Once again it’s TGIF day, and I’m ready for a restful weekend. My shoulder is improving slightly, but I did have to cancel my appointment yesterday with Courtney, my physical terrorist. There is no way I could have stood up to her loving abuse. I hope you enjoy one of your last weekends living in a democratic republic.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:21 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Exposed by CMD: Theocracy: She Has Pushed for Vouchers and More to Get Tax Money to Support Christian Schools
DeVos has approached the issue of education as a religious issue for her personally and as an area which she wants to change the law to reflect her personal views. A long-time partisan activist, she got involved in education “reform” in the early 1990s, around the time that her husband ran for a seat on the Michigan state Board of Education.
After he stepped down from that post, in 1993 she and her husband took on the “Education Freedom Fund,” which, she has said, “I would define as ultimately Christian in its nature because in excess of 90% of the parents who receive these scholarships choose Christian schools to go to.” EFF provides private funding for private school tuition, and is supported with significant donations from the DeVos family.
Why did she and here husband choose to get involved in the political battles over public education even though they did not send their kids to public schools and they financially support private Christian schools?
In a joint interview for “The Gathering,” a group focused on advancing Christian ideology through philanthropy, she and her husband said they decided to focus on reforming public education and funding for private education because the “Lord led us there” and “God led us.”
At that meeting, they were asked if it would not have been simpler to fund Christian schools directly rather than fund political efforts like vouchers to get more tax dollars to fund Christian schools, and she replied: “There are not enough philanthropic dollars in America to fund what is currently the need in education versus what is spent every year on education in this country… So, our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God’s Kingdom,” adding that they want “to impact our culture [in ways] that may have great Kingdom gain in the long-run by changing the way we approach things.”
Her husband added: “We are working …. to allow for our Christian worldview, which for us comes from a Calvinist tradition, and to provide for a more expanded opportunity someday for all parents to be able to educate their children in a school that reflects their world view and not each day sending their child to a school that may be reflecting a world view that may be quite antithetical to the worldview they hold in their families.”
When asked if they are “against public education,” they have denied that charge while trying to reframe the conversation.
Betsy DeVos responded: “No, we are for good education and for having every child have an opportunity for a good education. And having grown up in families that are in the business world, we both believe that competition and choices make everyone better, and that ultimately if the system that prevails in the United States today had more competition, if there were other choices for people to make freely that all of the schools would become better as a result and that excellence would be sought in every setting. So we are very strong proponents of fundamentally changing the way we approach education … because there are hundreds of thousands and millions of children that are forced to go every day to a school that is not meeting their needs and it’s not right.”
Her husband added that they are for “public education” but that’s not the same as “public schools.” He said public funding for education of all kinds is a “laudable concept” that should not be forced to operate through “government-run schools.”
He also stated: “In my opinion, the Church has sadly retrenched from its central role in our community, to where now as we look at many communities in our country the church which ought to be in our view far more central to the life in our community has been displaced by the public school as the center for activity the center for what goes on the community….”
He added, “it is certainly our hope that churches would continue no matter what the environment whether there is government funding someday through vouchers or tax credits or some other mechanism…that more and more churches will get more and more active and engaged in education. We just can think of no better way to rebuild our families and our communities than to have that circle of church, school, and family much more tightly focused and being built on a consistent world view.”
Betsy DeVos did not disagree with this statement of their shared goals and responded: “If I can just add to that very quickly, I think for many years the church in general has felt that it is important for the children of the congregation to be in the schools to make a difference but in fact I think what has happened in many cases for the last couple of decades is that the schools have impacted the kids more than the kids have impacted the schools. The young children need to have a pretty solid foundation to be able to combat the kind of influences that they are presented with on a daily basis.”
(All quotes above are transcribed from their hour-long interview for “The Gathering,” available here.)
This is just one of five things listed that you need to know about Barf Bag Betsy DeVos, the fascist sycophant Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten has tasked with destroying Public Education in America. Click through for the other four.
