” for the Republican Party: one for center-right pragmatists like him, the other for flamethrowers like Donald Trump.

But as the Ohio governor considers a rematch with Trump in 2020, he is weighing two more-tactical paths. Does he challenge Trump, the sitting president, in primaries where Kasich won’t find much institutional GOP support? Or does he leave the party, go down a route littered with ballot-access hurdles and fundraising challenges, and run as an independent?

Sources close to Kasich’s political team have told BuzzFeed News in recent weeks that both options are in play. Deliberate or not, Kasich’s moves as the 2018 midterms approach reflect that. In Massachusetts, his still-active Kasich for America committee and Doug Preisse, one of his longtime advisers, have donated to Rick Green, who is seeking an open House seat as a Republican. In California, Kasich has encouraged Steve Poizner, who this week launched a campaign for state insurance commissioner as an independent.

John Kasich’s Recent Moves Reflect His 2020 Options: Primarying Trump Or Fleeing The GOP


Just after six a.m. on January 21, 2017, at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, Reince Priebus was watching the cable morning news shows, getting ready to leave for the White House. Suddenly his cell phone went off. It was Donald Trump. The new president, sworn in less than 24 hours earlier, had just seen The Washington Post, with photos showing Trump’s inaugural crowd dwarfed by that of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The president was livid, screaming at his chief of staff. “He said, ‘This story is bullshit,’ ” recalled Priebus. “He said, ‘There’s more people there. There are people who couldn’t get in the gates. . . . There’s all kind of things that were going on that made it impossible for these people to get there.’ . . . The president said, ‘Call [Interior Secretary] Ryan Zinke. Find out from the Park Service. Tell him to get a picture and do some research right away.’ ” The president wanted his chief of staff to fix this story. Immediately.

Priebus tried to talk Trump off the ledge. “It doesn’t matter,” Priebus argued. “It’s Washington, D.C. We’re in an 85 percent Democrat area. Northern Virginia’s 60 percent. Maryland’s 65 percent. . . . This is a Democrat haven, and nobody cares.” But Trump was having none of it. Priebus thought, “Is this something that I really want to go to battle over on day one? Who needs a controversy over the inauguration?” Priebus realized he faced a decision: “Am I going to go to war over this with the president of the United States?

Hours later, Press Secretary Sean Spicer stepped into the White House briefing room. “What happened,” Priebus remembered, “was Spicer decided to say that actually, if you combine online and television, radio, and in-person, it was the most watched inauguration.” The trouble with that reasoning was that Spicer’s response—a belligerent, Orwellian performance beamed around the world—was a lie. From the very start, the credibility of the Trump presidency became a laughingstock, immortalized by actress Melissa McCarthy in her devastating parody of Spicer on Saturday Night Live.


“Who Needs a Controversy Over the Inauguration?”: Reince Priebus Opens Up About His Six Months of Magical Thinking


NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy Daniels, the porn star whom Donald Trump’s attorney acknowledges paying $130,000 just before Election Day, believes she is now free to discuss an alleged sexual encounter with the man who is now president, her manager told The Associated Press Wednesday.

At the same time, developments in the bizarre case are fueling questions about whether such a payment could violate federal campaign finance laws.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, believes that Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, invalidated a non-disclosure agreement after two news stories were published Tuesday: one in which Cohen told The New York Times he made the six-figure payment with his personal funds, and another in the Daily Beast, which reported that Cohen was shopping a book proposal that would touch on Daniels’ story, said the manager, Gina Rodriguez.

“Everything is off now, and Stormy is going to tell her story,” Rodriguez said.

Porn star who alleged Trump affair: I can now tell my story


President Donald Trump signaled support for a 25-cent gas tax increase to help pay for infrastructure at a meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, a source in the room told POLITICO.

Trump's support, though not confirmed by the White House, represents a stark departure from recent administrations and congressional leaders that have tip-toed around the issue because raising the gas tax is considered politically dangerous.

