Saturday, July 16, 2016
This Isn't Funny Anymore. American Democracy Is at Stake.
Anyone who supports Donald Trump is a traitor to the American idea.
CLEVELAND, OHIO—A while back, we here at the shebeen decided that Donald J. Trump's actwas no longer funny. That he no longer was a goofy guy with three wives and a ferret on his head, a freak candidate who devoured an incredible passel of unpopular lightweights on his way to a freak nomination. That he was more than just a vessel for the barely camouflaged rage and fear of an aging white American majority terrified of so many barbarians at so many gates. But not until Wednesday did we realize the true magnitude of the threat that this reckless clown poses to American democracy. Not until Wednesday did we hear clearly the echoes of shiny black boots on German cobblestones.
On Wednesday, in several venues, He, Trump accused "some people"—he never said who they were, nor will he, ever—of calling for a moment of silence for Micah Johnson, the mass murderer of police in Dallas, Texas. We have had some experience with this. Back when he was still considered something of a sideshow attraction, He, Trump said that he's "seen" Muslim-Americans in New Jersey celebrating as the World Trade Center towers burned on September 11, 2001. He never said who they were, nor will he, ever. But at least there was a level of detail to the lie. There is in fact a state called New Jersey. There are in fact Muslim-Americans living there. And the attacks of 9/11 did in fact happen.
On Wednesday, in several venues, He, Trump accused "some people"—he never said who they were, nor will he, ever—of calling for a moment of silence for Micah Johnson, the mass murderer of police in Dallas, Texas. We have had some experience with this. Back when he was still considered something of a sideshow attraction, He, Trump said that he's "seen" Muslim-Americans in New Jersey celebrating as the World Trade Center towers burned on September 11, 2001. He never said who they were, nor will he, ever. But at least there was a level of detail to the lie. There is in fact a state called New Jersey. There are in fact Muslim-Americans living there. And the attacks of 9/11 did in fact happen.
More here.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
And The Terrorism Continues
Trump says he would ask Congress to declare war on terrorism. Another sage tonight said, "The President won't admit we're in a war," even as the USA continues to kill massive numbers of terrorists on the battlefield of the "not war". Despite what this fella said on CNN, we've been fighting our Horrific War On Terror™ for 14 long years. Yet many terrorist attacks overseas and here in the USA, including, possibly tonight's attack in Nice, are being carried out by citizens of the attacked country.
How are we to carry out this war/not war to effectively stop terrorist attacks? The more we win on the battlefield, the angrier "homegrown" terrorists become. Political sages say we need to fight a more effective war. They say Muslim nations need to do more in this war. At the same time, they insult the religion of the very nations they want to do more in the war/not war. Other brilliant (in their own minds) strategerists say we need to turn the Middle East to glass or kill families of suspected terrorists, as if committing war crimes would stop terrorist attacks, rather than increasing them.
We're no closer to stopping terrorism tonight than we were in 2001. Judging from what so-called experts and politicians are yammering about, the future looks bleak.
How are we to carry out this war/not war to effectively stop terrorist attacks? The more we win on the battlefield, the angrier "homegrown" terrorists become. Political sages say we need to fight a more effective war. They say Muslim nations need to do more in this war. At the same time, they insult the religion of the very nations they want to do more in the war/not war. Other brilliant (in their own minds) strategerists say we need to turn the Middle East to glass or kill families of suspected terrorists, as if committing war crimes would stop terrorist attacks, rather than increasing them.
We're no closer to stopping terrorism tonight than we were in 2001. Judging from what so-called experts and politicians are yammering about, the future looks bleak.
Terrorist attack in Nice, France
Monday, July 4, 2016
Mormon Bundy Loyalist Against Land Gift To American Citizens
Their thinking is, screw the American people. If Our Betters™ can't exploit land for profit, nobody gets to use it.
Here.
All I got to say to Bundyites is.... GET OFF MY LAND!!!
Here.
All I got to say to Bundyites is.... GET OFF MY LAND!!!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
Lawsuit Won, Texas Moves to Cut Therapy Programs
One year after state lawmakers decided to slash $350 million in funding for pediatric therapy services provided to children with disabilities, Texas is finally poised to move forward with the planned cuts that were delayed for months after in-home therapy providers sued to stop them. They lost that court battle in April but have vowed to continue putting up a fight.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission intends to begin cutting payments to speech, physical and occupational therapy providers on July 15, targeting providers who see children covered by Medicaid, the federal-state insurer for the poor and disabled.
Children’s advocates and therapy providers are mounting an 11th-hour campaign, seeking once again to delay the cuts. They’ve called on state officials to hold a public hearing for families to air grievances and are asking lawmakers to intervene.
“This move to eke out budget savings on the backs of children with disabilities will undercut the Early Childhood Intervention services provided by community organizations,” wrote Peter Clark, spokesman for the advocacy group Texans Care for Children, in an email. “Not only will the cuts hurt kids, but they will create new costs, such as increased demand for special education services in our schools.”
