Yesterday my first baby steps were most unsteady, and I would have nosedived without help. It was too late for the shower. I did most of my research last night, because I want to finish early. I have a couple friends coming, and we’ll eat in the café on the first floor of the hospital. Rush mode engaged.
Short Takes:
From FAIR: CNN host Michael Smerconish (Huffington Post, 11/23/15) brought onto his November 21 show former CIA officer Michael Scheuer, who said that if the US is going to go after ISIS, it should
take out every piece of infrastructure—hospitals, universities, irrigation systems—that make it impossible [sic] for the Islamic State to raise money, to provide electricity, sanitation, potable water. Do exactly what we did to the Germans.
Asked by the CNN host whether the US public would tolerate the “so-called innocent civilian death count,” Scheuer replied:
They should. What’s the difference? They’re not Americans.
Here is the peak of Republican love. Kill a Muslim for Republican Supply-side Jesus (the polar opposite of the real Jesus).
From Daily Kos: Chalk up another win for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and in fact, another win for the American consumer. In this case, it’s members of the military who have new protections from predatory lenders. The CFPB worked with the Pentagon to develop new rules for how the military discretionary allotment system works. Military personnel can designate a portion of their paycheck to be paid automatically to financial institutions or to people, and previously had no legal protections if they used those automatic payments for personal property—vehicles, appliances and consumer electronics. That’s where unscrupulous companies could exploit them.
The new rules shut down that loophole, and will only allow the automatic payments for “the purpose of savings, insurance premiums, mortgage or rent payments, support for dependents, or investments.” That’s one of the final loopholes closed by the CFBP—the agency that Republicans want to gut—for military personnel who have been big targets for consumer fraud. With all these protections, the CFPB has recovered over $98 million for thousands of service members. You know, the troops Republicans supposedly have so much respect and feeling for.
As of the agency’s third birthday back in July, it had recovered more than $4.6 billion—yes billion for consumers harmed by illegal practices by financial institutions.
No wonder Republicans have never stopped trying to hobble the CFPB!!
From Media Matters: Fox News host Megyn Kelly denounced the scene of a young African American protester standing in front of a police officer during a peaceful protest in Chicago following the announcement that police officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with the first-degree murder of an African American teen.
Protests erupted in Chicago following the release of a video showing the shooting death of 17 year old Laquan McDonald. Fox News covered the peaceful protest noting the silent protest of one young black man looking at a police officer. Fox’s Megyn Kelly interrupted her show to comment on the protester, arguing that the protestor was not “appropriate,” because the police officer “hasn’t done anything wrong.” From the November 24 edition of Fox News’ The Kelly File:
Barf Bag Alert!!
Actually, I’m shocked that others on her show were able to counter Megyn Kelly’s racism, without having their microphones cut off.
Cartoon:
12 Responses to “On the Edge–11/26/2015”
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Happy Thanksgiving! If one of your friends is who I think it might be, please say hello from us. Baby steps are always unsteady. Babies only make it through because they are already so close to the ground. It will come.
FAIR – "What's the difference? They're not Americans." Good God. Does this make anyone besides me want to take out the CIA and say "What's the difference? They're not human." My tongue is starting to have scars from being bitten so as not to say things like that.'
DKos – Well, you know what they say – first the memory goes, and the next thing you know, it's the memory – but if I remember correctly the "new" regulations are the way it used to be in the 60's and 70's, and for exactly the reasons given here. In fact, it might have even been a little more restrictive. But I can live with this. Why, why, why did we ever fall asleep and start letting the Republicans get this stuff past us? I admit, I was guilty too, and I think it was through overconfidence that law would stay law, and excessive faith in Republicans being human. And not noticing when they stopped. Whatever – I'm back on track now.
Media Matters – First degree murder is exactly what it was, and, under the circumstances, I hope they can convict. I wonder if the best bet would not be a change of venue – to get around the issue of police and prosecutors having to go on working with one another – to, say, Oregon. If that would be far enough. If not, maybe to The Hague. News flash to Megyn: peaceful protest is always appropriate. That's why it is Constitutionally protected.
Cartoon – Gee, I always thought a turkey and a turtle were different animals. Guess you learn something new every day.
Sorry about the shower, yet thankful friends will be joining you as you give thanks of this special holiday for doing so. Babies' first steps are wobbly and caregivers stand by to help and provide safety–I'm glad yours did likewise.
Quite glad he is former CIA and not present since he advocates ignoring international law (e.g., hospital targets) among other atrocities.
CFPB is indeed doing good work and showing us all how much the public and Main St. needed and needs help of their kind.
I may be back if I can find barf bags–it's hard these days to keep enough in stock.