It's also a surprising turn from Trump, considering that most believed the best chance to hike the gas tax with the least amount of political pain was as part of the tax overhaul, H.R. 1 (115), whose ship has now sailed — and also because the splashy infrastructure plan the administration rolled out two days ago contained no mention of such a thing.

Trump told members he would lead on promoting a 25-cent hike to the federal levy, the source said. A second source familiar with the meeting said Trump backed the concept.

If Trump follows through on that promise, it could mean billions of dollars in new revenue for infrastructure and help solve a problem that has bedeviled policymakers for at least a decade: The gas tax, which pays for most federal surface transportation spending, has not been keeping pace with needs. But policymakers have not had the political will to raise the gas tax or find another source of revenues, leaving an increasing number of states to raise their own gas taxes to compensate.

Source: Trump endorsed 25-cent gas tax hike in White House confab


Feel free to comment on any, or all of the five articles linked. Comments not related to any of the articles will be removed upon detection.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Stand Up For America...

The Just Because Post

This is a Just Because post. If you're wondering what a Just Because post is we're about to tell ya.

A Just Because post is one that is used to highlight the unfortunate and sad fact that there are a multitude intellectually dishonest people on the right. Mostly they are tRumpers. You know who they are. The folks that accept every one of the over 2,000 falsehoods tRump has uttered since soiling the Office of the Presidency.

They be the same folks claiming to be devout upright Christians. You know them as well. Folks who have no problem with tRump's pussy grabbing proclivities, or that he was thrice married and cheated on each one of his wives (we assume multiple times), the guy who bragged that his Vietnam was fighting off STD's as he led his promiscuous lifestyle in the 80's and early 90's.

Did we mention that the president they admire has had 16 women allege sexual misconduct (sexual predation) against him? That he strongly supported a man accused of sexual misconduct who was seeking to win election to a United States Senate seat from Alabama? Then there is prior Communications Secretary who recently resigned in the midst allegations of spousal abuse, both emotional and physical.

There is more but we're sure you get the picture.

Now mind you, there has been some of the same type of characters populating the left from time to time as well. But these days the number is one hell of a lot less and certainly not nearly as egregiously bad.

And now, the object of  the  Just Because Post reproduced here to expose the multitude character flaws of those of the tRump right.






Rational Nation USA February 12, 2018 at 10:48 AM

WOW Lisa, so very intellectually dishonest. Since you and the rest of the tRump groupies failed to "vet" tRump.

Reply Delete


FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:04 PM

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A
PROBLEM LIKE OBAMA?

He climbs a tree and scrapes his knee,
But tailoring hides the tear.
He showboats on his way to church,
But turns deaf when he’s there.
And just beneath his bright white smile
His spirit’s filled with bile.
I know he plans to leave us in the lurch.
He's rarely in his chapel,
But his piety is real
He's never heard a thing
His pastor said with hate-filled zeal
I do not like to say it
But I very firmly feel,
Obama’s not a credit to our country.

I cannot say a word on his behalf.
All Obama makes me feel is consternation
With his puppy-friendly mask for castigation,
And he never ever makes me want to laugh.

How do you solve a problem like Obama?
How do you catch a lie and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Obama,
A richly bombastic, demagogic clown?

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell him;
Many a thing he ought to understand.
But how do you make him stay,
While you teach him how to pray?
How do you keep secretions in a gland?

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Obama?
How do you hold hot air inside your hand?

When I see him I'm perplexed
Dyspeptic, tense and vexed
And I never know exactly where I am
He’s inscrutable as fog
Yet he keeps us all agog
Is he a darling, or a demon, or a sham?

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Obama?
How do you hold hot air inside your hand?
He can drown out any sage;
Folks think he’s all the rage,
For he’s thrown a cloud of sand
Into their eyes.

Is he gentle? Is he wild?
Enigmatic? Just a child?
A headache? An angel?
Or the Devil in disguise?