From ABC: President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday night that he will "appoint" retired Marine Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis to be his secretary of defense. The two met in Bedminster, New Jersey, in November for an hour, after which Trump called Mattis the “real deal.”
Under the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, certain federal positions appointed by the president — including secretary of defense -– require confirmation of the U.S. Senate.
Mattis most recently served as the head of U.S. Central Command. A lifelong bachelor, he is known as the “warrior monk” for his knowledge of ancient and military history.
The four-star general is revered by many for his leadership and also known for his blunt words…
"Actually it’s quite fun to fight them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people.”
That quote tells us why the Fuhrer, aka the Rectum of Rage, likes Mad Dog. However, he is forbidden by law to serve as Defense Secretary, until he has been separated from military service for seven years.
From TPM: Some Senate Democrats were harshly critical of Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, the latest in a line of financial elites tapped for his cabinet who they say betrays the President-elect’s promise to “drain the swamp” of insiders.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called Steve Mnuchin “the Forrest Gump of the financial crisis” in a statement Tuesday, referencing Munchin’s two-decade-long tenure at Goldman Sachs, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“His selection as Treasury secretary should send shivers down the spine of every American who got hit hard by the financial crisis, and is the latest sign that Donald Trump has no intention of draining the swamp and every intention of running Washington to benefit himself and his rich buddies," she said, as quoted by the newspaper.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) also took aim at Mnuchin’s time leading the bank OneWest, known for its aggressive foreclosure practices.
“Given Mr. Mnuchin’s history of profiting off the victims of predatory lending, I look forward to asking him how his Treasury Department would work for Americans who are still waiting for the economic recovery to show up in their communities," he said in a statement.
Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten is just a Republican that reflects all the hate of the Theocons, Alt-Right Nazis and KKK and all the greed of the Billionaires, Banksters, Corporate Criminals and Vulture Capitalists.
Cartoon:
May it survive to see its 50th anniversary.
27 Responses to “Open Thread – 12/2/2016”
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Thanks for this TC. (I don't suppose you saw the Daily Kos article called 'Yes I'm angry. Pissed. Livid….' –
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/30/1605583/-Yes-I-m-angry-Pissed-Livid-And-yes-at-pretty-much-everyone?detail=email&link_id=2&can_id=d2086e51e0390c2edc0ee15f1166641c&source=email-man-who-worked-on-trumps-michigan-campaign-convicted-of-10-counts-of-voter-fraud&email_referrer=man-who-worked-on-trumps-michigan-campaign-convicted-of-10-counts-of-voter-fraud&email_subject=man-who-worked-on-trumps-michigan-campaign-convicted-of-10-counts-of-voter-fraud
(I can't think why that seems to have two articles on the link. I only copied one….) – anyway I thought of you when I read it, I feel for them (and you all) so much.
Re BB Betsy – isn't there an old saying about hypocrites always quoting the Bible (and doing nothing to help) whereas good people just get on with helping people and don't keep quoting it? Sounds fairly applicable there.
ABC – anyone want to bet that the law will now be changed so that he can serve? Sighl
TPM – there is apparently no end to his hypocrisy is there? Yet his supporters seem happy to go on supporting him as he slowly saws the branch off the tree where they are sitting. God help us all.
Yes, I read Markos' rant last night (I don't always check in to Daily Kos at night, just occasionally, but yesterday was one of the occasions.) Unfortunately, it led to numerous people, both in the comments and in counter-rants, re-fighting the primary, which would (possibly does) grieve Bernie terribly. I understand it's important to learn from our mistakes, but fighting about what the mistakes actually were probably isn't a learning experience for much of anyone. Oh, well. Keith for DNC chair! Second choice, Ilyse!
Yep – I read the rant. And then started to read the Comments … until it was clear, as Joanne points out, it was going to get down in the weeds and re-litigate the primaries all over again.
There's been a LOT of that at Kos. But on the plus side, it cuts down on the time I spent there. Who needs all that aggravation?
Pat, Kos links are crazy, but find the question mark in the linkl, remove it, and remove everything to the right of it.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/30/1605583/-Yes-I-m-angry-Pissed-Livid-And-yes-at-pretty-much-everyone
See?
