Often times, many northerners, like me, slip into the habit of considering extreme racism as a mostly Southern problem. Sadly, it just isn't true. My NJ father was such an extreme racist that he would have considered Rump Dump a moderate. It's mostly a Republican problem. The only difference between Rump Dump and other Republican politicians and pundits is that he comes out and says what they merely reflect with their policies and dog whistles. Check these Massachusetts Republicans out.
A Massachusetts convoy of Trump supporters drove from Wrentham to Foxboro in their trucks, RVs and SUVs on July 31 and were caught on tape spewing racist epithets and calls for anti-black violence.
“Lynch the ni**ers by their d*cks!” said one driver, according to Winning Democrats, which highlighted a YouTube video of what the “Make America Great Again” convoy talked about on its CB channel when they thought no one was listening.
“Burn every single ni**er!” said another driver.
“All I know is we got plenty of trees to hang ni**ers from,” said another.
The convoy drove five miles from one township to another with their U.S. and Confederate flags waving…
If you've ever been to MA, you'll recognize that accent. These were not Southern imports.
As convenient as it is to consider Trump the disease, he is not. Trump is just a symptom of what the Republican Party has become. They need to go the way of the Whigs.
Portland continues under an excessive heat warning through the weekend. My A/C kept it cooler last night, but as the temperature approaches 70° early in the morning, the humidity is 92%. I’m getting very little sleep. Tomorrow and Saturday will be the worst of the days.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today'[s took me 2:45 (average 4:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Update:
Lefty Blog Friends players, our live draft is this Saturday at 1 PM PDT (2 PM MDT, 3 PM CDT, 4 PM EDT). Feel free to contact me with questions.
Short Takes:
From KP Daily Funnies: Daily Show: Uncovering Discrimination in the Baltimore Police Department
Very little about this video is funny. That Rump Dump used a spiel to dog-whistle racist Republicans, under the guise of asking for Black support, is just… Republican!
From NY Times: Donald J. Trump named as his new campaign chief on Wednesday a conservative media provocateur whose news organization regularly attacks the Republican Party establishment, savages Hillary Clinton and encourages Mr. Trump’s most pugilistic instincts.
Mr. Trump’s decision to make Stephen K. Bannon, chairman of the Breitbart News website, his campaign’s chief executive was a defiant rejection of efforts by longtime Republican hands to wean him from the bombast and racially charged speech that helped propel him to the nomination but now threaten his candidacy by alienating the moderate voters who typically decide the presidency
I have to wonder, is it possible for Rump Dump to make a worse choice than the head of Breitfart?
Whenever hatred abounds, you can be sure that Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians (the polar opposite of real authentic Christians) will jump on the hate train. And with Rump Dump Trump as the personification of today’s Republican party, you can be sure that the supply of hatred will be endless. The following author listed reasons they are backing Trump.
…Here are just some of the religious arguments made on Trump’s behalf:
1. God is using Trump to pave the way for the Second Coming
Frank Amedia, a pastor who has been serving as Trump’s “Christian policy” liaison, said that God told him personally last year that Trump would win the GOP nomination and help pave the way for the Second Coming. Amedia also suggested that only God could explain how Trump has survived all his blunders:
And the Lord spoke very clearly to me, and he said to me, ‘This man is going to win the nomination and I want you to be ready to serve my cause when I call you.’…In this instance, it’s not because Donald Trump has heralded his faith or the name of God, but the Lord has put His favor upon him, and how amazing it is that the favor of God can overcome so many mistakes, so many bumbles, so many things that otherwise we would think would destroy somebody in business, destroy them in politics, destroy them in relationships. But yet it’s very evident it was the will of the Lord to do this and here we sit now.
2. God is using Trump to get pastors to fight for religious freedom
Pastor Michael Anthony, president of Godfactor and founder of the National Week of Repentance, attended Trump’s June meeting with evangelicals and said he is convinced God is using Trump [pseudo-Christians delinked] to move Christians to act to defend their religious freedom. “I think God was speaking through him at that moment, to the church, to tell us why are you being silent about the most important thing about your lives?”