Thursday, June 2, 2016
At Trump University, Students Recall Pressure to Give Positive Reviews
In the sprawling business empire of Donald J. Trump, the real estate classes that bore his name seem to occupy a tiny, insignificant corner. But the controversy and litigation nowenveloping them have taken on surprising potency in the Republican presidential campaign that he is dominating.
Now, as Mr. Trump tries to fend off claims of misleading and fraudulent practices from scores of former students, claims his opponents have brought up in debates and in ads, his biggest weapon is what appears to be the overwhelmingly positive reviews from past participants — a 98 percent level of satisfaction, in his telling. “Beautiful statements,” is how he describes the evaluations.
But hundreds of pages of legal documents, as well as interviews with former students and instructors, suggest the surveys themselves were a central component of a business model that, according to lawsuits and investigators, deceived consumers into handing over thousands of dollars with tantalizing promises of riches.
Now, as Mr. Trump tries to fend off claims of misleading and fraudulent practices from scores of former students, claims his opponents have brought up in debates and in ads, his biggest weapon is what appears to be the overwhelmingly positive reviews from past participants — a 98 percent level of satisfaction, in his telling. “Beautiful statements,” is how he describes the evaluations.
But hundreds of pages of legal documents, as well as interviews with former students and instructors, suggest the surveys themselves were a central component of a business model that, according to lawsuits and investigators, deceived consumers into handing over thousands of dollars with tantalizing promises of riches.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Bombing Hiroshima changed the world, but it didn't end WWII
President Obama's visit to Hiroshima on Friday has rekindled public debate about the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan — one largely suppressed since the Smithsonian canceled its Enola Gay exhibit in 1995. Obama, aware that his critics are ready to pounce if he casts the slightest doubt on the rectitude of President Harry S. Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs, has opted to remain silent on the issue. This is unfortunate. A national reckoning is overdue.
Most Americans have been taught that using atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 was justified because the bombings ended the war in the Pacific, thereby averting a costly U.S. invasion of Japan. This erroneous contention finds its way into high school history texts still today. More dangerously, it shapes the thinking of government officials and military planners working in a world that still contains more than 15,000 nuclear weapons.
Truman exulted in the obliteration of Hiroshima, calling it “the greatest thing in history.” America’s military leaders didn’t share his exuberance. Seven of America’s eight five-star officers in 1945 — Gens. Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur and Henry Arnold, and Adms. William Leahy, Chester Nimitz, Ernest King and William Halsey — later called the atomic bombings either militarily unnecessary, morally reprehensible, or both. Nor did the bombs succeed in their collateral purpose: cowing the Soviets.
Leahy, who was Truman’s personal chief of staff, wrote in his memoir that the “Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender…. The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan.” MacArthur went further. He told former President Hoover that if the United States had assured the Japanese that they could keep the emperor they would have gladly surrendered in late May.
It was not the atomic evisceration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the Pacific war. Instead, it was the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and other Japanese colonies that began at midnight on Aug. 8, 1945 — between the two bombings.
Most Americans have been taught that using atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 was justified because the bombings ended the war in the Pacific, thereby averting a costly U.S. invasion of Japan. This erroneous contention finds its way into high school history texts still today. More dangerously, it shapes the thinking of government officials and military planners working in a world that still contains more than 15,000 nuclear weapons.
Truman exulted in the obliteration of Hiroshima, calling it “the greatest thing in history.” America’s military leaders didn’t share his exuberance. Seven of America’s eight five-star officers in 1945 — Gens. Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur and Henry Arnold, and Adms. William Leahy, Chester Nimitz, Ernest King and William Halsey — later called the atomic bombings either militarily unnecessary, morally reprehensible, or both. Nor did the bombs succeed in their collateral purpose: cowing the Soviets.
Leahy, who was Truman’s personal chief of staff, wrote in his memoir that the “Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender…. The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan.” MacArthur went further. He told former President Hoover that if the United States had assured the Japanese that they could keep the emperor they would have gladly surrendered in late May.
It was not the atomic evisceration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the Pacific war. Instead, it was the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and other Japanese colonies that began at midnight on Aug. 8, 1945 — between the two bombings.
More: LA Times
Once Middle Class, Millions Are Joining the Ranks of 'Disposable' Americans
Income, savings and life expectancy are in decline for broad swathes of society.
Poor Americans are becoming increasingly disposable in our winner-take-all society, as often noted in the passionate writings of Henry Giroux. After 35 years of wealth redistribution to the super-rich, inequality has forced much of the middle class down to near-poverty levels, worsened by the fact that they are also blamed for their own misfortunes.
The evidence for this disposability keeps accumulating: income and wealth—and health—are all declining for middle-class America. Meanwhile, those at the top could not be less concerned. As wealth at the top grows, the super-rich feel they have little need for the rest of society.
Monday, May 30, 2016
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