I found Pat's email and sent my original message (and a little more). I hope I don't tire her out!
CMD: Not good. Not good at all. Passing this article on too. ugh!!!
ABC: Hope Congress stops his appointment at the door. Probably won't, as Trump seems to be getting everyone on board, that he wants, waiver or not.
TPM: Going downhill fast, isn't it?? Sad!!!
Cartoon: DT will try to get rid of it, you wait.
"Born in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution, EPA was established on December 2, 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Since its inception, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people."*epa.gov
Your last sentence in your comment invokes a great sadness to me, even if it is a Friday. It's raining here, and even God is crying. Hope you enjoy your day, take care of your shoulder, and Thanks, Tom.
5:30 I am not up to chasing dogs today. Or ever, really.
CMD – Is this a surprise? Every one of his appointments so far has been of someone who will dismantle what they are supposedly being appointed to nurture. It's not easy to say which one is worst. There is a wiredforchange petition to your Senators about her: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/emergency-petition-defend.fb49?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=11034400 if you want to do more than deplore.
ABC – I read somewhere this morning that this is the scariest of his appointments so far because the guy is crazy. I'm not sure myself that sane isn't scarier. Yes, he's been retired too short a time to serve, BUT Congress can pass a waiver for that. It has been done. The most recent time was General McClelland. Again, it's the Senate we need to convince – Trump has the House cold.
TPM – I have a story about him saved for Everyday Erinyes. If I can't squeeze it in there, I'll come back and add to this comment.
Cartoon – Well, it was nice while it lasted.
I'm not going to be able to fit this into Erinyes ( I have, like, about 8 incidents, just the tip of the iceberg) so I'll share this here. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/1/1605951/-Trump-s-Treasury-pick-foreclosed-on-a-90-year-old-woman-over-27-cents Readers Digest version from a commenter who kindly looked up the court records – the loan servicer miscategorized an insurance payment as a loan advance and didn't tell the mortgagor about it for several years. They billed, she sent two checks which came to 27¢ short, foreclosure proceddings were started, fortunately she had help from Legal Services so she does still have the home. But Cheeesh.
Thanks, Joanne, I shared this one, too.
I signed and shared the Move On petition.
Signed the petition, now going to read the DK article on this horrible attempt at foreclosure. Thanks, Joanne.
WRT the Cartoon – as Ben Franklin said on exiting Independence Hall at the close of 1787 Constitutional Convention:
http://www.bartleby.com/73/1593.html
I think that the US is, starting 20/01/2017, a RINO, Republic In Name Only! Drumpf is showing every indication of being a Dicktator!
"Dicktator"
I LOVE your spelling …
Love the pic! Looks like Drumpf is almost fighting to get out but he never will!
Perfect!
LOL This dicktator pic is a hoot.
ARGH! That may cause the end of BJs forever!!
The "Dicktator" is creating a web swamp of his own design with the dregs of bottom feeders for positions in his cabinet. Let the games begin: The raping & pillaging of USA begin!
sigh…
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Puzzle — 3:17 You should not have passed on the butterfly fricassée yesterday Puddy Tat because you're certainly not getting dawg fricassée today!
CMD — So how many truly believed that billionaire POTUS-elect Drumpf was serious when he said he would drain the swamp called Washington, DC? I know I did not. And if 'we the people' thought Washington was corrupt before, with Drumpf, Republicans, and the likes of DeVos forming policy and holding the purse strings, Drumpfs call to "Make America Great Again" will never happen.
It is apparent that DeVos has no scruples based on her criminal activities and those of some of the people she employs. And the children she will be sworn to help, or at least some of them (80% ?) will be sworn into a slavery of a sub-standard education.
So much for the constitutional separation of church and state. That is a further matter hindering all children from getting a decent education. LGBTQ, Muslim, Jewish and atheist children could be left out in the cold because the education system does not consider them.
Does this bimbo need to be confirmed in the Senate or is this strictly Drumpfenfarten's decision?
