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Thursday Open Thread: Hurricane Laura Damage

There is a lot of hurricane damage in the south. Louisiana got hit hard, and it looks like Arkansas is next.

Bon Jovi just released this new single which he wrote from home, with input from fans during the COVID19 stay at home period. The graphics showing people helping others are moving. I think it would equally apply to the help people can give to hurricane victims.

In other new music: [More...]

It's no wonder the k-pop group BTS is the most accolated boyband in the world. Here's there new single, Dynamite. I also highly recommend their carpool karaoke with James Corden.

Donald Trump is toxic. His family is toxic. Don't forget to register and vote. The convention means nothing.

There is other stuff to watch on TV: I finally watched Casa de Papel (Money Heist) on Netflix. Since Friday night, I've watched the first three seasons, it's that mesmerizing. But do start with Season 1.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

< RNC: Is Anyone Still Watching? | Reuters Poll: Trump Lags, Coronavirus is Biggest Voter Concern >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Rand Paul was almost killed! (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Yman on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:24:17 AM EST
    Or got yelled at by some protesters.

    "I truly believe this with every fiber of my being, had they gotten at us they would have gotten us to the ground, we might not have been killed, might just have been injured by being kicked in the head, or kicked in the stomach until we were senseless," he explained.

    What if you're already senseless, you clueless drama queen?

    Typical conservative (5.00 / 3) (#10)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:35:10 AM EST
    They are afraid of anyone and everyone.

    Parent
    It's not like someone hung a rope (none / 0) (#152)
    by itscookin on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 03:18:43 PM EST
    on his garage door or anything like that. He's only been shot at and lost part of a lung. Why would being surrounded by a mob he didn't pay to pretend to attack him be frightening? The man is a real coward.

    Parent
    I don't know, maybe it's just me. (5.00 / 1) (#162)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Sep 03, 2020 at 01:45:38 PM EST
    But honestly, nobody compelled Sen. Aqua Buddha to get into politics. Nobody's compelling him to take the controversial policy positions he does, which regularly threaten the livelihood, well being and health of millions of Americans who weren't lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths and are instead living on the margins. Nobody compelled him to violate all pandemic protocols as a so-called physician and go witness Trump's violation of the Hatch Act in person.

    Aqua Buddha needs to stop being such a right-wing drama queen and grow a pair. If he can't handle the public criticism, most all of which he brings upon himself by virtue of being such an inveterately sanctimonious and self-righteous a$$hole, then perhaps he should find another line of work - like, for instance, in ophthalmology or something thereabouts.

    ;-D

    Parent

    Maybe you (none / 0) (#153)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 04:06:03 PM EST
    can explain why he lied about it? The tape did not back up what he was saying. Maybe he just needs to resign his seat and go stay at home. Lots of people have had it worse than Rand Paul and they keep going. He is just another conservative snowflake. And as far as being shot at, he wants everybody to be shooting and have guns. I have no sympathy for him there.

    Parent
    It was probably a group of (5.00 / 3) (#17)
    by desertswine on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 11:25:08 AM EST
    his angry neighbors.

    Parent
    Some members of Congress (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by Towanda on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 01:51:27 PM EST
    really gotta get out more, to realize what we think of them.

    But what a baby. I watched. He and his wife had a huge police escort, were not in danger, and only got yelled at. Deservedly, with the lack of action on the horrific murder of Brenna Taylor.

    Parent

    They (5.00 / 3) (#30)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:03:13 PM EST
    are the real snowflakes.

    Parent
    Every attack or accusation that these folks (5.00 / 2) (#34)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:56:45 PM EST
    fling is nothing but projection, particularly in the case of their Dear Leader. So typical.

    Parent
    I Couldn't Follow (none / 0) (#11)
    by RickyJim on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 10:00:27 AM EST
    how the police couldn't get him from the White House to the hotel across the street (Hay-Adams?) and told him to go by bus to the Trump Hotel instead.  Seems far fetched.  His assertion that things would get worse under Biden lacks proof.

    Parent
    The topic on Trump News today (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 10:37:57 AM EST
    Is "people being attacked leaving the speech"

    I'm sure it was planned for exactly that purpose.  The laughably hyperbolic account is perfect.

    Parent

    Who said (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 11:03:41 AM EST
    there is no Republican platform?

    Parent
    Paul has a streak of bad luck. (none / 0) (#15)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 11:01:09 AM EST
    First his neighbor and now scary protestors.  He should consider inhabiting the space under his bed until his luck is on the ascent.

    Parent
    WaPo (none / 0) (#19)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 12:14:59 PM EST
    What a pathetic drama queen Sen. Paul is! (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 06:21:35 PM EST
    I saw more reporters than protestors in that video.

    Parent
    57 years ago today (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by Zorba on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 11:35:32 AM EST
    The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

    So, while we're at it, 100 years ago tomorrow (5.00 / 3) (#27)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 02:58:02 PM EST
    Charlie Parker ("Bird") was born. Co-creator in the mid '40s, with Dizzy Gillespie, of be-bop, arguably the first "modern jazz." Amazing that this music, made around when (and just before) I was born, is one of my favorite kinds.

    Parent
    And 6 years ago (none / 0) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 12:21:18 PM EST
    This was a scandal


    The Daily Show
    @TheDailyShow
    ·
    6h
    Sure, 180,000 Americans have died from coronavirus on Trump's watch, but six years ago today, President Obama wore a tan suit. Happy Tanniversary, Barack!



    Parent
    And 65 years ago today (none / 0) (#26)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 02:35:50 PM EST
    Emmett Tiil was killed.

    Parent
    And 50 years ago tomorrow, ... (none / 0) (#44)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:10:40 PM EST
    ... Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar was killed by L.A. County Sheriff's deputies who assaulted the Silver Dollar Bar & Cafe where he had taken shelter during a street battle in east L.A., when law enforcement confronted demonstrators who were marching in support of the National Chicano Moratorium. A 10-in. tear gas projectile -- the kind which could tear through a wooden wall or fence -- was fired into the bar, striking Salazar in the head and killing him instantly.

    Salazar's posthumous stature in the city's Latino community has since grown to near-mythic proportions, particularly after the subsequent revelation 25 years later in 1995 that a secret dossier on Salazar had been kept by then-LAPD Chief Ed Davis.

    The dossier revealed the extent of chief's deep-seated animosity toward the journalist and his unflattering coverage of LAPD's abuses in the city's Latino community, and led to speculation that Salazar was deliberately targeted for assassination and murdered. In 2010, L.A. Times reporter Robert Lopes discovered that the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and the FBI kept similar dossiers on Salazar, who was described in them as a "radical left-wing reporter."

    While no evidence has ever been uncovered to suggest that Ruben Salazar had been specifically targeted by officers that day for assault or assassination, nevertheless it is clear that he died as a direct result of the sort of reckless law enforcement tactics and abuses he had worked so diligently at the Times to expose.

    When the white sheriff's deputies descended aggressively on the Silver Dollar 50 years ago, they didn't stop to think about who might be inside that bar, or whether their intended actions might possibly result in injury or death. All they knew was that it was a barrio establishment full of Latinos, and they didn't care who got hurt because in their eyes, Mexican-Americans didn't count. And none of those deputies were ever held to account for their actions.

    May Ruben Salazar rest always in peace.

    Parent

    Harpers Magazine - August 1941 (5.00 / 2) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 02:17:03 PM EST
    This is pretty damn creepy

    Who Goes Nazi?

