Today was one of those days dealing with time consuming medical issues. As a result, the monthly report will be delayed one day. Tomorrow I have physio and then it is report time. On the home front, I have a lady bug invasion! This one bug keeps dive bombing my computer. I have yet to be successful capturing the little beast and the furbabes so far have been totally disinterested in helping.
Short Takes
Common Dreams — A new study confirms what many activists have suspected for a long time: The private courts set up by international “trade” deals heavily favor billionaires and giant corporations, and they do so at the expense of governments and people. …
A large anti-TPP demonstration took place in New Zealand in February. (Photo: Dominic Hartnett/flickr/cc)
The “investor-state dispute settlement” process, or ISDS, is built into treaties like NAFTA and the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It allows foreign investors to sue participating governments if they do anything that harms their investment in that nation. Corporations can sue governments through this process, but governments can’t sue corporations. …
But that doesn’t appear to be the case. Virtually all of the financial benefits of the ISDS have gone to the rich and powerful. Nearly 95 percent of all award money went to giant corporations or extremely wealthy individuals.
The ISDS industry scored big, too. The authors found that ISDS “lawyers, arbitrators, experts and other actors” had earned an estimated $1.7 billion from these hearings by the spring of 2015.
You can read a copy of the York University Osgoode Hall study. If for some reason you have trouble with this link, please click on the link within the article. Many of us have known that the ISDS was problematic, especially in non US countries with other agreements like NAFTA. The TPP and similar agreements must be stopped. In the US, the wealthy and large corporations already have so much influence in government with the large sums they can use to "buy" politicians and elections. They don't need more.
Huffington Post — But Ryan said he had to speak out when he sees "something that runs counter to who we are as a party and as a country."
"If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party, there can be no evasion and no games," he said. "They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry."
Ryan continued on to say that Republicans should not "prey on people's prejudices."
"We appeal to their highest ideals," he said. "This is the party of Lincoln. We believe all people are created equal in the eyes of God and our government."
Ryan said that point was fundamental. "And if someone wants to be our nominee, they must understand this," he said.
When I read this, I had to speak out! First, I seem to recall that during the 2012 campaign, Paul Ryan was the Republican VP candidate for Romney and they courted the white supremacist vote. The difference, they weren't as loud mouthed about it as Trump. Second, there are a lot of Republican Congress critters who are openly bigots. Thirdly, the current Republican Party is the party of Lincoln in name only. I am sure you can add to the points.
Common Dreams — Reigniting calls for Rick Snyder's resignation, emails released Friday reveal that advisers to the Michigan governor knew that Flint's water was toxic as far back as October 2014.
"My Mom is a City resident. Nice to know she's drinking water with elevated chlorine levels and fecal coliform," the governor's chief legal counsel said in an email sent just three weeks before the Republican governor's re-election, according to the Detroit Free Press.
After examining over 500 emails released by the governor's office, the Detroit Newsreported that "[t]wo top advisers to Gov. Rick Snyder urged switching Flint back to Detroit’s water system in October 2014, after General Motors Co. said the city’s heavily chlorinated river water was rusting engine parts."
"There's no reasonable person who can believe at this point that every top adviser to Rick Snyder knew that there was an issue, but Snyder knew nothing," said Lonnie Scott …
Rachel Maddow comments on the ongoing saga. Nothing short of Snyder's successful prosecution will be acceptable. Snyder truly is a Republican.
My Universe —
5 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 01/03/2016”
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HP: They say the talk about hateful racism, but underneath they're bigots. Look how they're treating our President!!
In addition to this: Here's how Cruz is celebrating his ''Super Tuesday Victory Party''. This is in Stafford, in Houston, Texas! BBA warning!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3472467/Cruz-holds-Texas-victory-party-controversial-club-hosted-blackface-comedian-owned-radio-host-called-black-teenagers-jungle-animals.html
Common Dreams: How sad that they can't handcuff him, and throw him in jail. Words escape me at the flagrant violations he has committed as a working Governor. He must be held accountable, for these deaths, and what is going on in Flint !!! Pronto!
My Universe: My cat does this. I try to feed her when she's occupied by a toy that I give her. How funny!
You sound like you you have a busy day, hope it goes well. How is your foot feeling? Thanks, Lynn.
Common Dreams – "confirms what many activists have suspected"? Shouldn't that be "confirms what activists have known foe decades"?
HuffPo – We've seen it forever, and seen it very clearly for the last seven years. Republicans make new rules if they don't like you personally. The only thing different about this is that the person they are making new rules for is claiming to be one of their own. (If Republicans ever stopped preying on people's prejudices – nice alliteration, Paul – they would dry up and blow away in the next wind.
Common Dreams II – So now that he has to admit something happened, we have a flurry of firings undoubtedly targeting people who are mostly innocent, al teast relatively. I was going to say typical Republican response – and it is – but more accurately, typical corporate response. How nice to run government like a business.
Universe – Poor Simon.
Make sure you catch that lady bug and put it outside on some sheltered plants, Lynn. Lady bugs are very useful in the garden because they love aphids. I hope the medical issues you dealt with were nothing serious.
CD: "…what many activists have suspected for a long time", c'mon, they didn't believe, they knew, they are dead certain and have been for a long time. They didn't need a study to see that "the private courts set up by international “trade” deals heavily favor billionaires and giant corporations, and they do so at the expense of governments and people." Each new case was just another confirmation.
HuPo: You forgot "Hypocrites", Lynn, the stuff this speech by the GOP speaker of the House oozes with.
CD2: Gov. Snyder is as guilty as hell, but he probably thought he'd get away with it if he followed Christie's protocol after the Bridge Scandal and deny all knowledge, blame it all on his staff and then fire them. For Christie it did work, unfortunately enough, but then Christie wasn't responsible for 90 people getting sick and 9 people dying from Legionellosis nor for the yet unknown aftermath of Flint's citizens drinking toxic water for such a long time. But denying he knew nothing about it until recently, i.e. wasn't responsible, or firing every one else involved is not going to help Snyder. The related e-mails have not been deleted or gone missing and have now been handed over, and his advisors are not taking the blame and be his fall guy and are talking instead. Snyder better resign before he does his party even more harm. If he does, the Republican judges in the courts may show some leniency towards him as is common practice in these courts.
My Universe: You'd think Simon would know better by now. LOL
I'll let you Google it, but it's probably more likely that you have an invasion w/ Asian Lady Beetles rather than Ladybugs. My aunt had them up in Illinois a couple of years ago, and I had quite a few this year. Fortunately they were on the soffits outside … so far!
When the republican Party devolves from Lincoln to Eisenhower to Bush to Palin to Herr Drumpf (Trump), it perfectly explains why they don't believe in evolution. They lost all claims to Lincoln middle of last century!
Nice quote by Lincoln:
TPPA appears toe be a serius rip-off!
HP: Ryan does not lie as loudly as some, but he lies, nonetheless, and , yes, the GOP is full of bigotry!
Common Dreams: Snyder needs a jail cell irrigated by the Flint river! Maybe the e-mails will be the last nail.
I do not know what your medical issues are, but do feel better!