ABC — As I recall reading a few weeks ago, the requirement that military officers be separated from the military for 7 years can be waived as a special act of the Congress. If this is true, what is the likelihood of Mad Dog of being accepted into Drumpf's sewer?
TPM — I seem to recall tdhat Jack Lew gad to be confirmed by the Senate before taking office as the current Treasury secretary, so the same will apply to Republican Steve Mnuchin. Let's hope that Democrats can put a stop to this farce.
Cartoon — Obituary (date to be confirmed|) — The Environmental Protection Agency, following a severe illness which began 20 January 2017, passed away at age 46. Left to mourn were Mother Earth and her children. The illness was the result of political machinations of the Republican Party and the greed of billionaires and corporations.
Bricking It for Canada is currently at 2,147,483,660 bricks for the wall to separate Canada from the US. At the start of the campaign, it was suggested that 1,545,454,550 bricks would be required to build our wall. Man, is that wall ever going to be high!
I sincerely hope that your shoulder feels much better very, very soon. This the season to be happy, not in pain and grumpy. I was teaching yesterday (my Muslim family) and was invited for dinner at their place during the Christmas season. Neda cooks supper every thursday (I have the same as them) for me and I take it home, but this will be actually eating with the family. I also have a date for Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve with another friend who I met at physio. The calendar is filling up.
All fifteen Cabinet positions require Senate approval
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/sentateconfirm.htm
CMD: Perhaps just a bit saner version of the Bachmans? Drain the swamp? How about rebuild it in his own image? As big Billy S. once wrote, "What fools these mortals be!"
ABC/TPM: More of the same idiocy. Why would anyone expect different?
CMD: This article shows the Devos is more dangerous than Sarah Palin, although she is a lot richer. Money talks. She apparently won't be satisfied until every child in America is educated according to her Calvinist faith. This is one more instance of how the separation of church and state is evaporating.
ABC: I wonder how Trump wil get around that seven year rule. I read an article today about his leaving troops to die from friendly fire, refusing to send helicopters in to save them. Yep,just what we need as Defense Secretary.
TPM: Apparently, he meant to drain the swamp and pull out the creatures on the bottom. Mcnuchin is a classic example of a swamp feeder.
Cartoon: And the EPA is now on its way to being non existent.
Continue your rest, TomCat, that's the best thing for your shoulder by far. I'm sure Courtney agreed with your decision not to come in for a dose of her manipulations because she also knows rest is the best treatment now.
Exposed by CMD: "… expanded opportunity someday for all parents to be able to educate their children in a school that reflects their world view", yeah, right, as long it is a pseudo-Christian worldview, isn't it, Betsy. By the sound of Betsy's strong religious convictions her proposed appointment to Secretary of Education was pushed through by Pence and his ilk of religious fanatics.
TPM: A job interview of an hour over lunch was enough for Drumpf, with his tremendous people skills, to acknowledge that Mad Dog Mattis is the "real deal" for the position of secretary of defense. Well, it probably takes a mad dog to know one, doesn’t it. And I'm sure Drumpf isn't worried about a little thing like the law preventing him from "appointing" Mattis, not with the GOP jubilant over all the other detestables he's "appointing".
TPM: It's getting rather tiresome to keep repeating "We told you so" every five minutes, but as this new selection has dripped in, what else is there to say but "No cleaning up Wall Street, no draining of the swamp, no getting rid of the establishment. Only Drumpf and his 1% buddies will profit. We told you so."
Question: is it normal that the name of selected cabinet members are released on a day to day basis? For most Europeans this is rather unusual. Most cabinets won't be revealed until its fully formed as most governments want to get the image of a cohesive team, working together towards the same goal, across to the voters.
Cartoon: Start writing its obituary now to have it ready when Drumpf dismantles it in the beginning of 2017.
Much too depressed to comment….however will we handle four years of madness? The ONLY news I trust any more is here and Rachel/Lawrence. Everything else is like some dumb tv show.
Where is "Spooky" Mulder as we need him now, more than ever, with "The Truth is Out There"…
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Thanks all! Pooped Hugs!!