3. Trump could make America worthy of God’s blessing
The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins was a big Ted Cruz backer and has publicly been a somewhat reluctant supporter of Donald Trump. He told radio host Sandy Rios that Trump has made plenty of mistakes, but that if he “walks in that grace that is available” and surrounds himself with good people, he could “cast a vision that moves America back to the country that honors God again and therefore would be a recipient of His blessing.”
4. Trump would make America friendlier to Israel
Many conservative evangelicals have embraced a theological approach to Middle East policy, interpreting Bible verses [pseudo-Christians delinked] to suggest that in order to enjoy God’s blessing, America must unconditionally support the Israeli government. Says [pseudo-Christians delinked] Pastor John Hagee, head of Christians United For Israel, “we have a mandate from the Bible and that mandate is to be supportive of Israel and the Jewish people.” Even though Trump said earlier this year that he would be “neutral” regarding the Israel-Palestine dispute (a position he later backed away from), right-wing leaders have long denounced Obama as an enemy of Israel. The Times of Israel notes [pseudo-Christians delinked] that Hagee, “has all but endorsed Trump by name.” Indeed, Hagee told his viewing audience that God would hold them accountable for their vote, saying, “I’m not going to vote for the party that has betrayed Israel for the past seven years.” Hagee has complained [pseudo-Christians delinked] that “three million evangelicals did not vote in the past election,” saying “God forbid that happen again. We are going to storm the voting booths of America this time around.”…
I’ve shared the first four of twenty-five listed reasons that Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians are on the Trump hate train. Click through for the other twenty-one.
They want Trump in the White House. How do you plan to prevent it?
The day is going poorly so far. My A/C tubing came loose last night. I can’t see to fix it. If I could, I won’t fit in that corner. Building maintenance said they’ll come when they can, but are not sure when. Portland is now under an excessive heat warning through the weekend. In addition, today is a grocery delivery day. Late this afternoon, Wendy will be here for my care. I imagine I may be very stinky by then.
Maintenance arrived over two hours later. Even though the temperature was still under 70° outside, it was over 85° in here, because the sun had hit the brickwork and was superheating it. Fortunately, they were able to reconnect the exhaust hose.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:25 (average 5:23). To do it, click here. How did you do?
"Under those eight years, before Obama came along, we didn’t have any successful radical Islamic terrorist attack in the United States. They all started when Clinton and Obama got into office."
And to think we used to call him Rudi 911! Nevertheless Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian terrorists are a far more deadly threat to the US than the Republican Supply-side pseudo-Muslims of Al Qaeda and the Daesh.
From NY Times: Hillary Clinton does not dispute that the presidential campaign is going well for her at the moment.
But she would rather not dwell on it.
“Don’t be complacent, my friends!” she told supporters on Tuesday inside a high school gym in West Philadelphia. “Even though we’re doing fine right now, I’m not taking anyone, anywhere, for granted.”
As Mrs. Clinton seizes polling advantages over Donald J. Trump in essentially every traditional swing state, her team is working to keep supporters energized and engaged, reminding them that winning public surveys in August is worth exactly zero electoral votes in November.
It is late and I cannot sleep because of the heat and humidity, currently at 88%. To make matters worse, my one neighbour has been in and out slamming the door each time, as well as running up and down her stairs with lead feet. This is not the first time for her antics. I have been awakened by her before. Temperatures on Friday and into the weekend are supposed to hit 33 C (92 F) — oh joy! NOT! — with high humidity. Tomorrow I have physio and then I will relax in the heat if I can.
Short Takes
CBC — Mauril Bélanger, the long-serving Liberal member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier, has died at age 61. Bélanger was diagnosed wIt is late and I cannot sleep because of the heatith ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, following the 2015 federal election, and his condition had deteriorated rapidly.
Mauril Bélanger 15/06/1955 – 16/08/2016
Honourary Speaker of the House
At the moment when Bélanger should have been celebrating his eighth electoral triumph as the member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier, he had struggled to find his voice to make a victory speech.
And yet even in his final days, Bélanger summoned his remaining strength eight months later to attend a vote in the House of Commons where his colleagues backed his private member's bill to make the lyrics of the national anthem more representative of all Canadians.
