Well, hear I sit with a free afternoon. My 2nd student called and is sick so I have more time. Tomorrow is busy with physio and a haircut — good thing I don't get charged by the kilo of hair that is removed! We Sasquatches have a lot of hair! It has been very hot here with Sunday at an unbearable 35 C (95 F) and yesterday 31 C (88 F) . . . and it isn't even summer yet! Today is 25 C (78 F) so a lot cooler, but still hot! I like 21 C (70 F) with sunshine and a gentle breeze. We are scheduled for rain later this week, and based on May's total rainfall (12% of normal), we need a deluge. From what I have read, Paris has been getting our rain as well as their own.
Short Takes
Texas Tribune — U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela took a poison pen to the Republican presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, in an open letter Monday morning.
"Mr. Trump, you’re a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass," the Brownsville Democrat wrote in a lengthy missive to the real estate magnate.
Later Monday, Vela elaborated on his remarks in an MSNBC interview.
"Well, I would have liked to have spoken in a much more diplomatic fashion, but I felt like I had to speak to Donald Trump in language he understands," he said.
Vela notes in the letter that he agreed with Trump on some policies, like improving veterans' care, addressing Mexican drug cartels and deporting criminal felons who are in the country illegally. But he also savages Trump for his rhetoric on those of Mexican descent and his promise to build a wall on the southern U.S. border.
Kudos to Vela for speaking in words that Drumpf would understand, although if Drumpf comments on this, he likely to accsuse Vela of being rude, or worse.
Crooks and Liars — Glenn Beck was suspended for a week by Sirius XM for not reining in his guest, fiction author Brad Thor, who hinted that maybe President Donald Trump should be "removed from office" by a "patriot" because the "feckless Congress" won't do it.
“With the feckless, spineless Congress we have, who will stand in the way of Donald Trump overstepping his constitutional authority as President?” Thor said. “If Congress won’t remove him from office, what patriot will step up and do that if he oversteps his mandate as President, his constitutional-granted authority, I should say, as President.”
Too bad they couldn't make the ban permanent!
Politicususa — Donald Trump’s appearances on CNN’s State Of The Union and CBS’s Face The Nation were total disasters for the presumptive Republican nominee after both networks used the interviews to call out his lies.
The trouble began for Trump after he repeated his claim that he always opposed the Iraq war.
Lying is a lot like juggling. The more one lies, the harder it is to keep all the lies straight and in play, or in the world of a juggler, in the air. And such is the juggling act called Trump. Of course, like many liars, Trump claims to be misunderstood, or claims outright that he didn't say certain things. Is this the demeanor of a head of state? Trump is a pathological liar which is partly why The Huffington Post puts the following Editor's Note after articles about Trump:
Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar,rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
CBC — Canada's immigrant communities are not breeding grounds for terrorists, as some would argue, but should be enlisted to reduce any violent radicalization in their midst, says a newly released report.
The research, ordered by the Harper government in 2014, appears to repudiate Conservative measures that alienated Muslim communities in the months before last year's election.
The authors examined four diaspora communities in Canada — Afghan, Somali, Syrian and Tamil — and found them to be willing allies for rooting out extremism among their often young and isolated members.
Phil Gurski, a former CSIS analyst, says trust between Muslim communities and security officials was damaged by Harper government measures last year. (Phil Gurski)
"More resilient diaspora communities represent the best line of defence against violent extremism," says the March 30 report, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act.
The issue of radicalisation is complex. There is no "one size fits all" as conservatives would have us believe. And it is not an "Islamic thing" solely. As societies, we must work with all groups, all disporas, to make inclusive societies where all are welcome and safe. I find it particularly interesting that it was the Harper government that ordered the study, the very government that alienated Muslim communities.
Huffington Post — To defend real estate mogul Donald Trump‘s claim that a federal judge is biased against him because of his “Mexican heritage,” his campaign spokeswoman argued on Monday that it also would be acceptable to accuse a female judge of bias on the basis of gender.
“Well, it would depend on her past and decisions she made as a judge,” Trump’s national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said.
I wonder what Drumpf would say if Antonin Scalia were to hear a Trump case and rule against him. Scalia was a very conservative Justice of the Supreme Court, and one that one would think would rule in his favour. Undoubtedly, Drumpf would likely say Scalia should recuse himself because he is the son of an Italian immigrant and a 1st generation American of Italian descent. Or what about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, admittedly a progressive, but very learned and respected. Would Drumpf insist that she recuse herself because she is a woman? Drumpf has a BIG problem with anyone who does not agree with him! It is great seeing part of the MSM calling him out.
My Universe — Is there anything cuter than purring, fuzzy kittens? Not to me! Look at all this lovin'!
7 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 07/06/2016”
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I'm getting some of your rain too, which I wouldn't mind so much except that it is coming down solid (quarter-size). You probably don't want the chunks either.
TT – Language he understands. Tee-hee.
C&L/TPM – OK, let me get this straight. All the threats ove almost 8 years to President Obama, and Sirius suspends Beck over a threat to Trump, who isn't even President yet? How many light years away is Sirius exactly?
Politicususa – Well, good for CBS and CNN, though it comes a little late.
