I'm back again with two posts, although one was finished last night and this the second. Do you ever sit reading and then figure you've read this before? The chaos and confusion in the Drumpfenfarten administration is so profuse, constant really, that it is difficult to see where one episode finishes and another starts. Additionally, they all look and feel the same to me — one gigantic blur of Drumpfian stupidity! It is so bad that I put a newspaper down on the floor beside my bed and one of my furbabes peed all over Drumpf's picture! Am I a good mum for teaching my furbabes good values, or what?!
Short Takes
NY Times — President Trump plans to assign a New York billionaire to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies, according to administration officials, an effort that members of the intelligence community fear could curtail their independence and reduce the flow of information that contradicts the president’s worldview.
The possible role for Stephen A. Feinberg, a co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, has met fierce resistance among intelligence officials already on edge because of the criticism the intelligence community has received from Mr. Trump during the campaign and since he became president. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump blamed leaks from the intelligence community for the departure of Michael T. Flynn, his national security adviser, whose resignation he requested. …
Mr. Feinberg, who has close ties to Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s chief strategist, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, declined to comment on his possible position. …
Bringing Mr. Feinberg into the administration to conduct the review is seen as a way of injecting a Trump loyalist into a world the White House views with suspicion. But top intelligence officials fear that Mr. Feinberg is being groomed for a high position in one of the intelligence agencies. …
On an array of issues — including the Iran nuclear deal, the utility of NATO, and how best to combat Islamist militancy — much of the information and analysis produced by American intelligence agencies contradicts the policy positions of the new administration. The divide is starkest when it comes to Russia and President Vladimir V. Putin, whom Mr. Trump has repeatedly praised while dismissing American intelligence assessments that Moscow sought to promote his own candidacy.
Drumpfenfarten appears to only want "yes men" around him, the kind that will tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear. Feinberg is from Cerberus Capital. An interesting bit of trivia — Cerberus, in Greek mythology, is the multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. One wonders then what Feinberg's true role might be and just how much power he might have.
CBC — I was in Egypt when President Donald Trump signed the controversial executive order banning travel to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The prevailing feeling on the ground at the time: relief. Egypt wasn't on the list. But some people were concerned: "Are we next?"
Most of the coverage of the ban — which has since been suspended — and its implications has, naturally, been centred on the U.S., where people have been detained for hours in airports and the president continues his crass battle with his own judiciary.
But the way that groups in the Middle East have reacted to the ban is of at least equal importance.
The general sentiment on social media accounts was that the West was waging a war against Islam, and if you had any doubt about that before, Trump's "Muslim ban" was now the ultimate proof. (Radio-Canada)
The 'blessed ban'
As soon as the executive order was announced, I checked the blogosphere of the jihadi community, which prescribes waging a "holy war" against non-believers of Islam. The general sentiment on social media accounts was that the West was waging a war against Islam, and if you had any doubt about that before, Trump's "Muslim ban" was now the ultimate proof.
This is an opinion piece by Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian born Canadian citizen who is an award winning journalist. For me, his perspective is important. Fahmy was arrested 29/12/2013 in Egypt on bogus charges along with 2 other journalists. He was finally pardoned on 23/09/2015 and returned to Canada 06/10/2015. You can check out his short bio in Wikipedia. If anyone can understand the minds of ISIS members and provide insight, Fahmy can. Others have said the same thing, but Drumpfenfarten does not listen. He should stop listening to the voices in his head and listen instead to people like Fahmy, people who know what the hell is going on.
The Nation — Trump’s administration is so awash in scandal and obvious incompetence that less than one month into his presidency, 46 percent of Americans now favor his impeachment. And Trump’s critics, energized and empowered by a movement moment that is eclipsing the emergence of the Tea Party eight years ago, are turning the desperation of his apologists to their advantage. Case in point: After Elizabeth Warren was shut down on the Senate floor as she read a 1986 letter by Coretta Scott King rebuking then-Senator Jeff Sessions, Trump’s choice for attorney general, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell grumbled, “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” Within minutes, the King letter had gone viral; within hours, Nevertheless, She Persisted had become a slogan on T-shirts and posters; and within days, Katy Perry was wearing a Persist armband at the Grammy Awards. …
So when they push, the right response is to push back—just as Warren did when she issued the following response to McConnell and company on Twitter: “Consider this MY warning: We won’t be silent. We will speak out. And we WILL persist.” [emphasis added]
Drumpfenfarten and his sycophants don't hold a candle to people like Senator Elizabeth Warren who speak out, speak up, resist and persist!!