    Sometimes I think there are direct biological factors at work--a type of education, feeding, and physical training which has produced a new kind of human being with an imbalance in his nature. He has been fed vitamins and filled with energies that are beyond the capacity of his intellect to discipline. He has been treated to forms of education which have released him from inhibitions. His body is vigorous. His mind is childish. His soul has been almost completely neglected.

    At any rate, let us look round the room.



    My LTE was published today. (5.00 / 3) (#39)
    by Repack Rider on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 04:58:31 PM EST
    Most of my published thoughts would fit on a bumper sticker. That gets your letter printed.

    "Fifty years ago we were the only country that could deliver a man to the moon.

    "Now we are the only country that can't deliver a letter."



    Trump can't do stairs now (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by MO Blue on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 08:47:58 PM EST
    At a Friday evening rally in New Hampshire, Trump again sparked widespread conversation of having difficulty climbing a short set of stairs to the stage while Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" plays:

    Fears `Trump has some health issues' after the president has difficulty walking up short set of stairs

    Karma getting even after Trump's erroneous claims about Hillary's health.

    Interesting choice of enemies (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:26:32 PM EST
    First the post office now professional sports.

    "It's terrible. I think what they're doing to the NBA in particular is going to destroy basketball. I can't - I don't even watch it. ... You know when you watch sports, you want to sort of relax, but this is a whole different world. ... You don't want to stay in politics. You want to relax," Trump complained

    "It's very bad for the NBA and it's going to prove to be very bad for football. Roger Goodell should have learned his lesson two years ago. And I'm not letting up. I'm not letting up. They were begging for mercy two years ago on the flag. I'm not letting up," he threatened.

    Apple pie and motherhood and puppies seem likely soon.

    Parent

    People on twitter (none / 0) (#54)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 05:38:04 AM EST
    had screen shots of his face when he was falling. Something appears to be wrong with his right side. We still don't know why he went to the hospital months ago.

    Parent
    This is very sad (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 08:47:14 AM EST
    LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Chadwick Boseman, who played Black American icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown with searing intensity before inspiring audiences worldwide as the regal Black Panther in Marvel's blockbuster movie franchise, died Friday of cancer. He was 43.

    Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.

    Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement.

    More so because this type of cancer is so easily stopped or defeated.
    Please sign up for a colonoscopy if you have never had one.  

    Yes, it's not a pleasant experience but the alternative is horrific slow death.  An easy choice if you have seen someone die this way.

    I didn't even know he was sick.

    No one seemed to know (none / 0) (#104)
    by CST on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 09:46:34 AM EST
    That he was sick.

    The issue in some cases, like his, is that you can't even get screening below a certain age.

    Parent

    I guess it depends (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 09:58:20 AM EST
    I had my first when I was 40.  The doctor was not hot on the idea but I told him my history, mother, brother, and got it.

    They found and removed polyps

    So if I had not done that I might have had cancer by the time I was his age.

    I suggest pressing your doctor.  Personally I would lie about family history if that what it took.  But that's just me.

    There is a home test now.  I don't know how reliable it is but I would say better than nothing.

    Parent

    FWIW (none / 0) (#106)
    by CST on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 10:05:21 AM EST
    He was diagnosed with cancer at 39 so 40 would have been too late.

    Parent
    Yeah I was reading that (5.00 / 1) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 10:15:55 AM EST
    And a lot of people did apparently know because he was having chemo and surgery between roles.

    That's very young I think as far as the average.   But still a really good reason to follow my advise and press (and lie if necessary) to your doctor.

    As far as being young, it is but, I had a friend from movie work who died of this even younger.  Not sure exactly but he was not 40 when died.

    So.....

    It is really hard to get people who have no experience with this get tested.  The test is unpleasant.   It's weird for some to discuss.  

    It's one reason I talk about it all the time.

    Parent

    I find (5.00 / 3) (#119)
    by Zorba on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 02:28:23 PM EST
    The prep more unpleasant than the actual procedure, which you're not really awake for.
    Although the prep stuff has gotten less obnoxious than it used to be.

    Parent
    Next time.... (none / 0) (#166)
    by unitron on Sat Sep 05, 2020 at 11:31:27 PM EST
    ...I'm starting prep at least a day earlier than they tell me to to be sure I show up empty.

    Parent
    TGIF my good TL people (5.00 / 3) (#61)
    by Dadler on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 05:07:55 PM EST
    Groove on this, my lefty friends. With love from an orginal TL'er. As in a two decade'r. XOXO.

    Bahama Soul Club + Billie Holiday

    A Saturday Friday Special (none / 0) (#62)
    by Dadler on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 05:08:49 PM EST
    Ha!


    Parent
    How are you and your family? (none / 0) (#63)
    by oculus on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 05:49:15 PM EST
    Dadler! (none / 0) (#64)
    by Zorba on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 07:49:29 PM EST
    Good to hear from you, my man.  Hope you are doing well!
    I love Billie Holliday!
    One of my faves was Blue Moon.
    I particularly loved this because my dad worked in the Blue Moon Cafe when he was young.

    Parent
    I hate even reading this (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 09:54:23 AM EST
    But if it's true, raise your hand if you doubt it, it should be known.  IMO

    Stephanie Winston Wolkoff writes in her new book, Melania and Me, that Melania Trump didn't want to move to the White House right away in part because she didn't want to have to use the same shower and toilet as former First Lady Michelle Obama and was waiting for the bathroom to be renovated, Politico reports.



    It wouldn't particularly (5.00 / 2) (#122)
    by Zorba on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 03:01:12 PM EST
    surprise me.
    I always thought Melania was almost as bad as her husband.
    Remember, she was all in on the birther movement.  And that "I really don't care, do U?" coat she wore when traveling to the immigrant children's jail.....oops, "detention center."  
    She has always known exactly what she was doing.  I never bought into the " poor little Melania" hogwash that a few people I know felt early on.

    Parent
    As I wrote in (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 10:51:45 AM EST
    a previous comment, leaders of protests should call a moratorium until after November 3. Or, at least, hold protests during the daytime hours.

    It is not that the protests are right and justifiable, they are,  but that they play into the Trump campaign to incite conflict on the streets. After all, that is all the Republicans have. Hoaxable law and order.

    The police, it seems, as infamously bellowed by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1968, "the police are here not to stop riots, but to cause them."  By willful action or inaction.

    Professional policing should be able to discern between peaceful protesting and unlawful behaviors, such as looting and vandalism. It is not all that hard.

     Armed militias or "vigilantes" (which should be referred to as unlawful gangs) appear, in some cases, to be aided and abetted by police, as seen in Kenosha.  Out-of-state agitators ostensibly protecting property they do not own, is more hunting than calming.  Presidential words matter, and protestors should avoid taking the bait.

    I think the 1968 Mayor Daley quote (5.00 / 2) (#71)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 11:30:36 AM EST
    you are looking for is, "The policeman isn't there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder."

    Parent
    Thanks, (none / 0) (#74)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:14:55 PM EST
    yes, I misremembered.  Those events are so etched in my mind(traveled with fellow students from Hyde Park to Grant Park across from the Conrad Hilton Hotel)that I did not think I needed to refresh the memory.  But, I did.

    Parent
    It's a better quote with that perfect (none / 0) (#76)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:23:18 PM EST
    Freudian slip ("preserve" for "prevent") intact.

    Parent
    What could go wrong? (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 10:55:25 AM EST
    "President Trump will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to meet with law enforcement and to survey some of the damage from the recent protests," CNN reports.



    Parent
    Yep, that's (none / 0) (#72)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 11:51:56 AM EST
    the Republican platform.  Probably Trump will join the Republican celebration of the 17-year old killer Kyle Rittenhouse, suggesting a grand statue be erected in the Kenosha town square.

