Were I still working, I would be working 15 hour days as this is the last week for retirement savings plan contributions for the 2015 tax year. Can you see me doing my happy dance now that I am out of that rat race? Mother is doing "well" and we had a good visit. This week will be a little quiter than last but that is OK by me. Hope you are all having a good weekend.
Short Takes
Huffington Post — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) suspended his campaign Saturday after a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary, ending a dismal presidential bid that was built to “shock and awe” his opponents but barely made them flinch.
"I am proud of the campaign we have run to unify our country. To advocate conservative solutions that would give more Americans the opportunity to rise up and reach their God-given potential," Bush said, choking back emotion. "But the people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I respect the decision, so tonight I'm suspending my campaign. I congratulate my competitors that are remaining on the island on their success, for a race that has been hard-fought."
Based on Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary, how long will it be before Kasich and Carson drop out? They both placed lower than Bush. I read somewhere that Bush staffers started sending out résumés late last week.
YouTube — And now, a word about voting rights from John Oliver.
I love John Oliver's way with words.
Rawstory — On Friday night, Donald Trump recounted for his supporters an inaccurate story about John Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, who he alleged decided to summarily execute 49 of 50 Muslim prisoners while helping to put down a rebellion in the Muslim region of Mindanao from 1909-1913. The icing on the cake? The bullets were, as he noted, dipped in pig’s blood.
The fiftieth prisoner was left alive, presumably to go tell his friends of the horror; Trump claimed there was thereafter no more violence for twenty-five years. …
What’s so egregious about all of this is that America’s Muslims, nor really any of the world’s Muslims, conceived of nor orchestrated the Iraq war that has since spawned a terrorist movement – Isis – that Americans currently fear more than any other.
The Dumpfuhrer
Photo from Huffington Post Front Page US Edition
It is telling when at the end of every Trump article in the Huffington Post, the following note is printed:
Editor's Note: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist,
birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
And THIS is who many Republicans want as their president?
Truthdig — Albert Woodfox, the last of the men known as the Angola 3, was released from a Louisiana prison on Friday.
He had spent over four decades in solitary confinement at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary known as “Angola.”
His release, on his 69 birthday, comes after he pleaded no contest to charges of manslaughter and aggravated burglary in the 1972 death of a prison guard. Though his previous convictions of murder for the death were previously thrown out, the state had blocked his release. He had always maintained his innocence.
Finally released, but will justice ever be done?
My Universe —
8 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 21/02/2016”
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Please "Clap, clap, clap" for Jeb! "Dumya" Bush.
Jeb! Bush 'suspends' campaign (drops out) after South Carolina loss
Establishment Republicans will be jumping up and down with joy that now they get to support Marco Rubio without angering the Bush family.
A Jeb in Winter | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | Satire.(no CC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=quoPqs3xccE
This now leaves Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and Carson for the GOP nomination.
.
HuffPo – Pretty sure I see the writing on the wall – except that it ISN'T pretty.
YouTube – Not just words but visuals, and above all, ideas. He nails us, doesn't he? No matter how many times Republicans say "common sense" and mean "racist," it still won't be true.
RawStory – Every media outlet should use the same disclaimer that HuffPo uses. (Or the one in the graphic I linked above.)
Truthdig – I am so glad to see this! I hope it is not too morbid to say that I also hope he has better luck making it through his 70th year than David Bowie and Alan Rickman did at making it through theirs. After all he has been through, Albert deserves some time to enjoy the freedom.
Universe – "Maru has left the box."
Glad to hear your Mom is doing well.
Doubt Carson will drop out of the race any time soon. He’s got lots and LOTS of books to sell, don’t you know?
Love the recursive box-jumping cat!
YouTube: John is spot on with his explaining this. ''Ghost voting'' in TX, that figures!
Raw Story: Editor's note, Classic!!
TruthDig: He should live in a mansion, and be treated like a millionaire. Mr. Woodfox deserves only the best, and I wish this gentleman well.
Cartoon: My cat loves boxes and plays with them all day long. If she's not napping on the bed, that is.
Glad to read you had a good visit with your mother, and that she is doing well.
Thanks, Lynn for post.
“It is telling when at the end of every Trump article in the Huffington Post, the following note is printed:
“And THIS is who many Republicans want as their president?”
Well, to Rethuglicans those traits aren’t Bugs – they’re a FEATURE!
An email from Julia Wyman, Executive Director States United to Prevent Gun Violence (julia@ceasefireusa.org) says there was a new mass shooting in Michigan last night (Saturday night). I had not heard about it. Are we now so blase that a new mass shooting isn't worth mentioning, or have I just not gotten far enough in playing catchup, ya think?
I'm sure you're happy to be out of the rat race, Lynn, as am I with early retirement. Because working so hard for your retirement plan that you drop before you had time to enjoy it, is absurd. Nice to hear your mother is doing well again after her chest infection. That is one worry less, isn't it
HuPo: The daily cartoon in our newspaper was rather harsh but to the point. Two guys watching TV from their couch complain they're going to miss Jeb in the race…because he was such a perfect combination of his father's lack of character…and the stupidity of his brother.
If Jeb didn't have the Bush name and the dynasty behind him, he wouldn't have been in Clown Car at all, perhaps not in politics all together.
YouTube: I just love John Oliver, well researched, slightly outraged, extremely funny, and, as we Dutch would say: you can't get a pin stuck in between (his arguments).
Raw Story: The picture from HuPo you added just about says it all. Trump believes himself to be Der Führer, using the same demagogic tactics as Hitler did: lying, stirring up people against (minority) groups, uniting people behind him with pumping up fear and scapegoating. But – and I didn't think I would hear myself say this – Hitler was far more intelligent and had an ideology, a most horrible ideology, but one nevertheless. Trump is rather stupid and badly educated and couldn't be bothered to school himself in anything other than sound bites. Trump never had an ideology or long term plan in his life, he's an opportunist to the core. The problem isn't that Trump is all that and does all that, the problem is he's given all the room in the world to ventilate his lying, xenophobia, racism, misogynism, birtherism and bullying and worse, people adore him for it.
Thruthdig: Albert Woodfox may now be free – if one can ever be called free after having spent more than four decades in solitary confinement – but the State of Louisiana is NEVER going to admit to having made a mistake, they haven't in the other two cases, and Woodfox will never see justice done in his lifetime. I hope Woodfox gets enough help and support to live out the few years that are left for him in peace and quiet.
My Universe: Cats and boxes, what a match.
Bye, bye Jebbie.
Carson and his books, just like Newt gingrich in his last 2 campaigns.
The Donald is nought but an embarassement!
The cat is so cool!
May Albert Woodfox live long, and thrive!