Please see yesterday’s Open Thread to see how hectic it was. I worked nonstop, except to eat and use the facilities from 5:30 in the mourning until 8:00 in the evening. Today will be as bad or worse. Yesterday it was time to renew our HSP service, the servers that contain PP. I was able to negotiate an excellent deal by buying three years of service. If I do not survive for three years, the Squatch and Nameless will own the site. I upgraded to a service on redundant servers so that, if one server goes down, the site stays up. Performance will also improve. The migration was last night, and I woke up to learn that my email settings had changes, so I had to find the new settings and reconfigure Outlook. Then I learned that the migration had trashed our theme. WordPress has completely changed the way themes are configured, since the last time I had to to it, and with my poor vision, I was lost in no time flat. I tried a couple other themes, but could not get them to work, so I went back to Suffusion, and finally figured it out. It should look better than it did before. The morning was gone. Now I get to write. Today is grocery delivery day, so I’ll have to put those away. Once I’m done I have paperwork to do. ARGH! Now, if Lona were not Ozifying herself, I’d be napping restfully right now. Tomorrow, I just might be too pooped to pop and Wendy will be here, so don’t worry if I post little and late.
Jig Zone Puzzles:
Yesterdays took me 4:01 (average 5:49). To so it, click here. Today’s took me 4:56 (average 5:43). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Donald J. Trump’s unabashed and continuing hostility toward the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier, and his attacks on Republican leaders who have rebuked him for it, threaten to shatter his uneasy alliance with the Republican Party at the outset of the general election campaign.
Ignoring the pleas of his advisers and entreaties from party leaders in Washington, Mr. Trump only dug in further on Tuesday. He told a Virginia television station that he had no regrets about his clash with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of an Army captain killed in Iraq. And in an extraordinarily provocative interview with The Washington Post, Mr. Trump declined to endorse for re-election several Republicans who had criticized him, including the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, and Senator John McCain of Arizona, who both face primaries this month.
That’s horrible!! Rump Dump’s refusal to endorse them just might help get McConJob and Lyin’ Ryan reelected.
From Alternet: National Committee after an embarrassing breach of its email system continued Tuesday with the departure of three senior officials.
But purging the DNC of top officials won’t remedy the DNC’s problems. Those problems aren’t attributable to individuals who didn’t do their jobs. To the contrary, those individuals probably fulfilled their responsibilities exactly as those jobs were intended to be done.
The DNC’s problems are structural.
The Democratic National Committee—like the Republican National Committee—has become little more than a giant machine designed to suck up big money from wealthy individuals, lobbyists bundlers, and corporate and Wall Street PACs.
As long as this is its de facto mission, the DNC won’t ever be kindly disposed to a campaign financed by small donations—Bernie’s, or any others. Nor will it support campaign finance reform. Nor will it be an institutional voice for average working people and the poor. It won’t want to eliminate superdelegates or support open primaries because these reforms would make Democratic candidates vulnerable to non-corporate interests.
What’s needed is structural reform. The DNC has to turn itself—and the Democratic Party—into a grass-roots membership organization, with local and state chapters that play a meaningful role in selecting and supporting candidates.
And it has to take a lead in seeking public financing of campaigns, full disclosure of all donations, and ending the revolving door between government and the lobbying-industrial-financial complex.
The Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and I could not agree more.
From Crooks and Liars: Scarborough: Trump Asked Three Times ‘Why Can’t We Use Nuclear Weapons?’
If Morning Joe, a routine goose-stepper for years, is willing to repeat this, a President Trump would use nuclear weapons. At this point I have to question the wisdom of worrying about Hillary’s foreign policy.
Cartoon:
10 Responses to “Open Thread – 8/3/2016”
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(Tues) 6:19 All yours, I don't need iron.
(Wed) 4:51 (5:52) So is this week like a pica nightmare or what? And the average changed, it must be new.
Well, that tale of woe explains why when I was here earlier in Windows 7 I couldn't see anything in the comments except links and white spaces. That is fixed now, and the type is like one size biggier, which is certainly good for me, and probably for you too.
NY Times – This election is so "anything can happen" that I have no idea whether anything is good or bad for the outcome. Morally, of course, Drumpfs position on the Khan familty is retchably, outrageously, disgusting. But whether it will help or hurt at the polls I honestly don't think anyone can say. I also don't know whether his failure to endorse McCain and Ryan will help or hurt them. WRT McCain, I know Ann Kirkoatrick would really, really like to know!
AlterNet – Structural or philosphical? Also, if there are three other committees, the DSCC whichraises money for Senate campaigns, and th DCCC and DLCC, one of which raises money for House races and the other for both House and Senate ( never can remember which), why is a DNC needed? But if we are to continue to have one, Reich has certainly put his finger on what it needs to be and do. Why have they not been listening to him all along?
Crooks and Liars – While I am right with you on Joe McCarthy Scarborough, it really would be nice to have iron clad sources to back this up. WRT Hillary – I have gotten to the point that it really distresses me to see the meme "Hillary is crooked and hates America" replace "Obama is a Muslim and hates America" – and what distresses me the most is the people who were smart enough not to buy into the old one, now buying into the new one. I could give a number of sources of information that have brought me to this point if anyone cares.