How do you solve a problem like Obama?
How do you catch a lie and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Obama,
A richly bombastic, demagogic clown?

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell him
Many a thing he ought to understand,
But how do you make him stay,
While you teach him how to pray?
How do you keep secretions in a gland?

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Obama?
How do you hold hot air inside your hand?



~ FreeThinke - copyright September 7. 2012


FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:08 PM

Theme Song for Michelle Obama

Sharia Mama, of Sub-Saharan hell
Tell your folks, Sharia,
I do not wish them well . . . (YIP! )

My old Sharia Mama wears a bamboo skirt
She dances barefoot an' her feet don't hurt
We think and pray Sharia on the moonlit sand
And when we kiss she hollers "Man, I love your gland!"

Sharia Mama, of Sub-Saharan hell
Tell your folks, Sharia,
I do not wish them well . . . (YIP! )

We come to Cuba for a holiday,
Sharia Mama said it took her breath away
Vacation's over and it's time to go,
But when I say “Let’s go,”
She holler "No, No, No!"

Sharia Mama, of Sub-Saharan hell
Tell your folks, Sharia,
I do not wish them well . . . (YIP! )

My little Kenyan queen I'll build a hut for you
The floors an' doors will be the best bamboo
And 'neath the Kenyan moon in the sky up high
In our pretty little palace we will LIE LIE LIE!

Sharia! Sharia! Sharia! Sharia!

Real soon we’ll have a great big family
To raise some little martyrs for Shari’ society
We'll give Sharia Papa an exploding cigar
'Cause he's a proud Sharia Jihad grand-pa-pa!

Sharia Mama, of Sub-Saharan hell
Tell your folks, Sharia,
I do not wish them well . . . (YIP! )

Sharia! Sharia! Sharia! Sharia!
YIP YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP!


~ FreeThinke

Apologies to Larry Coleman, Norman Gimbel, George Sandler and Perry Como!


Joe Conservative February 12, 2018 at 12:28 PM

The press didn't vet Trump? They vetted him with more negative coverage than any other person in history, only no one believed them. :)



FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:38 PM

Ca va sans dire, mon cher ami! Ca va sans dire!

Reply


mystere's moonbat slayer club February 12, 2018 at 11:02 AM
In 2008, Satan got permission to pass gas to the American people and spiritually carpetbagged his way into the White House through a bumbling liberal named Barack Hussein 0bama Jr. A small number of us who saw the charade of evil hunkered down and fought back. In 2010, We The People got a sign from Heaven when we won the House back. In 2012, We The People were told to wait patiently when we saw the evil puppet of Satan Barack Hussein 0bama JR. retain his stranglehold on us. Behind the scenes, a prophet named Mark Taylor had been given a vision of Donald Trump coming to the White House to start cracking God's Whip against a den of thieves who looted the USA's hard earned treasures. Taylor wondered at the time if he had seen a prophecy when Donald Trump chose not to run in 2012. In 2014, We The People saw another glimmer of hope when we saw Satan's stronghold fall in the Senate, another answer to prayer. In late 2015 to early 2016, the LORD God spoke again to prophet Mark Taylor, reminding him about the prophecy He gave him about Donald John Trump in late 2011-early 2012. The LORD God told Taylor that We The People were not yet ready in 2012 for Donald Trump, so He waited patiently for us to spiritually wake up. In 2016, the LORD God put it on His Chosen One Donald John Trump to seek the GOP nomination for President. At the same time, the LORD God made sure Trump had the wrath of a hungry lion ready to maul the evil spirits that Satan had set loose through the Devil's Night Club aka the DNC. Satan dredged out his most wicked power hungry political witch Crooked Hildebeest Clinton to spearhead the DNC. During the campaign season in 2016, the LORD God cracked his whip, turning over the tables of the Devil's Night Club, chasing Satan's minions out of the closets. On Election Night 2016, We The People sent a message to the Devil's Night Club, slamming the doors in their faces. We hired Donald John Trump to smash the Devil's Night Club money tables and to chase Satan's minions out. The Devil's Night Club is facing eviction notices from We The People. The DNC is closing its doors…

Reply


mystere's moonbat slayer club February 12, 2018 at 11:10 AM

By the way, GOP stood for God's Oppressed People from November 2008 to November 2016. It now stands for God's Overjoyed People now that the Devil's Night Club faces multiple evictions and is facing the wrecking ball.



FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:19 PM

REPOSTED and EMENDED for CLARITY and LEGIBILITY

In 2008, Satan got permission to pass gas to the American people and spiritually carpetbagged his way into the White House through a bumbling liberal named Barack Hussein 0bama Jr.

A small number of us who saw the charade of evil hunkered down and fought back. In 2010, We The People got a sign from Heaven when we won the House back.

In 2012, We The People were told to wait patiently when we saw the evil puppet of Satan Barack Hussein 0bama JR. retain his stranglehold on us.

Behind the scenes, a prophet named Mark Taylor had been given a vision of Donald Trump coming to the White House to start cracking God's Whip against a den of thieves who looted the USA's hard earned treasures.

Taylor wondered at the time if he had seen a prophecy when Donald Trump chose not to run in 2012. In 2014, We The People saw another glimmer of hope when we saw Satan's stronghold fall in the Senate, another answer to prayer.

In late 2015 to early 2016, the LORD God spoke again to prophet Mark Taylor, reminding him about the prophecy He gave him about Donald John Trump in late 2011-early 2012. The LORD God told Taylor that We The People were not yet ready in 2012 for Donald Trump, so He waited patiently for us to spiritually wake up.

In 2016, the LORD God put it on His Chosen One Donald John Trump to seek the GOP nomination for President. At the same time, the LORD God made sure Trump had the wrath of a hungry lion ready to maul the evil spirits that Satan had set loose through the Devil's Night Club aka the DNC.

Satan dredged out his most wicked power hungry political witch Crooked Hildebeest Clinton to spearhead the DNC.

During the campaign season in 2016, the LORD God cracked his whip, turning over the tables of the Devil's Night Club, chasing Satan's minions out of the closets.

On Election Night 2016, We The People sent a message to the Devil's Night Club, slamming the doors in their faces. We hired Donald John Trump to smash the Devil's Night Club money tables and to chase Satan's minions out.

The Devil's Night Club is facing eviction notices from We The People. The DNC is closing its doors.



Dervish Sanders February 12, 2018 at 12:50 PM

WOW! What a great comment. Thanks for sharing, Mystere. "Great" in how utterly absurd it is. To suggest that the misogynist racist EVIL Trump is a representative of God. As opposed to Satan.

BTW, you copied and pasted that from somewhere else, didn't you? I mean, a comment of this length is clearly beyond your limited mental capabilities. I mean no disrespect to people who are "special" such as yourself, btw.



FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 1:33 PM

_____________ TO WHIRLYBYRD _____________

Grating on our nerves with irksome baas
Offered in a bilious spirit vile
Fill with nasty thoughts some ancient Kas.
Use your time for something more worthwhile.
Could you for once relent, and quit your jeering?
Kindergarten kids show better manners.
Your comments sound too often like Bronx cheering.
Oh why must you into our works throw spanners --
Using oafish taunts and gibes and sneers?
Regale us please, instead, with something pleasant.
Surprise us after all these noisome jeers.
Entertain -- enlighten -- serve us pheasant --
Let your mind subject itself to scouring
Filth away that keeps you dark and glowering.

~ FreeThinke


Reply


Radical Redneck February 12, 2018 at 11:27 AM

I like this version much better!

Reply

Replies

FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:23 PM

So the JUNGLE hungrily reclaims one of its own, eh?

];^}>

Yeah! I like that fine.

Reply


Rational Nation USA February 12, 2018 at 11:34 AM

That shit is what folks believe when their brains have liquefied into diarrhea. Thanks so much for refreshing our memories.