    Although, I doubt if he will be willing to join the exuberance of Ann Coulter  who said that she wanted Rittenhouse "as my president"---at least until after Ivanka's turn to destroy whatever is left of the nation, should there be a second Trump term and we quickly move from a proto-fascist to full fascist state.

    Of course Wisconsin is not a stand your ground state, and as a 17-year old, Kyle was in illegal possession of a weapon in accord with Wisconsin law.

    Moreover, there is no legal right in the state to use deadly force for property you do not own. But, Kyle killed two people and blew the arm off a third. Law and order, you know. Have to quell those protests.

    Hope Kyle gets a good defense. Perhaps, in his not yet fully-formed brain, he was radicalized by those adults he admired with ill-formed brains.  More persuasive than a Twinkie defense, from my perspective.

     Maybe Trump will cheer family values, since it is reported that Mom drove Kyle across the state line to do his thing, and was behind the wheel of the get-a-way car as they fled home to Antioch, IL.

    Parent

    There was an interesting moment (none / 0) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:04:43 PM EST
    With CNN on in the bg the host asked Schiff twice if he thought Russia had people instigating  and participating in the violence.

    Schiff avoided answering twice.  Kind of obviously, I thought.  

    I think that might be interesting because the host of STATE OF THE UNION probably would not press something like that unless she knew stuff they can't report yet.

    Schiff was very cagey.  And seems a little surprised by the question.

    Parent

    Curioser and Curioser. (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:52:39 PM EST
    Also on CNN.  Senator Ron Johnson (R.WI), in an interview with host Dana Bash, would not condemn the killings and maiming in Kenosha.

    Johnson
    , a contingent member of Republican senators who spend a July 4th weekend in Moscow, returned to assert that Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election was overblown.

    And, Johnson is investigating Biden and has subpoenaed the FBI to produce documents regarding the Trump/Russia investigation.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#78)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:58:46 PM EST
    Saw that too.  He was like the really stupid cat who ate the canary

    It was a iconically bad performance.

    Parent

    Young Kyle is lucky that Wisconsin is (none / 0) (#75)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 12:20:49 PM EST
    a relatively civilized state, which was the first in the U.S. (1853) to abolish capital punishment. And should be thankful that progressive civil rights lawyers, led by Bryan Stevenson, have persuaded the Supreme Court to ban not only capital punishment but also mandatory sentences of life without parole for any and all crimes (including murder) committed by anyone under 18. His mother, on the other hand, might want to study up on the federal anti-riot law.

    Parent
    Interesting article...Kyle's defense (none / 0) (#81)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:33:33 PM EST
    Here is part of it:

    Under Wisconsin statutes that say anyone under 18 who "goes armed" with any deadly weapon is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was not old enough to legally carry the assault-style rifle he had.

    But John Monroe, a lawyer who specializes in gun rights cases, believes an exception for rifles and shotguns, intended to allow people age 16 and 17 to hunt, could apply.
    ...
    Rittenhouse did not own the gun, his lawyer said Friday.

    "Kyle did not carry a gun across state line," L. Lin Wood said in a tweet Friday morning. "The gun belonged to his friend, a Wisconsin resident. The gun never left the state of Wisconsin."



    Parent
    I don't understand what sort of defense (none / 0) (#84)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:53:31 PM EST
    that would be? Who cares whether he carried the AR-15 from Illinois into Wisconsin? He was either forbidden to carry such a weapon in Wisconsin or he wasn't. I don't think there is any plausible contention that he and his friends were engaged in hunting (of non-human animals). If he was not acting in immediate self-defense (or defense of another) from a threat of death or "great bodily harm," I'm not seeing it (yet).

    Parent
    Forgot the link (none / 0) (#86)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 02:10:24 PM EST
    source

    More on 17 yr old and gun:

    Tom Grieve, a Milwaukee defense lawyer who also specializes in gun cases, agreed the exception might apply beyond hunting, but said that part of the law is poorly drafted. He said he would argue to apply a rule of law that interprets ambiguous criminal statutes in favor of the defendant.

    Seems that this confusion might be part of his defense. IMO, the primary defense will be that he feared for his life. It has worked so many times before, I doubt that they will need to go with much more. Baby faced, white kid...good chance of success.

    Parent

    You are overlooking that study after study (none / 0) (#87)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 02:13:16 PM EST
    shows that the race of the victim, not of the defendant, is by far the most important factor in biased jury decisionmaking.

    Parent
    Personally (none / 0) (#90)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 03:29:56 PM EST
    I hope you and that study are right. Don't have a lot of faith, that he will be convicted.

    Parent
    In the case of the Kenosha shootings, ... (none / 0) (#92)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:11:13 PM EST
    ... Rittenhouse's two victims were white male.

    Parent
    That was exactly my point, Donald (none / 0) (#94)
    by Peter G on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:24:27 PM EST
    Sorry if I was not clear enough.

    Parent
    The right will make sure (none / 0) (#79)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:00:23 PM EST
    he has a good lawyer and he will use the standard defense that "he feared for his life" and he was "perfectly justified" in shooting as many of those "dangerous thugs" as he could. Since the men he murdered were white, he might have a slightly harder time of it but IMO he has more than a 50-50 chance of not only getting off Scott free but being rewarded with large amounts of cash and being designated as a hero.  

    Parent
    done (none / 0) (#80)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:10:04 PM EST
    According to a report from the Religion News Service, a website dedicated to raising funds for Christian endeavors has allowed supporters of accused Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse to accumulate over $220,000 for his defense.

    link

    Parent

    Certainly entitled to an effective (none / 0) (#83)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:46:11 PM EST
    defense. These Christians apparently see Kyle's killings and maiming as service homicide.  Maybe something the two Corinthians approved of and should be honored with defense cash.

    Parent
    There is no joy in Mudville (5.00 / 1) (#88)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 02:25:11 PM EST
    "President Trump unleashed an especially intense barrage of Twitter messages overnight and Sunday morning, embracing fringe conspiracy theories claiming that the coronavirus death toll has been exaggerated and that street protests are actually an organized coup d'état against him," the New York Times reports.

    "In the weekend blast of Twitter messages, Mr. Trump also embraced a call to imprison Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, threatened to use force against demonstrators outside the White House, attacked CNN and NPR, embraced a supporter charged with murder, mocked his challenger, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and repeatedly assailed the mayor of Portland, even posting the mayor's office telephone number so that supporters could call demanding his resignation."

    Peter Baker: "Even for Trump, it was a morning of especially wild tweets."



    Parent
    I think the (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 02:53:12 PM EST
    bounce, if any, from the Donald and Evita show from the balcony of the palace, will soon fade into the embers of the fireworks spectacular.

     The law and order on steroids campaign is likely to become another Charlottesville   The Trump caravans are not likely to be seen as riding to the rescue of peace and harmony.  More likely to be seen as bringing gasoline to the fire.   Our best hope, as it has been for the past four years,  is Trump's incompetence and grotesque over-reach.  

    Joe and Kamala need to continually underscore Trump's scheme to become an ersatz, if not real, "Civil War Impeached president".  And, to call for a moratorium on, at least, nighttime protests until after the election.  

    Parent

    One could only hope. (none / 0) (#91)
    by Chuck0 on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 03:38:16 PM EST
    I fully support a coup d'état. I am in a quandary. Anxiety is beginning to get the better of me should Biden not win. I cannot remain an American should the orange stain manage re-election. I cannot continue my employment in defense. I have to somehow leave if I can find a country that will allow me entry. I have always had a fascination with Ireland. I am 9 months away from being able to collect SS.