CBC – The best way to gat any group to behave "badly" is to deny its members full rights of citizenship. TC just pointed this out about former felons. But it's true of any group. If course the form the "bad behavior" will take will depend both upon each individual's prior experience, and on how the group reacts as a whole. So with African Americans (who to my mind are incredibly restrained in their reactions) you mostly get non-violent protests. With former felons, you get returns to crime. With WRNJ's you get domestic terrorism (and you don't even have to deny them citizenship to get that – they will eat up the lies that say they an=re being denied). And if Daesh is there and seductive, you might well get a few terrorists from Muslim communities. But my point is that it shouldn't surprise anyone that "diaspora communities in Canada … [are] willing allies for rooting out extremism among their often young and isolated members." That is exactly what anyone with a brain should expect.
HuffPo – Katrina is as crazy as he is, if not crazier. And, oddly enough, he may even know it. I have not been able to read this whole article because there are so many comments my computer is resisting loading it, but there's this: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/06/1535189/-Donald-Trump-calls-his-campaign-stupid-staffed-by-people-who-aren-t-that-smart
Universe – HUGGIES !!!
TT: Good for Mr. Vela! I was happy to read that, and he gets a standing ovation from me.
Politicususa: Boy, he's so out of line with his comments. "I'm building a wall, ok?" Ugh!x3!!
HP: I agree, he has a problem if things don't go his way, it's gonna get worse, imho.
My Universe: Awwww……
We have a few days w/no rain, so I mowed the lawn, but more rain predicted for the end of the week. It's nice to have a free afternoon, to just relax. Thanks, Lynn.
Yes, the western part of Europe has been getting your Canadian rain, Lynn, but all in very local and extremely violent thunder storms which left quite a few people dead in their wake, struck by lightning or drowned in flash floods. The latter is a phenomenon we've only been getting getting acquainted in the past few years here, but we'd better get used to them as they seem to become the new normal very rapidly.
TT: "… I felt like I had to speak to Donald Trump in language he understands," Filemon Vela said. Kudos to him, and I'm sure more will take this cue. Language isn't going to improve in the next few months, as Drumpf will only have name-calling and ridicule at his disposal.
Democrats do not seem to be the only ones who are sick of Drumpf's racism. Only yesterday I was wondering why there wasn't an outcry over Drumpf's discriminatory remarks about the judge in his court case over his university, whom he accused of being against him because Drumpf thought he was Mexican. Apparently it has angered a lot of people in the GOP, and some are turning back on their support. Paul Ryan has called it unacceptable, however has not recanted his support.
C&L: I think Glenn Beck was to much in agreement with Brad Thor, and must have thought that if if Trump is allowed to threaten with violence and a former NRA head can threaten SCOTUS with a second amendment remedy if they don't allow more pro-gun laws without repercussions then certainly his guest could do the same. Beck would have suggested something along those lines himself had he not been such a coward.
Politicususa: Reporters in mainstream media seem to be coming to their senses. They've been made a fool of by Drumpf far too often as a reward for giving him all this free publicity and some of them now refuse to be bullied by him any longer. They're finally doing their job like they are supposed to and show America what candidates they are dealing with and have to choose from. And Drumpf seems to be on the way down at the moment, because it is very easy for any good reporter to confront him with his own lies. Better late than never. But will it change the minds of his followers? I doubt it. They'll probably cry along with Drumpf that he's been treated so unfairly by the press.
CBC: I think the Harper government ordered the study of these particular four groups because they were so biased in their thinking that they were absolutely convinced of a different outcome, i.e. that these communities were in fact the breeding grounds of extremism. If the results had not been according to their thinking, they would have either dismissed it or they would have taken any very minor remark that could be interpreted as something to do with breeding grounds and blown it out of proportions to suit their needs. But to be absolutely honest, the interpretation of the results may now have been leaning slightly more to the other side of course. However it the study was done by independent researchers, the data should be relatively bias free.
HP: Really, Drumpf is getting his ears boxed by left AND right over his discriminatory remarks about the presumed Mexican federal judge at his "university" trial, and his "spokeswoman" defends again, this time alienating half of the American population? ROTFLMAO Oh please, let Drumpf keep Katrina Pierson as his spokeswoman till the very last day of his campaign because she digs him a beautiful and very deep grave like no other.
My Universe: Gimme more. I need more! These are the only true antidote against Drumpfism.
I'm glad your getting some rest. Same weather here.
I bet Vela is goose-stepping within a month.
Amen!
Rump Dump lies even when there is no need.
You bred a terrorist: The TRUS pervert
He would call Sturmbannfuhrer Sc alia a librul.
Yes, a TomCat fresh from the shower is cuter.
I hope Vela is not goose-stepping in a month as he is a Democrat from Texas' 34th district.
I think photos of "Feline SQUEE" is a pretty potent anodyne to any post that contains the toxic word "Trump" in it.
(And MUCH more soothing than “Brain Bleach”)
Funny about you and your haircut, I often fantasize about getting a discount, as I only have about 17 hairs left (lol).
Texas Tribune: Good for Rep, Vella!
Was Brad Thor suggesting that a patriot ought to assassinate a rouge Pres. Orange Thing? So, His Beckness lets the guy go on? Suspend? How about fire!
Politicus: It now appears to me that Rumpy has put himself in a direct road to self destruction. His BS, his history of BS, his apparently virtually criminal ay of running his company (companies?) is going to get some very intense scrutiny once he gets officially nominated, if that happens. It will not be pretty, but it will, I expect, be beautiful!
CBC: "More resilient diaspora communities represent the best line of defence against violent extremism," says the March 30 report, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act." This makes good sense, and, yes,it is ironic that the Harper gov't ordered the study. Who knowsto what use they meant to put it?!
HP: So Katrina does not actually address the question, which seems to be her modus operandi. Good for HP!
My Universe: No,there is probably nothing cuter than cuddlling kittens.