Reply Delete

Replies



FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 1:38 PM

You've NEVER needed to take an ENEMA even ONCE in your miserable misspent life, have you.

Nothing but MOLTEN LIQUID FECAL MATTER has been pouring out of your assface like a volcanic eruption since the day you first drew breath.

Phew! PHEW!! PHEW!!! P-H-E-W-!!!! P__H__E__W


SKIP


FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 12:36 PM

I DID say this, however, the day the Obamas
finally departed the White House:

We All Should Wish Them Well

For all the quips and jibes and taunts
And brutal castigation
This First Family's image haunts,
And begs new valuation.

Both elegant and wholesome
This group radiates great charm
We should feel proud
they reached a goal some
Tell us did no harm.

Their image, lean and lissome,
Does great credit to their race.
To know them might be bliss. Some
Feel an urge to kiss each face.

The father’s been a failure
Many say with unchecked bile.
Rated as the Holy Grail your
Welfare class adored his style.

Conservatives despised him
And insisted he must fail,
While the the Left who idolized him,
Thinks the Right belongs in jail.

And so we’re now divided
Many saying we’re at war
With those we have derided
Thus forgetting what Life’s for.

Although his leftist stance
Has been essentially perverse
We should not want to dance
Upon his grave. That make things worse

By deepening the chasm
That now between us yawns
We kill enthusiasm
Thus darkening all our dawns.

So please try to remember
Barack with charity;
His legacy’s an ember
Now. Let’s pray Trump sets us free.


~ FreeThinke (1/18/17)


SKIP



Dervish Sanders February 12, 2018 at 1:05 PM
Just reading the title, I thought (at first) that this was a post about Rob Porter and David Sorensen.

Responding to a comment in the prior thread by Inspector AIPac... The "inspector" said, "that's why the Klan endorsed Hillary in 2016"... Sorry "inspector", but this is fake news. As per Snopes, "the man claiming to be a Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon made statements of questionable legitimacy and provided no evidence that he was anything but a media hoax". The Klan knows it is toxic. The Hillary "endorsement" was an attempt to negatively affect her campaign. In favor of their REAL chosen candidate, Donald Trump.

This is why "The Crusader, a newspaper affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, and that brands itself as the premier voice of the white resistance [printed the following...] While Trump wants to make America great again, we have to ask ourselves, What made America great in the first place? ... The short answer to that is simple. America was great not because of what our forefathers did — but because of who our forefathers were. America was founded as a White Christian Republic. And as a White Christian Republic it became great."

Reply

Replies



FreeThinke February 12, 2018 at 1:27 PM
"Even a broken clock tells the correct time twice a day."

Like it or not, this sentence just happens to be a simple MATTER of FACT, and nothing your twisted brand of bigotry has to offer can change it.

"While Trump wants to make America great again, we have to ask ourselves, What made America great in the first place? ... The short answer to that is simple. America was great not because of what our forefathers did — but because of who our forefathers were. America was founded as a White Christian Republic. And as a White Christian Republic it became great."


Now, Put that in Your Communist Crack Pipe and Smoke it, Bub!


There is more over at the Stench Trench for those with the stomach to venture there. If what passes as reason these days is represented by the sick individuals of the right that populate this and other white supremacist weblogs then I'd have to day let reason pass good people by.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Americans, By a Whopping Majority, BelIeve the FBI Is More Credible Than the president...

Just In from The Hill:

Two-thirds of Americans say they would side with the FBI in a disagreement with President Trump, according to a Marist poll released Friday.

Sixty-six percent of Americans surveyed said they would take the side of the FBI if a schism were to arise between the bureau and Trump, while only 24 percent said they would side with the president.

Seventy-one percent of respondents say they believe the FBI is trying to do its job and is not biased against the president, and 23 percent said they thought the bureau was biased against Trump.