    Parent
    A recent article listed (none / 0) (#93)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:19:19 PM EST
    the best places expats could live inexpensively. Each, with the exception of Mexico, had a caveat that they were not letting US citizens in at the moment.

    Can't find the article again to provide a link.

    Parent

    That's the problem now. (none / 0) (#99)
    by Chuck0 on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 05:01:50 PM EST
    Americans are greatly limited to where they can go. Thanks to the orange stain. Remember when folks said they would move to Canada. That's not an option anymore. It may be that I have to find like minded people and become a revolutionary in my own country.

    Parent
    You can (none / 0) (#107)
    by MO Blue on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 10:11:20 AM EST
    Move to a mountain top like Madam Zorba.

    Parent
    Well, we're still subject (none / 0) (#120)
    by Zorba on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 02:42:23 PM EST
    To the government up here, but we are in a blue state.  A reddish part of a blue state, but this part is becoming more like purple.
    West of here, though, it's quite red and you still see Confederate flags and Trump 2020 signs.
    We have enough to eat, we can hunt and fish if things really fall apart, and I don't thing the right wing crazies are going to come up the mountain to shoot at anybody.  We're all armed up here, and we won't be shooting each other, either.

    Parent
    Indictments (none / 0) (#102)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 07:02:09 PM EST
    must be on the way from the NY AG. The clue is the attack on Cuomo. I checked for the release date for Michael Cohen's book and it is not until September 8th. So he's probably not rage tweeting that one yet.

    Parent
    Flynn goes back to Judge Sullivan (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 11:08:06 AM EST
    The decision is 8-2 against Flynn (5.00 / 3) (#113)
    by Peter G on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:42:20 PM EST
    Judge Sullivan has authority to consider whether to grant Barr's motion to dismiss the case (notwithstanding Flynn's valid guilty plea), and to have the assistance of an amicus curiae, so he can be sure he is hearing the arguments on both sides of the question. Flynn's mandamus petition, by celebrity attorney Sidney Powell, which the court now denies (65-page PDF), was the legal equivalent (imho) of Kimberly Guilfoyle's speech at the RNC.

    Parent
    Flynn should (none / 0) (#110)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 11:53:57 AM EST
    just take his medicine. It even could get worse for him if Biden wins in November. I'm sure a Biden justice department is not going to let Flynn off the hook.

    Parent
    Herman Cain, tweeting from Hades, says... (5.00 / 1) (#111)
    by desertswine on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:27:36 PM EST
    "It looks like the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be."

    Don't need masks where he is.

    The fake Covid-19 (none / 0) (#117)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 01:02:14 PM EST
    appears to have been responsible for the death of Robert, Trump's brother. According to Laura Ingram.

    Parent
    Singing dogs (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 04:15:27 PM EST
    link

    Claudio Sillero, a conservation biologist at Oxford University and the chair of the canid specialist group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said that the study confirms the close relatedness between Australian and New Guinea dogs, "the most ancient `domestic' dogs on earth."

    James McIntyre, president of the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation and the researcher whose forays in the field were central to the discovery, first searched for New Guinea Singing Dogs in the forbiddingly rugged highlands of the island, which is split between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, in 1996. He was taking a break from studying intersex pigs in Vanuatu, but that's another story. Mr. McIntyre has degrees in zoology and education, and has worked at the Bronx Zoo and other zoos, private conservation organizations and as a high school biology teacher.

    This brightened my day

    Wait a minute..... intersex pigs? (none / 0) (#147)
    by desertswine on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 10:56:41 PM EST
    Today is Primary Day in MA (5.00 / 1) (#134)
    by CST on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 02:51:10 PM EST
    And the big race is Kennedy vs. Markey.  I'm voting for Markey, mostly because I think MA can do better than both of them and he's older/less likely to be in the seat for the rest of my life.

    Both candidates have managed to reinvent themselves this race, and frankly I'm fine with that since both of them are chasing left and I don't take issue with politicians that change with the times.  But we have real talent waiting in the wings and neither one of them is it (IMO).  Having said that, neither one of them is a huge problem either - it's weird to me how much attention/animosity this race has gotten for what will ultimately amount to not much changing regardless.

    The other races are not competitive in my district, but Kennedy's old seat in District 4 could be a real nail-biter.

    Markey seems to have won (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 09:36:56 PM EST
    Pretty handily

    Parent
    Interesting Race (none / 0) (#148)
    by CST on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 11:09:09 PM EST
    I wonder how much of this was a proxy for Kennedy vs. Pressley. One big assumption is that Kennedy ran now because he doesn't want to face her in an open primary.

    On the other hand I'm sure some of the votes will flip.  Kennedy did pretty well in the Gateway cities (working class, diverse, not Boston) and Markey definitely won some suburbs that Pressley probably won't, because he is still a G.O.B.

    Parent

    Out of 20 something races over the years (none / 0) (#146)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 09:38:55 PM EST
    Kennedy is now the first member of his immediate family to lose a primary election in Massachusetts history.



    Parent
    Tom Seaver, the great Mets pitcher.. (5.00 / 1) (#161)
    by desertswine on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 10:31:13 PM EST
    has died. For anyone who experienced the Miracle Mets of '69, who can forget it?

    "Pitching is what makes me happy."

    The '69 Mets made this 8 year old... (5.00 / 1) (#163)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Sep 04, 2020 at 03:31:16 PM EST
    Oriole fan cry. My Mom was so worked up she couldn't watch.

    Brooks and Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, Paul Blair in the field, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally pitching - all my childhood heros - such a great team and yet lost in 5.

    Still have my Brooks Robinson autographed baseball I got from a Make-A-Wish kind of meet and greet in the O's locker room earlier that year.

    Parent

    Minneapolis cops (1.00 / 4) (#3)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 05:46:47 AM EST
    It is going to be tough to get convictions on the four Minneapolis cops. George Floyd's lungs weighed two to three times normal and fentanyl in the blood twice lethal level.  That's strong evidence that Mr. Floyd died of a drug O.D.  All the more so as he was complaining of being unable to breathe even before he left his own vehicle.  

    The AG's decision to charge murder on these facts is questionable at best.

    Link

    Wow - the things you learn (5.00 / 4) (#7)
    by Yman on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:21:25 AM EST
    Who knew that having a drug in your system was legal justification for murdering a restrained, handcuffed suspect by kneeling on his neck for over 8 minutes?  Or that the presence of a drug in your system means your death was caused by that drug, rather than someone kneeling on your neck for over 8 minutes.  Hard to believe the medical examiner - who found that Floyd died of "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression" - could get it so wrong.

    Factcheck - George Floyd did not die of a drug overdose

    Gotta love the "Stayed at a Holiday Inn last night" lawyers/pathologists.

    Parent

    Whatever (2.00 / 1) (#32)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:31:34 PM EST
    He was showing symptoms of fentanyl poisoning before he left his vehicle. Nothing the officers did would account for the edema in his lungs.  Fentanyl OD explains his symptoms and the state of his lungs.  Untreated pulmonary can be fatal.
    Whatever else the cause of Mr. Floyd's is certainly not beyond reasonable doubt.

    Parent
    In the event of a Fentanyl (5.00 / 3) (#35)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 04:01:44 PM EST
    or any opiod overdose, Minnesota permits physicians, pharmacists, EMS, and law enforcement officers to intervene during emergencies by dispensing/administering the antidote, Naloxone. The suspect did give notice, apparently, of dyspnea and shortness of breath.

    Good police work would recognize and intervene and not exploit/exacerbate the symptoms by shutting off the airway system in order to make an arrest. Other police procedures should have been used to bring the situation under control.  