That vote on 15 June 2016, Bélanger's 61st birthday, resulted in the approval of Bill C – 210 which changed the second line to "in all of us command " from "in all thy sons command". And as sick as he was, he came into the House to vote. In the video above, if you are trying to listen to the words, the first two lines are in English, with some subsequent lines in French. I know the French version and can tell you it does not translate directly to the English version.
I brought to you short takes about Mauril Bélanger back on 30/01 and 12/03/2016. This is an incredible legacy for Mauril Bélanger who championed this change for years.
RobertReich.org — It looks increasingly likely that Hillary Clinton, a self-described “progressive who likes to get things done,” will have her chance starting next January. But how much that’s progressive will she actually be able to get done?
The Senate may flip to the Democrats but there’s almost no way Democrats will get the sixty votes they need to stop Republicans from filibustering everything she says she wants to do.
She’s unlikely to have a typical presidential honeymoon because she won’t be riding a wave of hope and enthusiasm that typically accompanies a new president into office. She’s already more distrusted by the public than any major candidate in recent history. On Election Day many Americans will be choosing which candidate they loathe the least. …
Even if Hillary sincerely intends to raise taxes on rich Americans in order to pay for universal child care, affordable higher education, and infrastructure spending, the moneyed interests have the clout to stop her.
They’ll also resist any effort to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour, require employers to offer paid family leave, or push them to share their profits with employees.
The heart of American politics is now a vicious cycle in which big money has enough political influence to get laws and regulations that make big money even bigger, and prevent laws and rules that threaten its wealth and power.
Before Hillary can accomplish anything important, that vicious cycle has to be reversed. But how? …
The pragmatist in her must know that the only way her ideas will make it in real life is if the public is organized and mobilized behind them.
Which means that once she enters the Oval Office, she’ll need the countervailing power of a progressive movement – ironically, much like the one her primary opponent championed.
I read an article recently that stated that the Green Party needs to build its base substantially in order to be viable. Recently, TC commented (probably not for the first time) that any third party needs to start building on 15 November of an election year. Bernie has miraculously built a substantial base, one that challenged Clinton during the primaries. He launched a political revolution and has committed to moving forward with it. Part of that commitment means holding Clinton's feet to the fire. Personally, I think Bernie has a better chance of revolutionising the Democratic Party than the Greens have of becoming viable.
Raw Story — Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) revived and justified Republican criticisms against Khizr Khan on Tuesday, telling CNN host Jake Tapper that the Democratic Party “used him” irresponsibly during their party convention last month.
“Because he had a son that he lost to terror, that gives him a free ride to say what he would like against a candidate that he’s not for?” Perry asked Tapper. “That’s not proper, that’s not correct.”
Lost a son to terror?? Capt Khan was killed in Iraq during a war started by George W Bush and his cronies over oil but under the guise of weapons of mass destruction. How is that terror? And since when can one not comment on a political candidate who is in a race to run the nation (in the case of Drumpf, to 'ruin the nation')? That is a prime time to gather facts, form opinions etc. And of course, the first amendment — freedom of speech — also applies to Mr Khan. I also take exception to Perry claiming he is for service families because he writes the letters. But hey, did he lose a son as did Mr Khan? Little Ricky Oops! Perry is milking this for his own glory.
Youtube — This one is strictly to make you smile.
My Universe — This is a truly magnificent sight! My understanding is that these kayakers were near a nursing humpback and her calf. The breaching was likely done by the rest of the pod to protect the mother and babe. The location is near Campbell River BC, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, little more than half way up the Island. More over, this is a well known playground for various types of whales.
Here is the eighty-eighth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Republican Campaign Manager and Seditionist, Paul Manafort. He so honored for his intent to hand US National Security to Vladimir Putin (R-RU).
The Trump campaign was on the defensive on Monday after a New York Times report revealed that its chairman, Paul Manafort, was designated to receive $12.7 million in undisclosed and potentially illegal cash payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.
The revelation preceded a high-profile national security speech by Donald J. Trump on Monday afternoon in Ohio, and threatened to derail the Republican presidential nominee’s latest effort to avoid distractions and stick to policy as he tried to stop his poll numbers from sliding.