SKIP

Trump and some Republicans have attacked the FBI and the Justice Department in recent months for their handling of the Moscow probe and the now-closed investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server.

The president has seized on on uncovered texts between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page to depict the agency as prejudiced against him.

Trump accused Strzok of "treason" in an interview last month with The Wall Street Journal, saying he plotted to undermine his candidacy during the 2016 presidential race.
Late last year, the president said the FBI's reputation "is in tatters — worst in history."

Obviously the vast majority of Americans recognize smoke and mirrors when they see it. tRump, America's biggest liar and deceiver is believed by a mere 24%. We are going to have to rename the trumpers as the 24%'ers. Down from the 30%'ers just a few weeks ago.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD

Friday, February 9, 2018

From FOX ... US Olympians: "Darker, Gayer, Different"

This dufus is obviously trying to curry favor with our xenophobic and bigoted president.

Fox News Executive Vice President John Moody making a fool of himself and his very pro Trump network.




Unless it’s changed overnight, the motto of the Olympics, since 1894, has been “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” It appears the U.S. Olympic Committee would like to change that to “Darker, Gayer, Different.” If your goal is to win medals, that won’t work.

A USOC official was quoted this week expressing pride (what else?) about taking the most diverse U.S. squad ever to the Winter Olympics. That was followed by a, frankly, embarrassing laundry list of how many African-Americans, Asians and openly gay athletes are on this year’s U.S. team. No sport that we are aware of awards points – or medals – for skin color or sexual orientation.

For the current USOC, a dream team should look more like the general population. So, while uncomfortable, the question probably needs to be asked: were our Olympians selected because they’re the best at what they do, or because they’re the best publicity for our current obsession with having one each from Column A, B and C

lets take a look at the make-up of the team why don't we?

This year, Team USA is made up of 108 women and 134 men, with 10 African-American athletes and 11 Asian-American athletes in the mix, as well as the first ever openly gay male athletes to represent American at the Winter Olympics:... (source).

So, what is the percentage breakdown:

Males - 55.3%
Female - 44.6%
African American - 0.04%
Asian - 0.045%
Openly gay - 0.0041


We welcome anyone to attempt a rational argument as to why VP Moody and Fox News would lower themselves to making such an absurd argument. We are, always have been, and always will, remain a nation of immigrants. It is, what makes us great. The diversity of our people and athletes most certainly should be reflected in our Olympic team.

BTW, Diversity will in no way shape or form hurt our chances of continuing to win medals.


Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Some in the GOP Have Character and Integrity, Unlike Trump...

It needed to be said, by a member of the GOP. So, Flake said it. Not that tRump will listen to Flake, he makes too much sense. More likely the presnit will lash out Flake, again.




UPDATED - Relevant and related, from The New Yorker.

I sometimes joke that growing up in the Soviet Union prepared me for working as a journalist in the United States. That joke has become less funny now that the President is positioning applause as a central issue of American politics. On Monday, before a crowd at a manufacturing plant, in Ohio, Donald Trump criticized Democrats who did not applaud during his first State of the Union address. “They were like death and un-American,” he said. “Un-American. Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah, I guess, why not? Can we call that treason? Why not?”

In Soviet politics, too, applause was a central issue—sometimes, it seemed, the central issue. Whenever the Politburo or the Central Committee of the Supreme Soviet or the Party Congress had a session, the newspaper would fill with endless metres of incomprehensible gray copy, in which the only lines that made any sense were the parenthetical clauses describing applause. The Soviet papers had more ways to describe applause than they had for any other event in society or nature.

SKIP

Naturally, this emphasis on clapping led to a kind of applause inflation. Here, for example, is a two-and-a-half-minute clip of Joseph Stalin giving a speech in 1937, at the height of the Great Terror. Stalin is speaking at a campaign event. (Russia had fake elections then, too.) You can observe the progression from “applause,” which lasts five seconds, to “enthusiastic applause,” which lasts fifteen seconds, to “enthusiastic applause transitioning to an ovation,” which lasts twenty-two seconds, to a finale that consists of three short bursts of “applause” before turning into “enthusiastic applause transitioning to an ovation. Everybody stands.”