    Parent

    If the police encounter someone (5.00 / 4) (#36)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 04:04:43 PM EST
    showing signs of a drug overdose (fentanyl poisoning) -- note that I say "if" -- the proper response is to administer Narcan, not to suffocate that person with a knee to the neck.

    Parent
    Cool story (none / 0) (#53)
    by Yman on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 10:02:24 PM EST
    Was it a Holiday Inn Express or did you spring for the full-fledged Holiday Inn?

    Parent
    So according (5.00 / 3) (#9)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:32:58 AM EST
    to you cops are always allowed to commit extrajudicial executions on suspects?

    Parent
    Not always, my dear. (none / 0) (#96)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:37:29 PM EST
    Summary execution by law enforcement officers is apparently okay only if the suspects are otherwise undesirable people who truly deserve it, i.e., persons of color or if white, a trailer park resident or someone who's homeless and / or mentally ill.

    Other justifications include those reasons that are often only discerned in retrospect, such as LGBTQ or past marijuana / drug use. While person marked for summary elimination may not have even committed a crime at the time, if the officer has any reason whatsoever to believe that this person might do so in the future, action is justified under the legal category of "Hey, why take a chance?"

    Welcome to the New American Dystopia. Now, anybody up for watching a "Dirty Harry" retrospective?

    >:-O

    Parent

    It may be even (5.00 / 3) (#14)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 10:45:48 AM EST
    more damning to the arresting officers if the suspect brought attention to his experiencing shortness of breath prior to leaving his vehicle. Alternate means of subduing the suspect, other than compressing his airway system, may have brought the situation under control by responsible policing.

    Parent
    Hopefully (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Aug 27, 2020 at 03:27:11 PM EST
    By the time it gets here it will just be rain.  Which we could really use.  Suddenly after months in the rain forest we decided to have a drought here.  It's been very dry.  

    Still has not rained.  But it's coming..

    It was just rain (none / 0) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 08:07:32 AM EST
     Very welcome and needed.  Don't even know of any local power outages which was the only real fear.

    Parent
    To be clear I'm as far north as the state goes (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 10:39:54 AM EST
    Some in the south of the state got hammered.   Plus in the hills flash flooding is less of a problem.  

    Parent
    I watched the HBO doc "True Justice" (none / 0) (#2)
    by Peter G on Thu Aug 27, 2020 at 09:37:12 PM EST
    about Bryan Stevenson, the work of the Alabama Equal Justice Initiative, and his National Memorial for Peace and Justice tonight. The showing was sponsored by ACLU-PA. Must better than the RNC.

    A channel on Sling tv (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:52:51 AM EST
    Called Film Detective runs classic tv and movies.  Sometimes really obscure ones.  I didn't think there were that many tv series I never heard of but turns out there is

    one I've been recording is Public Defender

    Never heard of it but it's about just what it says.  

    Another one I never heard of that I have been enjoying is

    Captain Video

    Parent

    I've never heard of that one (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 09:06:05 AM EST
    but the TV series "The Defenders," with E.G. Marshall, was a big favorite of mine as a kid, and I think proved influential.

    Parent
    I liked it alright... (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by unitron on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 10:12:15 PM EST
    ...but Mad Magazine's "The Defensers" satire of it influenced me more, mostly because I can never encounter mention of Marshall or Robert Reed or the show or even the word 'defenders' without thinking of the Mad article title.

    Parent
    The Defenders! Yes I was allowed (none / 0) (#59)
    by JanaM on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 02:09:46 PM EST
    to stay up late to watch that.  And, of course, Hawaiian Eye for the cute men.  

    The Defenders and Paul Holmes' "The Sheppard Murder Case" are why I am what I am.  

    Parent

    Captain Video! (none / 0) (#21)
    by leap on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    My brothers and I watched that when we were wee kiddies, on the first teevee we ever had in the house. We thought it was a hoot, especially when there were "oooops" and confusion on the set--well, it was live and funky. We'd even act out some of the goofs. And sing the commercials.

    Parent
    The RNC broke (none / 0) (#22)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 01:10:58 PM EST
    who is Jim Gaffigan?? n/t (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by leap on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:02:37 PM EST
    ?

    Parent
    Really? (none / 0) (#33)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:49:30 PM EST
    Jim Gaffigan is a stand up comic. He has had numerous comedy specials on HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.

    He is well-known for not working blue. A family friendly comedian. He doesn't do any political stuff in his act either. His Hot Pockets bit is especially well known.

    However, he really went to town on Twitter last night during the orange buffoon's speech. Lots of f bombs. Told Karen (her real name) to eff off.

    Parent

    I was actually surprised. (none / 0) (#45)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:26:07 PM EST
    That's like pi$$ing off Capt. Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers, who then cuss you out in front of your parents.

    Parent
    I'm old enough to remember (none / 0) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 01:30:11 PM EST
    The civil rights fights of the 60s.  I was a child but I saw the way whites felt about blacks.  

    Then we spend decades telling ourselves we have made and are making progress.  Now this.  I never thought I would live to see the blatant racism that's happening now.  Some how it seems even more insidious than the racism of the 60s.  More, and at the same time less, sophisticated.  Like the difference between cocaine and crack.

    One thing is becoming as clear as it could ever be.  Our republic is on the ballot this year.  They are making it painfully clear what they will do if they win.  This is maybe the most important election ever.  At least since the civil war.

    I think we will win.  But if we don't I really think it's over.  If you can leave, leave.  I wish I could.  If our country, faced with this choice, chooses Trump we have to stop saying this is not us.   It's not normal.

    Parent

    It is more insidious (none / 0) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:01:06 PM EST
    since people should know better in the 21st century. At least half a century ago many of these people didn't ever see people who had opposite views on race. The people today have had the opportunity to learn and grow and yet have steadfastly refused to.

    Parent
    The death rattle (none / 0) (#37)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 04:18:42 PM EST
    for white supremacy.  A dangerous time, made all the more so with demagogic Republican leadership.

    Parent
    Triggered (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 05:13:59 PM EST
    Two former top Homeland Security officials in the Trump administration have told The Daily Beast that there was an unwritten policy to not utter phrases like "domestic terrorism" and "white supremacy" around the president, for fear that he would take such conversations as implicit criticism of him.



    Parent
    The white supremicists (none / 0) (#43)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 06:37:36 PM EST
    are fearful and striking out as they run out of work arounds.  Suburbs are looking more like the cities; private schools are too expensive; red lining has been curtailed; and attitudes are changing.

    Parent
    Agreed. The most important (none / 0) (#31)
    by KeysDan on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 03:16:16 PM EST
    election since the Civil War.  The future of the country will be bleak at best. The harm irretrievable. If the Democrats take the US Senate there may be some hope, but Trump will treat that Senate as he now does the House--with contempt. Gone will be those socialistic programs Medicare and Social Security. The judiciary lost. Laws, rules, ethics--the job finished off.

    The model seems to be shaping up to be Czarist Russia, thanks to Trump's innate authoritarianism and the likely coaching by Putin. Nepotism, corruption,and incompetence.  Citizens as peasants to be manipulated by lies and fear.

    The criminal enterprise last night should be an eyeopener even for those who keep their eyes closed.  The autocratic monarch speaking from the palace balcony in clear view of the Washington monument.  A Republic, if you can keep it--- by voting out Trump and his accomplices.


    Parent

    Seriously (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 04:57:36 PM EST
    I keep having flashbacks to Moon Over Parador. Life imitates art.

    Parent
    Ha. I was trying to remember the title of that (none / 0) (#49)
    by oculus on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:49:19 PM EST
    movie last night.

