December 16, 2017

Easier to fire Mueller if tRump can get the RepubliCONgress to declare "nothingburger".

It's not going to work, though. Trump-Russia is too big, too massive.

The worst thing RepubliCons could do is shut down their investigations and/or absolve the Trump gang. Democrats (if they are active and efficient) can increase the toxicity levels for 2018 so that the RepubliCons are in a lose-lose-maybe_so_so triple bind: Lose if they clear tRump, lose if they don't impeach him, maybe do so-so if they do impeach / 25th him. And Pence too, while they are at it.

Trump-Russia is proof by example of why the larger the conspiracy the harder it is to hide it. Something that 9-11 "truthers" need to be reminded of.

But the Cover-up conspiracy between the WH and Nunes and Fox "News" seeks to discredit Mueller.

So the Trumpster WH are hoping they can get a double-whammy knockout punch: 1) RepubliCONgress absolution and "complete" discrediting of Mueller as staging a "coup", then they fire him and anyone who dares appoint a successor.

But it won't work. At the very least, the Democratic members will issue a dissenting report. The free media will second it and cement it with leaks of facts and information from the Intelligence Community and foreign Intelligence services.

December 4, 2017

That's what RAISES THE ECONOMY! NOT jacking up real estate & art prices!

When the 1% get tax cuts they don't create new companies. They already have money working on all the opportunities they can find. They can't find any more opportunities.

But the little people start lots of small companies and that's where you find the innovation. Not from the safe money.

The 1% spend tax cuts on real estate and art investments, which is (pardon the expression) a circle jerk raising prices for those kind of items without increasing any productivity!

When people buy more booze, there have to be more trucks and truck drivers to move that. More farmers to grow hops and malt. More baristas to serve it. All that creates jobs and puts money in motion.

November 28, 2017

NO. Started with Birchers & fluoridation & Nixon & tanks & Gingrich & Fox & W & Palin. In other

In other words, it is the culmination of a long effort by Republicons.

John Birch Society members had that same crazed conspiracy anti-gubmnt gleam founded on some racism and a lot of nonsense. They overlapped with the fear-mongering anti-fluoridation nuts.

Nixon brought in the Southern Strategy because he agreed with Johnson's assessment of the costs of his Civil Rights legislation.

https://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/conservative-think-tanks/
How Conservative Think Tanks Helped Create the Age of Trump
Fri Aug 12, 2016 by Jason Stahl, Ph.D.


Think tanks developed the idea of framing the language, a way to dumb down political debate. Gingrich embraced this. Republicons started talking about "death taxes" instead of estate taxes and "pro-life" instead of anti-abortion rights.

George Lakoff: https://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml

Karl Rove very explicitly preferred to win by a more secured slim majority than going for a possible larger majority. This greatly increased polarization in the country which reduces debates to shouts of "commie" and "fascist".

Fox News pushed a faux viewpoint and the rest of the mass media generally obliged because they like horse races for increased viewership leading to increased advertising sales leading to increased profits.

Palin was the "dumb as rocks" flint arrowhead, not the wood behind the arrowhead. A wedge and a "Caribou Barbie" to appeal emotionally.

So, no, Palin & Schmidt were not the cause or the first.

November 11, 2017

Reparations not a solution. 1) Reconciliation, 2) Truly equal justice, 3) Economic support

There is a historic wrong that needs to be corrected due to harms done to African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans.

Reparations is the wrong thing to do. It will not work and will not correct the ongoing fundamental problems.

The ongoing problems are fundamentally a lack of justice and a lack of economic support. Fix those and American society will become an even stronger society than it already is.

1) Reconciliation is completely overlooked but very important as the experience in South Africa and Canada shows.

1a) People have to be heard in official public hearings around the country, extensively and widely held.

1b) "The powers that be" (essentially elected government) have to apologize publicly and on the record for past wrongs, sincerely and meaningfully. Meaningfully means putting real legal power and real money behind points 2 and 3.

2) Truly equal justice means access to the courts by real legal subsidies, real justice for people shot by police, equal enforcement across all districts, federal true oversight, civic education for all students, and much more.

It also means elimination of voter suppression and a permanent end to gerrymandering by placing redistricting in the hands of independent impartial commissions permanently taking it out of the hands of partial legislatures.

3) Economic support is much more effective and much more just than reparations.