Over the next fifteen years, it appears, applause became largely panic-driven; contemporary accounts show that people feared that the first person to stop clapping would be the first to be hauled off to jail. Failure to applaud could certainly be considered treason.



In Stalin’s Soviet Union, failure to applaud
the leader could be considered treason.

Photograph by Bettmann / Getty


More BELOW THE FOLD.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

President trump Would LOVE To See a Shutdown...

President Donald Trump at a White House meeting on immigration in January. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
If we don't change it let's have a shutdown ... and it's worth it for our country. I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this stuff taken care of.


There is definitely something wrong with this man and his values. trump is not what should be considered Great. He barely approaches Mediocre.

Monday, February 5, 2018

Republicans Addiction to Debt and Spending...




Some highlights:

Here are the exact figures: The U.S. Treasury expects to borrow $955 billion this fiscal year, according to a documents released Wednesday. It's the highest amount of borrowing in six years, and a big jump from the $519 billion the federal government borrowed last year.

Treasury mainly attributed the increase to the “fiscal outlook.” The Congressional Budget Office was more blunt. In a report this week, the CBO said tax receipts are going to be lower because of the new tax law.

SKIP

What's particularly jarring is this is the first time borrowing has jumped this much (as a share of GDP) in a non-recession time since Ronald Reagan was president, says Ernie Tedeschi, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Treasury who is now head of fiscal analysis at Evercore ISI. Under Reagan, borrowing spiked because of a buildup in the military, something Trump is advocating again.

 

SKIP

“It is terrible. Those deficits and the debt that keeps rising is a serious problem, not only in the long run, but right now,” Harvard economist Martin Feldstein, a former Reagan adviser, told Bloomberg.

SKIP

Trump's Treasury forecasts borrowing over $1 trillion in 2019 and over $1.1 trillion in 2020. Before taking office, Trump described himself as the “king of debt,” although he campaigned on reducing the national debt.

SKIP

The latest example of largesse is the GOP tax bill. It's expected to add $1 trillion or more to the debt, according to nonpartisan analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation (and yes, that's after accounting for some increased economic growth).

SKIP

“Every time you feed your addiction, you grow your addiction,” says Goldwein.

There doesn't seem to be any appetite for budgetary restraint in Washington...

Anyone who believes the conservatives and the republican party give a hoot about deficits and the national debt is either naĂŻve or crazy. Take your pick.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Trump's Long Game Of Slowiy Eroding Our Institutions...




It can never be said that Donald J. Trump is anything less than smart. Smart in a crafty yet disingenuous sort of way. He has been able to succeed in moving his agenda. Which is to say he is slowly dismantling the Obama legacy, he has removed regulatory oversight, without regard to public safety, he has appointed conservative judges, he has worked to undermine the credibility of the free press, and he has methodically undermined our institutions of justice. His crafty methodology also has the affect of obstructing justice in the Russia investigation without causing harm to himself. At least thus far. Trump is, without a single doubt, a crafty and dishonest leader. One who has little concern for the people of this nation (other than the 30-40% who adore him) or the institutions that protect we the people from the likes of an authoritarian administration and a leader that is more interested in what he thinks is right than enforcing the rule of law. Someone exactly like Trump.

The Atlantic - In the current scandal, so often compared to Watergate, there’s a tendency to seek direct parallels. This is enhanced by the clear threat to special counsel Robert Mueller from the president, complete with reports that Trump ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller, and backed down only when McGahn threatened to resign.

The current, unnamed scandal won’t work in the same way, and the search for a Saturday Night Massacre is misguided for two reasons. First, people are already being fired. And second, even when they’re not, Trump is accomplishing many of the same things that would otherwise be accomplished with firings via other means.