In a statement, Mr. Manafort denied wrongdoing and said The Times was ignoring the facts to fulfill a political agenda against Mr. Trump. He denied ever receiving an “off-the-books cash payment” or having worked for the Ukrainian or Russian governments.
“The suggestion that I accepted cash payments is unfounded, silly and nonsensical,” Mr. Manafort said. He said that any payments he received were for a broader political campaign team that included local and international staff, polling and research.
The secret ledgers kept by a pro-Russian political group in Ukraine, the Party of Regions, contain 22 separate references of cash disbursements designated for Mr. Manafort between 2007 and 2012. The disbursements amount to $12.7 million, according to anticorruption officials there… [emphasis added]
It’s possible that Manafart never actually received the money, considering the level od corruption of his political associates, then and now. However if you believe that he was not engaged in the practices for which he was to receive that money, you will probably also believe that Rump Dump Trump was just kidding, when he suggested that he would not oppose his buddy Putin’s (R-RU) takeover of the Crimea, the Ukraine, and the Baltic states.
Rachel Maddow covered Trump and Manafart in two segments:
Trump would be a national security disaster. Stinky Manafart is clearly a Republican.
The weather remains somewhat hot but excessively humid today and tomorrow. Then Portland will be back under an Excessive Heat Warning from Thursday through Sunday, so it looks like no relief in the Cat Box. The big problem is that, as tired as I feel, it’s too damn sticky to get comfortable to sleep.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Fantasy Football Update:
Lefty Blog Friends players, our live draft is this Saturday at 1 PM PDT (2 PM MDT, 3 PM CDT, 4 PM EDT). Feel free to contact me with questions.
Short Takes:
From USA Today: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is consolidating the support of the Millennials who fueled Bernie Sanders’ challenge during the primaries, a new USA TODAY/Rock the Vote Poll finds, as Republican Donald Trump heads toward the worst showing among younger voters in modern American history.
The survey shows Clinton trouncing Trump 56%-20% among those under 35, though she has failed so far to generate the levels of enthusiasm Sanders did — and the high turn-out that can signal — among Millennials.
"I get worried about the bigoted element of our country, and that they will stick with Trump regardless of his stupidity," says Elizabeth Krueger, 31, an actress in New York City who was among those surveyed. She supports Clinton. "She is not going to be a perfect president, but who would be?"
It’s good to see that most of the Bernie supporters are separating themselves from those on the left who think our nation is better served by their hatred of Hillary than by their support for Bernie.
From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump lashed out at a new target on Monday, blaming his bad poll numbers on the existence of the numerical system.
In sometimes rambling remarks at an outdoor rally in Ohio, the Republican Presidential nominee called the numerical system “rigged” and unleashed a torrent of abuse on numbers themselves, calling them “disgusting” and “the lowest form of life.”
“It’s why I won’t release my taxes,” he said. “They’re full of goddam numbers.”
While Republican candidates in the past have attempted to exploit their supporters’ distrust of math, Trump is believed to be the first nominee to call into question the numerical system itself.
Dang Andy!! Before you know it he’ll blame ME for math!
From Alternet: Hillary Clinton earned a powerful progressive endorsement Tuesday, landing the support of the Working Families Party, which enthusiastically endorsed Clinton’s rival Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.
“The change we need next year starts with electing Secretary Clinton, but it doesn’t end there,” WFP National Director Dan Cantor said in a press release, noting its major platform concerns include the student debt crisis, money in politics, racial injustice and climate change.
The group says it plans to pressure the Clinton administration to follow through with her progressive campaign promises. Clinton was forced to the left on several issues during the hard-fought primary battle; following Sanders’ concession speech, she laid out an economic plan that promised to tackle student debt and oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, among other policies embraced by Sanders and his supporters.
I support both the Working Families Party endorsement, and their pledge to hold Hillary’s feet to the fire. I’m glad they realized that the most progressive thing we can do between now and election day is to keep Rump Dump Trump out of office.
The Trump campaign was on the defensive on Monday after 