    Parent
    Hey, Cap'n H, here's an interesting story (none / 0) (#46)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:33:37 PM EST
    about a college friend of one of our daughters; he's an Arkansas law student (and son of a judge), who was arrested and held between 60-90 minutes for driving (a U-Haul with his stuff, heading back to school) while Black. I mean, "changing lanes too quickly" and "looking nervous" and "looking like he was going to take an exit, but then not exiting the highway." Trooper must have been pretty frustrated that neither he nor his drug dog could find anything after unloading the U-Haul on the side of the highway.

    Parent
    A more hopeful story (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 08:05:29 PM EST
    About AR state troopers.

    So it won't get to personal I will just say, relatives.   This is a story about my relatives.

    A few years ago, before Trump and the rise of Trumpism and the associated racism so things may well have gotten worse, a relative of mine decided what he wanted most in the world was to be an AR state trooper.

     He had been a law enforcement groupie his whole life, creepily like the teenaged shooter in WI as a matter for fact.  He had relatives who wore a badge and he was himself some kind of deputy at the time.  (At the moment he is a sheriff deputy in my county).  

    So he applied.  And went through the recruitment process.  

    The thing to know about this story is his grandfather, then and now retired, had once been something of a player in state politics.  He was an elected (democrat) for many years locally and for years had been very active in state and local politics.  He knew everyone who was anyone in state politics including, at the time, the governor, Jim Guy Tucker.  Yep, that was his name.

    Anyway his grandson was rejected because he failed the psych tests.  We are not supposed to know why he failed but, connections.  It was known this is was he was rejected.

    At which time his grandfather called the governor.  I was there and heard it.  And I also did not believe he was actually talking to the governor until it was over.  He was going to get his grandson this job the old fashioned way.  By calling in a favor.

    It did not work.  He did not become a state trooper.

    Now, I share this because I am in COMPLETE agreement.  This person absolutely not be a LEO.  His rejection made me feel better about the entire system.  Yes, he is LE but in a podunk little backwoods county where he can do far less harm.

    That's the good news.  The bad news is there is probably a lot just like him.  

    Parent

    The problem (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:39:21 PM EST
    Is all the people this happens to who are not law students or the son of a judge so we never hear about it.

    FWIW the same thing happened to me in Illinois

    Parent

    I would say it is a good thing that (none / 0) (#48)
    by Peter G on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 07:47:21 PM EST
    some of those harassed and unreasonably stopped are law students etc., so that the cases we hear about are not only the ones then end in unjustified shootings.

    Parent
    Sleep well (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Aug 28, 2020 at 06:13:43 PM EST
    "A new online study finds that Republicans and independents are twice as likely as Democrats to say they would not give their true opinion in a telephone poll question about their preference for president in the 2020 election. That raises the possibility that polls understate support for President Trump," Businessweek reports.

    "Some 11.7% of Republicans and 10.5% independents said they would not give their true opinion, vs. 5.4% of Democrats."

    link

    I like all the stories (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 10:26:01 AM EST
    In the last week or so warning Trump could win.  IMO he absolutely could.

    There is the above.  There is new reporting that there is indeed a large number white trash racists that did not vote in 2016.  Specifically in WI, MI and PA.

    there is this

    I say be afraid.  Make others afraid.

    Parent

    This (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 10:46:30 AM EST
    "The president hasn't done much to expand the narrow base that gave him only 46% of the popular vote in 2016, but this is not necessarily a formula for defeat. As an analysis by Brookings Institution demographer William Frey shows, more than 60% of the 2016 non-voters in the `Blue Wall; states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were whites without college degrees. Compared with 2004, when George W. Bush won re-election, turnout rates among these voters, fell by 7 percentage points in Wisconsin, 5.7 points in Michigan, and 2.7 points in Pennsylvania."

    "Restoring their turnout to 2004 levels could allow President Trump to repeat his 2016 Midwestern success, even if Democrats do better in the suburbs and large cities. He could eke an Electoral College majority even if he loses Florida, where he now trails Mr. Biden."

    link

    Parent

    And this (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 02:16:33 PM EST
    A new Yahoo New-YouGov poll with Joe Biden's lead over Donald Trump shrinking to 6 points, 47% to 41%, his smallest margin in nearly two months.

    A new Morning Consult poll also shows Biden with a 6 point lead, 50% to 44%.



    Parent
    Some good(ish) news (none / 0) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 09:50:07 AM EST
    ABC

    President Donald Trump's efforts to build his appeal and define his opponent at the Republican National Convention, using pageantry and the White House as the backdrop, had little apparent impact on the electorate's impressions of both him and former Vice President Joe Biden, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds.

    Taken together, the last two weeks set up a general election between an incumbent ticket facing a favorability deficit, while views of the Democratic ticket have bounced into positive territory during the convention season.



    Parent
    But not (none / 0) (#97)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:45:28 PM EST
    so much as to be so discouraged as to lose the faith.  It is inevitable that the polls will tighten.

    Parent
    Portland is a powder keg (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 05:01:11 PM EST
    There are Trump caravaners tweeting about coming for payback tonight for the right winger last night.

    This is bad.  I think it's going to be downhill from here for the next 60 days.  

    Parent

    Portland stinks of Russian involvement.. (none / 0) (#100)
    by desertswine on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 05:58:08 PM EST
    They're doing exactly what they did during the last election, but now they're better at it and they have free rein.  In fact, the Trump regime is protecting and keeping Russian interference a secret.

    Parent
    They are not even trying anymore (none / 0) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 06:09:35 PM EST
    This thing about ending briefings to congress about election interference is like a big middle finger

    The House has do something.  We are way past sternly worded letter territory.

    Parent

    The NBC affiliate in Baltimore (none / 0) (#58)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Aug 29, 2020 at 01:01:27 PM EST
    WBAL has been showing Ravens games from days gone by on Friday nights. I have been watching the last two or three weeks.

    The great thing about watching Baltimore television. No political advertising. Maryland will go to Biden. So no one is spending money there. Here in PA, it's wall to wall political ads. Broadcast TV, cable channels, everything.

    Roku (none / 0) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 10:21:18 AM EST
    I was irritated by the incessant cross marketing from Amazon so I borrowed a ROKU stick from a friend to try it.

    I really it.  Especially no Amazon but it has one really really big problem for my viewing habits.  No tv mute.  WTF.  Googling I learned they obviously know this sucks because the $99 ROKU of course has a mute button.

    I look forward to the next thing.  I think there will be new things for the delivery of entertainment.

    For now I'm probably sticking with FireStick

    Parent

    If you are interested (none / 0) (#68)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 10:50:26 AM EST
    Best Sling TV Alternatives 2020 - Your Top 7 Options

    Short answer, there aren't any.  Philo has no news (or sports).  The others are basically cable prices.

    Parent

    Nicole Lafond, TPM (none / 0) (#82)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:44:19 PM EST
    clearly states how I feel about execution by Cop.


    But getting caught up in the details of an incident or questioning the behavior of a victim misses the point. Innocent Black people don't deserve to be killed by police. Guilty Black people don't deserve to be killed by police. There's due process.

    TPM Member only

    All kinds of outreach (none / 0) (#85)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 01:53:39 PM EST
    to the AA/black community from Dems in speeches and on TV but they are not paying enough attention to a real risk to Biden's election.

    Trump's surprising resilience with Hispanic voters, explained

    Biden is doing worse than Clinton among Hispanic voters

    Need strong outreach to both communities and they IMO are not doing it.


