It is a measure of how deeply depraved the man in the Oval Office is that the question of granting pardons to people who have been convicted of or are about to go on trial for war crimes is even a question. That the issue arises during Memorial Day weekend, when we commemorate Americans who have died in combat, only serves to drive home the level of depravity. Continue reading “Granting a pardon for war crimes is a war crime”
Month: May 2019
Choreographed cover-up
That was some fun yesterday, what with the Very Stable Genius seemingly coming unglued over Nancy Pelosi pointing a finger at his attempts at a cover-up. The VSG ranted at Schumer and Pelosi in the White House before turning on his heels and haughtily walking out. Then he babbled incoherently for 15 minutes at an “impromptu” press conference in the Rose Garden. It was a live action Tweet rant. Continue reading “Choreographed cover-up”
Don’t breathe
Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. In fact, don’t breathe at all if the wrecking crew at the Environmental Protection Agency has its way. You see, the EPA plans to kill off people with air pollution.
This is all part of the Trump dis-administration’s effort to roll back Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which would have drastically reduced air pollution from coal-burning plants, in favor of Trump’s own Affordable Energy Plan, designed to encourage increased consumption of coal. It’s all part of Trump’s campaign promise to revitalize the coal mining industry. Continue reading “Don’t breathe”
McGahn won’t testify before Congress. Not a problem.
The White House has informed the House Judiciary Committee that it will bar former White House Counsel Don McGahn from testifying in response to the committee’s subpoena. That might seem like a problem for the Committee’s probe into possible obstruction of justice by Trump. But it shouldn’t be.
It’s not a problem because McGahn’s extensive eyewitness accounts of presidential obstruction of justice are already on the record in the Mueller report , even in the redacted version that has been made public. Continue reading “McGahn won’t testify before Congress. Not a problem.”
Behind the bombast, we’re already at war with Iran
A little over a week ago, when the first Navy ships were deployed toward Iran, I opined that it was a case of vacant saber-rattling, a bit of wag-the-dog distraction to force Trump’s ever-deepening legal troubles out of the headlines. (Generals, prepare to wag the dog 5/7/19)
It seems I may have been right. So far. Over the last couple of days, Trump has clearly tried to turn down the heat. As tensions rose rapidly, Trump informed his Acting Defense Secretary that he did not want a war with Iran. On Thursday, a reporter asked Trump if the US was going to war. “I hope not,” was his response. And today he continued his blathering. “What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down. We can make a deal, a fair deal,” said the man who ripped up a fair deal we already had with Iran, a deal which had fulfilled its promise. Continue reading “Behind the bombast, we’re already at war with Iran”
Hate-for-Profit TV
Elizabeth Warren made an outstanding and important statement on Twitter today. I’m sharing it here for non-twittering folks.
I know it’s difficult for anyone running for president to pass up any chance to reach thousands of viewers. Exposure is like gold for every candidate, especially ones who are lagging in the name-recognition department. But Fox News is clearly not just another TV network. It has become a de facto official media outlet for Trumpism and all that entails: hate, racism, xenophobia. Continue reading “Hate-for-Profit TV”
Understanding the Medicare for All Debate
A very lively and informative conversation with two people who really know their issue inside and out. Medicare for All s shaping up to be a central issue of debate in the primary primary race. This will help you get a handle on the parameters of that debate. Continue reading “Understanding the Medicare for All Debate”
There is no ism in Trumpism
There’s a new mood-in-the-White-House story posted at WaPo. This kind of reporting isn’t really news. Nothing actually happened. But getting a read on the current mental state of the Trumpbeast fills a certain need.
This report, A frustrated Trump questions his administration’s Venezuela strategy, focuses on Trumpbeast’s reaction to the failed Venezuela “uprising” fiasco last week. You know what I’m referring to, right? It was all over the news for about 15 minutes. How could you have missed it? Continue reading “There is no ism in Trumpism”
Generals, prepare to wag the dog!
The Trump dis-administration today announced it was deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to patrol off the coast of Iran, supposedly in response to perceived Iranian threats to US assets in the region. National security wingnut John Bolton threatened to unleash “unrelenting force” against Iran if any US or allied forces in the region are attacked.
At first glance, it is a deeply disturbing escalation of the tensions between the two countries. Trump last year unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear agreement that Barack Obama had painstakingly negotiated with Iran over the course of several years. Nuclear proliferation analysts have described the agreement as the most significant nonproliferation deal in two decades, a major achievement of the Obama era. So of course Trump couldn’t let it stand. Continue reading “Generals, prepare to wag the dog!”
Math quiz: How many billionaires does it take to…
A billionaire is donating $30 million to the University of San Francisco in order to conduct a study of the root causes of homelessness. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce and a San Francisco native, said of his donation, “we’re investing in programs that will help solve the homelessness crisis.” (Sacramento Bee)
Sounds good, right? And in a way, it is. Data driven research just might lead to understanding the root causes of homelessness and thereby reveal a long-term solution to end the tragedy. You never know. It might. Continue reading “Math quiz: How many billionaires does it take to…”