Cartoon – That is a chilling picture, isn't it? May he rest in peace. IMO he died too young. (When he was my age he had already been gone for five years.)
NYT: Ugh x 10!!!
C&L: Yikes!! Downright scary (if he gets in the WH).
Cartoon: "The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus." *pbs.org
*Thank you, Walter, for your info about Mr. Owens.
Very busy day for you, and sounds the same for your tomorrow. Try and get some rest in between. somehow. DIL's med appt went well, as did her infusion today. I just wish the hospital was closer to home for her. I hope that you have a great and relaxing evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
In the past 24 hours I have noticed a change in formatting. Not onerous, just different.
It now seems back to the more familiar type.
But either way, that’s not a big deal – at least to me.
I like the bigger print! Don't over do, you still need to rest.
NY Times: Several major republicans have announce they are for Hillary this week. I hope many, many more do. Don Lemon, on CNN, had a show tonight about the "blood coming from her eyes" fracus. He punctured Trump's ego several times, so he will be the Twitter tomorrow. I was surprised that CNN would actually let one of hteir anchors do this since they are faux lite, (they aremy husband's choice, not mine.)
Alternet: I agree with Reich. The DNC will not willingly change their stance, and a threat from a third party is badly needed to kick them into action.
Crooks and Liars: If this doesn't scare the bejeebers out of anyone who heard it,nothing will. Trump, if elected, can start a nuclear war on his own volition. The man who thinks Twitter is his own personal weapon to use against anyone who criticizes or disagrees with him. If he gets 1/4 the criticism that Obama has had we will be wiped out. Sharing this.
Cartoon: Pitiful, but what is more pitiful is the number of people we still have in this country who would agree with this.
One can not puncture Rumpy's ego…he has not got one, and that is his problem: he is empty inside, there is no one home! It would be sad, that he is so emotionally dysfunctional, except that he poses such a potential threat to the country, and the world. His presence on the political scene has ben seen as validation for the bigots, and other right wing bozos, and we will have to deal with that, whatever happens to Rump.
You are right, Mitch.
Puzzle — Yesterday — 3:28 The orange really made me move my butt! Today — 4:06 What a wave!
NY Times — I read today that Drumpf referred to Capt Khan as "just another dead soldier" and that he could not understand why all the hubbub. This from the candidate who said that he values veterans while nobody else does. Drumpf is the sorriest excuse for a human being. I had a dream last night, or maybe best said a bête noire, where I publicly, to his face, called him every nasty thing in the book; flipped him the finger; and then as he was starting to sputter, I turned to leave and farted a really nasty one in his face. I woke up laughing.
Alternet — I think Bernie has proven that a grassroots effort can work, and work well, especially if it is not fighting an uphill battle within the party. Reich bis correct in my opinion.
Crooks and Liars — Scary! Scary!! Scary!!! Will kids have to do 'duck and cover'vdrills in school like we did in the 50's, not that they would do any good?
Cartoon — "Though Owens enjoyed athletic success, he had to live off campus with other African-American athletes. When he traveled with the team, Owens was restricted to ordering carry-out or eating at "blacks-only" restaurants. Similarly, he had to stay at "blacks-only" hotels. Owens did not receive a scholarship for his efforts, so he continued to work part-time jobs to pay for school." — Wikipedia A long legacy of achievement despite the restrictions placed on him as an African American.
Please take care of yourself!!!
Oh, Lynn, I wish I could have been there to witness the beauty of that dream!!!!!! Owens was a victim of our culture!
C and L: "The system is designed for speed and decisiveness, It is not designed to debate the decision." That makes sense, scary as it might sound, and I am not going to go ballistic? worrying about it, as Rumpy is not going to get there. Yes, as much as I have said that humans are awful at predicting the future, that is my prediction, on this.
NYT: The Happy Fool, I submit this as a new moniker for rumpy, can not accept a responsibility for apologizing, can not see self as at fault, in ANYTHING, and so will dig in deeper, and deeper. Maybe some of his advisors will come to see the futility of advising, and announce so, publicly. Hell, I can dream! My hope regarding McBS and Lyin'Ryan, is that their constituency will come to see how their leadership(?) was, at least in part, responsible for Happy Fool's ascendency, and send them packing, or am I now being just bloody foolish myself?
Alternet:
What’s needed is structural reform. The DNC has to turn itself—and the Democratic Party—into a grass-roots membership organization, with local and state chapters that play a meaningful role in selecting and supporting candidates.
And it has to take a lead in seeking public financing of campaigns, full disclosure of all donations, and ending the revolving door between government and the lobbying-industrial-financial complex. YOU BET!!!!!!
'Toon: Owens rocked the place. Last night I saw the movie based on the book, "The Boys in the Boat," on Public TV. That crew, from U. of Washington, took the gold in the 8-man skulls race, giving the lie to Hitler's Aryan BS, as well!
Thanks all! Hugs! Email from the DNC is trapped by my spam filter.