    National Standards for Making an Arrest (none / 0) (#95)
    by RickyJim on Sun Aug 30, 2020 at 04:36:51 PM EST
    Are there any?  I am sure that one can't cover all situations but there must be a body of research on how to do it properly. One would think that most police departments would want their members trained in these best procedures and be given refresher courses frequently.  What punishments there are for violations should be well documented.  Having a state or federal review board that would immediately investigate, when an infraction of the rules is alleged, might head off demonstrations and worse.  

    Defunding Police. (none / 0) (#123)
    by KeysDan on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 03:20:23 PM EST
    Is a misunderstood and deliberately misrepresented idea that should be re-named in keeping with its intention, such as "Police Improvement in the USA."

    The necessary improvements are more likely to require increases in funding, albeit in a re-ordered manner.

    The first step, in my view, is to analyze the existing policing circumstances...their strengths and challenges. The history of profession and occupation improvement is grounded in changes in its education and training. At present, police academy training varies  considerably, by jurisdictions, with an average of between 13 and 19 weeks, although some may go up to six months.  

    Moreover, the curricular design and content varies.  Requirements to become a police officer may be a HS diploma or GED. Some may require some college work (AA or baccalaureate degree). Physical ability tests are generally required, but may also vary in scope.

    Police academies are operated by state or other governmental agencies. Cadets may be paid while in training and tuition is free. Prospective cadets may enter police academies prior to being hired. Tuition charged may be reimbursed if hired.  

    Given the authority and responsibility given to police officers for the well-being of citizens, and the more reasonable remuneration now provided for service, the educational and training requirements should be improved. At least two-years of college, or a college degree, should be among expectations. The educational and training backgrounds need to include not only a specialized police focus, but also, the broadening perspective of general education necessary to effective policing.

    (Note: According to BLS, 2018, the average  annual salary of a police officer is $62,000, with a range of over $100,000 (CA) and a low of $35,500 (MS).  In about 35 states the salary level is above $50,000.)

    While police work is not among the top ten most dangerous professions and occupations, it does involve stressors (e.g., horrific road accidents or crime scenes) that need to be taken into account.

    Consideration should also be given to the organization of the Police Academies with affiliation or merger with junior or senior colleges.  The practicum components of the curriculum  will continue to require instruction by police practitioners, but the overall academic diversity and rigor that the programs deserve will be enhanced.

    As with many professions and occupations, particularly those involving public safety and welfare, responsibilities and authorities are codified by the state with provision for individual accountability.

    Since professions evolve in accord with changes occurring and contemplated, a continuing education program needs to be a part of the police improvement program.

    Certainly, changes of this nature will not render miracles. But, better credentialing may address the balance between advantages of the fraternal family socialization advantageous to policing and intolerance for "bad apples."

    Parent

    Should There be a Separate Legal System (none / 0) (#125)
    by RickyJim on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 05:09:30 PM EST
    to handle infractions by the police against the public?  There is a separate one for military misbehavior with the court martial system.  There have been horrendous outcomes of relying on the US civilian justice system to convince everybody that justice has been done in the way it handled incidents like the beating of Rodney King or the storming of the Branch Davidians in Waco. The current unrest doesn't compare (so far) but I have the feeling that the fact that an official, non political agency hasn't quickly taken charge of the investigations contributes to the situation.

    Parent
    Uncle Joe (none / 0) (#112)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:40:17 PM EST
    Is speaking from PA

    He doing pretty darn well.  So far.

    This is an election between (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:50:19 PM EST
    The kindly dotty uncle you avoid at Thanksgiving and the crazy right wing gunnut Christian evangelical uncle you avoid at Thanksgiving

    Parent
    When it rains.... (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:43:13 PM EST
    Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and adviser to Melania Trump, told ABC News she is working with multiple prosecutors on investigations into potential financial crimes committed in connection with President Trump's inauguration.

    Said Wolkoff: "I'm working with three different prosecutors, and it's taken over my life."



    Parent
    Intended for (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 12:44:28 PM EST
    The Flynn subthread

    Parent
    Melania (none / 0) (#121)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 02:53:24 PM EST
    being prosecuted for fraud is something I didn't have on my 2020 bingo card.

    Parent
    Probably time to do that.. (none / 0) (#118)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Aug 31, 2020 at 02:11:16 PM EST
    ...then.

    "A federal appeals court on Monday dismissed a House lawsuit seeking to force President Trump's former White House counsel Donald McGahn to comply with a Congressional subpoena, saying Congress has not passed a law expressly authorizing it to sue to enforce its subpoenas," the Washington Post reports.

    "The divided 2-1 ruling dealt a blow to Congressional oversight powers and came three weeks after the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed that Congress had standing to sue -- that is, it had shown that the Trump administration's refusal to allow to McGahn to testify harmed the House's long-standing right to compel government officials' testimony."



    Julia Ioffe (none / 0) (#126)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 08:21:05 AM EST
    Russian journalists have discovered data from Michigan voter data rolls-including the personal info of 7.6 million Michigan voters-on a Russian hackers' platform, Julia Ioffe reports.

    It also includes voter info from other swing states, including Florida and North Carolina.

    twitter

    Russia (none / 0) (#127)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 08:43:58 AM EST
    Tsar Bomba

    In October 1961, the Soviet Union dropped the most powerful nuclear bomb in history over a remote island north of the Arctic Circle.

    Though the bomb detonated nearly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above ground, the resulting shockwave stripped the island as bare and flat as a skating rink. Onlookers saw the flash more than 600 miles (965 km) away, and felt its incredible heat within 160 miles (250 km) of Ground Zero. The bomb's gargantuan mushroom cloud climbed to just below the edge of space.

    This was RDS-220 -- also known as the Tsar Bomba. Nearly 60 years after the bomb's record-shattering detonation, no single explosive device has come close to matching its destructive power. Last week, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation (Russia's state atomic agency) released 40 minutes of previously classified footage, showing the bomb's journey from manufactor to mushroom cloud. Now, you can watch it all on YouTube. (The countdown to detonation begins at 22:20).

    An aerial bomber carried the massive weapon high over the Novaya Zemlya islands in the Russian Arctic, then dropped it via parachute before clearing the area. The explosion was so powerful that it actually knocked the aircraft out of the sky, causing the plane to plummet 3,000 feet (900 m) before the pilot could right it, according to Popular Mechanics.



    Mini strokes in action (none / 0) (#128)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 11:32:24 AM EST
    President Trump on Twitter: "It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS."

    No one has actually reported that Trump had a series of mini-strokes.



    The man is literally insane (none / 0) (#129)
    by MO Blue on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 12:02:37 PM EST
    President Donald Trump alleged unnamed people in "dark shadows" are controlling Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in an interview with Laura Ingraham that aired Monday night on Fox News.

    In discussing what he characterized as anarchists and thugs terrorizing American cities, Trump said, "People that you've never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows" are pulling the strings of the former vice president.

    Politico

    The only ones who maybe more insane are the people who are still voting for him.

    Parent

    ...the people who (5.00 / 2) (#132)
    by KeysDan on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 02:37:27 PM EST
    are still voting for him.   Republicans, in largest measure, are still with him.  In the past,  some have attempted to distinguish extremist Republicans by descriptors such as right-wing, or right-wing nut jobs.   But, these extra labels have become superfluous---Republican is enough.

    The Republican Party apparently recognized that they could not survive in a democracy.  A foundational ideology based on greed and grift,  a nation White and Christian, and militarism at home and abroad is out-of-step.  

    Gerrymandering, voter suppression, electoral college and senate structures, have bought them time.  To stay in power, an authoritarian scheme of governing is necessary.   Any tactic will do in order to get there.