Even without one, big showdown over firings, Trump is already pushing staffers out at prodigious speed. (This has inspired some pundits to brand it a “slow-motion Saturday night massacre.”) First was FBI Director James Comey. This week, Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, was pushed into earlier retirement after massive pressure from the White House. (Axios reported that Trump had previously wanted McCabe fired, but that Wray refused; on Thursday, Donald Trump Jr. argued McCabe had been fired.) The president has expressed regret for appointing Attorney General Jeff Sessions because of Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation and said Sessions ought to resign, though Trump reportedly rejected a resignation letter. He has also variously threatened or tried to fire Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed and is overseeing Mueller because Sessions is recused. In the Oval Office Friday around noon, Trump wouldn’t say whether he had confidence in Rosenstein. “You figure that one out,” he said.

SKIP

Not only is the president openly feuding with parts of the executive branch, he elides the fact that the top leadership of the FBI and Justice Department are, with McCabe and Comey’s departures, entirely appointed by his own administration.

If the goal is to purge officials who Trump thinks represent some sort of threat to him, that’s already under way. But Trump also doesn’t have to purge them to achieve what he wants. He just has to create an environment that stifles things he believes represent a threat to him.

The president has been surprisingly open about his desire to release the memo in order to discredit the Russia investigation, even before he had read it. He has been warned time and again against actually removing Mueller, but if he can’t do that, trying to relegate it to politically suspect territory does the trick. He’s used other methods, too, like asking James Comey for loyalty, asking that Comey let Michael Flynn off for lying to the FBI, asking McCabe for whom he had voted, and asking Rosenstein whether he was “on my team.” Furthermore, he has proven surprisingly averse to actually firing people.

SKIP

What Trump is doing is slowly eroding the unwritten parts. Nixon discovered, to his chagrin, just how strong the unwritten constitution was when he set out to fire Cox. Trump, either by design, by the grace of his advisers staying his hand, or thanks to his remarkable intuitive grasp for politics, is playing a longer game of undermining. It’s not just top officials who are subject to it, either. Former CIA officer Bob Baer argued on CNN on Friday, following the release of the memo, that it would have a chilling effect on FBI officers in the field, who might think twice about bringing information about Russian activity to superiors for fear of political blowback.

Trump’s long game is craftier than the Saturday Night Massacre, but that doesn’t mean it’s invincible. SKIP

Trump doesn’t really object to procedural errors, though—what he objects to are the findings that investigators have produced. The White House initially said Comey had been fired for mishandling the Clinton investigation, but that made little sense, since Trump had made contradictory critiques of Comey, and sure enough, the president quickly blew up the official rationale in an interview with Lester Holt, in which he said he’d fired Comey over the Russia probe. The power of the Nunes memo (when unwritten) was that it promised to show procedural errors in the FBI and DOJ’s work. Once it was published, however, it became clear that the accusations of procedural errors are murky at best, while on the broad point, the memo undermines the Trump line that the Russia probe stems from a partisan dossier, noting that the inquiry into the Trump campaign had actually begun months before the dossier itself came into play.

The search for an analogue to the Saturday Night Massacre is alluring to both the media and Trump’s detractors because it’s much easier to cover a single, major event like a mass-firing than a slow-rolling erosion like what’s going on, and much easier to rally opposition to it as well. Immediately after the election, my colleague Adam Serwer wrote that the media was completely unprepared to cover a Trump presidency. Journalists who continue searching for a new Saturday Night Massacre and ignore the broader picture will show that one year into Trump’s tenure, they still haven’t caught up.

Those who have taken the time to familiarize themselves with Trump's history, his shady business dealings, his multiple bankruptcies, his public life, and his badly flawed personal character know that Trump is not an honorable man. He is driven by three primary things, winning at all costs, whatever that may entail, how every issue and event affects him personally, and being admired and fawned over by all. Even when the admiration he so desperately craves and needs has to be but a creation of his own mind.

Complete article BELOW THE FOLD