It helps people directly.
It is not a one time lump sum, so it is not frittered away and gone.
It is provided for as long as is necessary.
It does not perpetuate a racial divide.
It helps all who need it: poor blacks, native Americans, hispanics, unemployed coal miners, etc.
It does not go to people who don't need it as reparations would be given to.
It does not take from other people who would carry it as a racial grievance.
It does not leave an unresolved reverse grievance used to hammer disadvantaged people.
It levels the playing field by raising the low sections.
It can be organized to largely benefit children rather than adults who are less likely to see much change from money.

To be blunt, if reparations are given out on the basis of race, then many whites would forever after say "We fixed it. You poor blacks have no excuse for lagging behind and you aren't getting another penny from us." It would be used as an excuse to strangle welfare. It would perpetuate racial divisions, not solve them.

By creating national economic support for school districts, for example, the effects of income disparity on children would be much reduced, regardless of race or class.

Ultimately the USA has a class problem, which has been in part created by racism but not entirely. Attacking the economic problem on a color blind class basis almost entirely eliminates the racial excuses the upper classes (predominantly white) use to perpetuate their inherited greater opportunities. Attacking the social justice problem will require a more direct address of the racial biases and must be done.

October 4, 2017

Space Age began 60 years ago today

September 17, 2017

Nailed it. Income & wealth inequality is a big bad problem getting worse.

There will be a real revolution, not faux T party nonsense, if the issue is not addressed squarely.

It could easily be made worse by the soon-to-come AI tsunami but that could just as easily make things more equal and beneficial.

Globalization, on the other hand, enhances peace and provides wonderful technology we love. The iPhone factory worker in China does not want to fight a war with the USA that buys the phones. She/he wants to go home, help their children with homework and have some beer and noodles. Pretty much the same as the US worker of any kind.

Unemployed and underemployed and exploited people see little left to lose if inequality is too great and become more open to wars.

July 30, 2017

I think that Putin accounted for this & now puts Part B of his plan in motion

Putin's aim was to disrupt and weaken the USA by destabilizing its political system. They got lucky and actually pushed Trump over the line. So they waited (in vain) for a bunch of treats. Putin hoped that the RepubliCons would know how to govern better than events have shown and that they would enable tRump to make the US friendly to Russia. But he also knew that there was a better than even chance tRump would not change and would be a disruptive force all on his own.

Now that it is clear treats are not forthcoming, the destabilization strategy continues, but now Trump and Republicons will "have their time in the barrel".

Expect some odd leaks from odd directions. Expect the pee tape (assuming it exists) or other kompromat to be released. Putin may sacrifice a minor oligarch to prove money laundering against tRump. Depending on what exactly happened during the 2016 election, he may one by one sink Trump, then Pence, then McCONnell, though not necessarily in that order. If he judges the Republicon Congressional leadership strong, he may interfere and try to give Democrats a boost in 2018. Alternatively he may interfere and try to tilt (or even jigger) the vote to make the result as much of a deadlock as possible in the House and Senate.

The purpose of the destabilization is to give Putin a freer hand in Europe and the Middle East. He may push and shove in the Ukraine and possibly in the Baltic. He may make more overtures to China. He will continue to support Assad. He may dance with Iran. He may veto some US efforts in the UN.

Be strong. The United States of America will get through this crisis, scarred, but intact and still strong. There is a good chance that Putin won't get much in the end.

There is an even better chance that the Republicon brand will be damaged for decades.

Odds are good that the US will ultimately emerge recognizing itself as having the progressive, mildly liberal majority that it actually has.

July 16, 2017

If he really believes Democratic voters are stupid, King would NOT cut back on NUTRITION.

He and other CONservatives who think conservative voters are so smart would be doing everything to INCREASE NUTRITION.

But they don't believe what they say, of course. They are afraid of the smart PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY in the USA.

July 16, 2017

Excellent. Anger is toxic and damages your own team. An angry warrior is a dead warrior -- Musashi.

Replace anger with cold loathing and regain focus and sharpness.

Make the other side angry. The angrier they are the more mistakes they make.

July 5, 2017

Death threats: I think Russia may be supplying personal info to people making them

WaPo, Newsweek, and CNN reporters / editors say that they receive death threats with their names and addresses and other personal info in them.

It would not surprise me if the Russian intelligence services or their hired operatives are finding and funneling this information to people known to make death threats. It may appear to the threat maker that it is simply somebody on an alt-right / militia / Trumpanzee site posting it.

A "fellow traveler", as the phrase went in the 1950s when it was applied to people sympathizing with international communism.