    Parent

    ...the people who (none / 0) (#133)
    by KeysDan on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 02:38:34 PM EST
    are still voting for him.   Republicans, in largest measure, are still with him.  In the past,  some have attempted to distinguish extremist Republicans by descriptors such as right-wing, or right-wing nut jobs.   But, these extra labels have become superfluous---Republican is enough.

    The Republican Party apparently recognized that they could not survive in a democracy.  A foundational ideology based on greed and grift,  a nation White and Christian, and militarism at home and abroad is out-of-step.  

    Gerrymandering, voter suppression, electoral college and senate structures, have bought them time.  To stay in power, an authoritarian scheme of governing is necessary.   Any tactic will do in order to get there.


    Parent

    Explalins the trips. (none / 0) (#130)
    by KeysDan on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 12:49:07 PM EST
    up the stairs, down the ramp---and that one to Walter Reed Hospital last November.

    Mini-strokes and strokes affect the brain, of course, so they can change, among other things, personality.  Anger and aggressiveness. But, then, Trump has always been mean.

    Better clues are his slurred speech, his right arm control (drinking water), balance and foot dragging.  At that Benito and Clara show from the palace balcony last week, Trump clung to the podium like a drunk to a lamp post.

    Parent

    He really seems to be coming unglued (none / 0) (#131)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 01:21:11 PM EST
    And this time it's not working as well as it did last time.  The act is a little stale.  So mostly he is just being ignored or mocked.  At least on CNN and MSNBC and the net at large.

    Which really freaks him out so he acts out even more.  Flails more wildly.  Which leads to more tuning out which leads to flailing even more wildly.

    Don't see how it ends well for anyone.

    That Ingram interview last night was unbelievable.  As someone noted, he was not talking like 1955.  He was talking like it was 1855.

    When Lara Ingram tries her best to pull you back from the edge, unsuccessfully, you might be going over it.

    Parent

    No tax returns for you, prior to Election Day (none / 0) (#135)
    by Peter G on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 03:56:12 PM EST
    it seems. Second Circuit (federal appeals court in New York), to my surprise, granted a stay of the order for Mazars to turn over Tr*mp's returns to the Manhattan DA.

    They said on tv (none / 0) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 04:07:53 PM EST
    It could happen in a month.  When I heard that I thought, that would be even worse timing for the election.

    No idea if that's true.  Jus reporting.

    Parent

    Probably referring to this (none / 0) (#137)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 04:10:22 PM EST
    From your link.

    A hearing on the merits of Trump's latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule.

    Again, no clue what it means.

    Parent

    I overlooked that. Yes, if the schedule is (none / 0) (#140)
    by Peter G on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 06:51:55 PM EST
    that expedited -- getting all the way to the in-court hearing within one month, which is pretty extraordinary (it means the briefs for both sides are filed very soon, with just days for each side to respond to the other) -- then yes, of course, there could be a decision well before November 1. But I still don't see how this results in a public release of the tax returns. It's a grand jury subpoena; the returns would be provided under seal to Vance's office, and would remain secret until and unless there are criminal charges filed. Also, even assuming that with their ruling the court of appeals issues their mandate (order to obey) "forthwith," eliminating the typical rehearing delay, the Tr*mp lawyers can still waste another week or two after that pretending to try to appeal to the Supreme Court again.

    Parent
    My impression was (none / 0) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 07:03:42 PM EST
    The bobble head meant it could effect the election in that it will make Trump completely lose his mind one month before the election.

    Parent
    "Completely lose his mind"? (5.00 / 1) (#142)
    by Peter G on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 07:42:45 PM EST
    How would that be a new development?

    Parent
    Oh (none / 0) (#143)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 07:54:33 PM EST
    IMO if you think we are even close to the bottom I believe you are underestimating what completely losing his mind will look like.

    That motion his lawyers filed to delay this was literally begging the judge(s) to not make him reveal his taxes because it would be bad.  Really really bad.  For everyone.

    We have long known keeping his taxes private is job one.  My guess is he knows the information in them will be the end if his world as he knows it.

    So, yeah,  I think he will crack if they say give it up.  And if that happens a month before the election it will be good.  For us.

    Parent

    Also (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 08:08:25 PM EST
    The legal news around him (particularly) and his family gets more interested mg by the day.

    Like the new talk about how Rosenstein killed the investigation into the possibility Trump was a Russian agent.

    If there is a Democratic DOJ that investigation will almost certainly be reopened.  And that is just one thing.  One drop in an ocean of shi+ gathering for him.

    The point being Trump is beginning to understand how completely screwed he is if he loses.  

    I don't at all mean to sound glib.  I think it's absolutely terrifying.  I think this stuff about sending militias to various cities is a dress rehearsal.

    I don't even think he is trying to win any more.  He's trying to cause so much chaos and violence he and Barr can declare martial law.  That Ingram interview is a great example.  He is whipping up his base.  That's all.  Expect more.  And worse.

    We are not close to the bottom yet.  IMO

    Parent

    What Does Slightly Mean? (none / 0) (#138)
    by RickyJim on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 05:00:45 PM EST
    As in "Biden is slightly favored to win the election."
    We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible.

    Biden Wins 68 out of 100, Trump wins 31 out of 100, 1 tie out of 100.

    It seems to me that they think Biden is more than twice as likely to win than Trump, so why do they say slightly?

    Pick your forecast (none / 0) (#139)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 01, 2020 at 05:50:00 PM EST
    August 31, 2020 at 4:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 344 Comments

    The Economist forecast now shows Joe Biden with an 88% chance of winning the electoral college and a 98% chance of winning the popular vote.

    The FiveThirtyEight forecast has Biden with a 67% chance of winning the electoral college.



    Parent
    Today They Took Out the "Slightly" (none / 0) (#154)
    by RickyJim on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 05:55:47 PM EST
    Article behind paywall. (none / 0) (#150)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 11:46:08 AM EST
    Although the article's subtitle seems unclear:

    New data suggest that social distancing and reopening haven't determined the spread.

    "determined?"

    the comment was deleted (none / 0) (#160)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 10:20:21 PM EST
    for misrepresenting an op-ed as a news article. (I subscribe to the WSJ for its news and was able to determine in two seconds it's an oped.

    Misrepresenting an oped as factual news is way below the standards for this site.

    Parent

    You keep (none / 0) (#151)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 02:51:33 PM EST
    posting this stuff it seems out of desperation. BTW another of your pals is going to be indicted Elliot Broidy. How many does that make now in jail and awaiting trial?

    He paid some big bucks for silence (none / 0) (#155)
    by fishcamp on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 06:31:42 PM EST
    to a playboy playmate.  $1.6 m.  Wikipedia.

    Parent
    He did (none / 0) (#156)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 07:49:25 PM EST
    and he may be indicted for that but from what I have read it is something about Malaysia and China and influence peddling.

    Parent
    Jondee, repost your (none / 0) (#158)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Sep 02, 2020 at 10:16:04 PM EST
    comment without the cokehead reference or I'll have to delete it. It is potentially libelous.

    The United States Postal Service (none / 0) (#164)
    by fishcamp on Sat Sep 05, 2020 at 08:15:08 AM EST
    usually sponsors a team during the Tour de France bicycle race...but not this year.

    Wayward Pines (HULU) (none / 0) (#165)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Sep 05, 2020 at 09:26:47 AM EST
    And probably other places.

    This is a few years old but I just discovered it.  The reason for that is bad marketing.  Although I understand why.  I guess,

    If you say anything at all about what it's really about it's the biggest possible spoiler.  What it's actually about is the whole point.  And if you don't know what it's really about it just doesn't sound very interesting.

    I only learned because of my tendency to seek and read spoilers.  For this I thought, wow, that sounds amazing.

    And it kind of is.

    trailer