Is Mitch whistling Dixie?
So good to hear you're picking up your social life again – not only that on the internet – and are having a Thanksgiving meal with friends, TomCat. It must be great to ease into normal routines, chat with friends behind a table with a meal in front of each, and not with you lying in bed, feeling a bit awkward perhaps.
I hope you weren't disappointed with your first steps. You won't remember, but your first baby steps were just as difficult because you hadn't learned to coordinate it yet. The difference now is a few inches and pounds extra that would have made you fall that much harder if you hadn't had the experienced help. You'll see yourself improving with each try, I promise you.
FAIR: This callousness, this psychopathological disregard for innocent life exhibited by "tough guy" and former CIA officer Michael Scheuer makes me shudder to think what this man and his cronies have done to others when they were in the CIA. The "Do exactly what we did to the Germans", nearly got those responsible dragged in front of the courts in Nuremberg for war crimes too. And he – and Ted Cruz – think they have every right to say and, even worse, do it because he feels so much elevated above Da'esh. Barf bag, please.
Daily Kos: I hope they bought the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a huge birthday cake, because it deserved it for recovering more than $4.6 billion for American consumers and for closing this Republican) loophole that allowed the exploitation of military personnel. And now we can wait for the Republicans to start an all out war on the CFPB, including some badly edited undercover videos and …
Media Matters: I couldn't get the video working properly and it quit halfway through, but I had heard more than enough from dear Megan by then. Forget about her, she really had the wrong people on her show to make her racist point, the just wouldn't let her, nor would they allow her to distract from the real reason this silent protest was taking place. I think it is the first time I heard two people on Faux News say that the police was in the wrong, the policeman who murdered Laquan McDonald was wrong and it shouldn't have taken 13 months to admit to that and release the damning video. Amazing!
Cartoon: I hope this tough old turkey won't land on your plate, TomCat.
Baby steps lead the way, and glad you were able to do them.
Fair: Well, isn't he a heartless SOB? So, if they are not Americans, it is ok to murder them? Anyone who feels that way definitely needs mental health care. I started to ask what rock he crawled out from but realized that would be an insult to reptiles.
Daily Kos: Good news for the military. Those in Congress see them as fodder for the war industries and don't want to help them when they return home. Disgusting.\
Media Matters: More "fair and balanced" reporting from Faux news. Megyn is exactly the type of talking head they need and want to fulfill their goals. Yes, I too am amazed that the others cut her story short. They probably won't be invited back.
Cartoon: You KNOW I love this one.
Sorry, but I'm going to have to report you to the ASPCA for that cartoon.
Don't turkeys suffer enough on this day without the added insult? Have you no humanity?!?
Not with Bought Bitch Butterbrain. 🙂
Thanks all. Sadly, my friends couldn't make it.
Hope the café good was better than your regular care. Glad that you are taking steps to get to walking on your new pin!!
FAIR: UNFRIGGINBELIEVABLE!!!!
SO glad that Elizabeth Warren's CFPB is WORKING!!!
The video of that cop having a staring contest is disaster-on-a-stick!!! Megyn Kelly is so ignorant!!!!! She gives new meaning to the "dumb blonde" expression!! I CANNOT BELIEVE that she is that HATEFUL!!! I don't watch Faux Spews so I didnt know how HATEFUL they can be!!!! Just goes to show that the InsaniTEA is running RAMPANT OVER THERE!!!!!! SO GLAD I BLOCKED FOX AND ITS AFFILIATES!!!!!
The CFBP rocks, and it is the very scummy GOPig types who love to rip off whomever they can. It is perfectly tpical, as G .W.Bush showed us, or the GOPigs to berate anty attempt to treat our vets with ANY sort of caring, or compassion.
Scheuer shows just how "exceptional" America is! Heartless mother ####er! He and Megyn Kelly would have made a great pair of stuffed and waxed bookends for Hitler's underground bunker.
Cartoon — This is one turkey that should never be pardonned!
Hi C.T. great to hear from you. Ithought that Mitch the bitch was a Turtle. But I guess that a turkey will do. Know how you feel. am suffering from a concussion,Head butted an Horse and lost!. Very shaky on my feet.
Re. refugees, Rubio wants them all vetted!. Wonder were his parents vetted when they landed in Florida? (to escape Castro?(also a bunch of baloney, Castro was not in charge at that time. (but who cares about facts!!?? and who ,in the Repugs can spell the word. Compassion?.
Also a fun fact. Who scored the worst when asked about global warming,climate change? The Canadian nit wit.Cruz. He got 6 out of 100 right!. Be afraid, Be VERY afraid!
Hope you're feeling a bit better! Concussions are nothing to trifle with. Please take care!