Resist
and
Persist!!!
My Universe
A young TC post chili dinner!
8 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 17 February 2017”
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Yes, I do know what you mean about feeling that you've read the news before, I'm sure we all do – but it somehow also seems to be getting worse doesn't it? There are some small rays of sunshine though – and congrats to your furbabies!
Of course the 'muslim ban' has aided the extremists and terrorists – it was a dream gift to them, helping them to convince people who are unused to news and politics that the West hates them all regardless of how good/bad/ordinary they are. It is strange, isn't it, how the actions of the Far Right do so often seem to encourage the very behaviour that the Far Right say they are trying to eradicate? You'd have thought they'd have learned by now, but no!
The Nation – thanks for that good news, "… We won’t be silent. We will speak out. And we WILL persist.”
My Universe – thanks for that utterly gorgeous video – mind you I hope someone offered the lovely and industrious cat a tin of nice fish to distract him before his paws hurt!
and one of my furbabes peed all over Drumpf's picture!
But he's into that, isn't he?
Feinberg is from Cerberus Capital
Kind of odd to name a company after a mythical beast whose job is to keep people stuck in Hell. Of course if they'd really been up to speed on mythology they'd have named it Cerberus Tricapita.
Anyone with the most basic understanding of extremist movements would have known that creating a clash-of-civilizations atmosphere is the best possible gift to the jihadists — it's what they themselves have been trying to do. But Trump has insulated himself well from anyone with a basic understanding of pretty much anything.
It seems impossible that it's less than a month since we passed through the looking glass, from the United States of America to the Sultanate (Insultanate?) of Trumpistan. I don't see how four whole years of this is imaginable or even possible.
How much more embarrassment can the Republicans take? How deep does their denial and cowardice run? They will be the Party of Trump forever.
DT's minions, (the A- – Hats) will bow down and lick his boots, they have no backbone, none!. Meanwhile, our Dems are fighting for what's right, and for the citizens of this US, and for our rights!
The Nation: Love Ms. Warren, a fine example for standing up for our rights! What a great article, passing this on.
My Universe: Reminds me of the Simon cartoon in the same context, though this is live. I hope he didn't hurt himself trying to get the fish.
Taco Bell pic: Priceless! 😉
Thanks, Lynn for post.
Clearly your furbabies have better values than most humans.
NYT – Yeah, I see what you mean about déjà vu. Isn't it David Feinberg who's picked for Ambasswador to Israel? Any relation?
CBC – Well, OF COURSE the Orange Overlord's Muslim ban will be seen as a war on Islam – because it IS! Bless his heart*!
Nation – Yup.
Universe – The first one is not working on my laptop. The second – I didn't think Taco Bell was authentic enough to do that!
As a Sasquatch closely following Drumpfian politics, Lynn, you must be familiar with the feeling that you're slowly drowning in the quagmire that's called "news" as all news, both your Canadian news and American is saturated with op-eds, news flashes, discussions, comments and what have you on one topic: Drumpf and his administration. Everywhere you turn you're confronted with it, right? And to be honest, we're not really lessening the load here at PP, are we 😀 But we plod on and RESIST!
Oh, give your furbabe a cuddle from me.
NYT: Of course Drumpf surrounds himself with yes-men, all emperors without clothes do to keep their illusions going. Drumpf demands "loyalty" from them and is loyal to them in his way, rewarding them for their yeses and only dropping them when things go public and he has to, like with Flynn. Now Drumpf is in need to get rid of undermining forces of disloyalty (the intelligence agencies) Feinberg undoubtedly has done Drumpf a favor in the past that needs to be returned, certainly when Bannon and Kushner are pushing him. That Feinberg has no qualifications for the job hardly matters, if he accepts he'll be just another yes-man praising the clothes of the emperor by doing his bidding and bullying the agencies into submission before the investigation into Drumpf's Russian ties and those of his minions gets on the way.
CBC: This is exactly what all the experts on the Middle East had warned Drumpf for. With this proof of the West waging a war against Islam the Da'esh has been given a strong and very convincing recruitment tool at their disposal, and the terrible bombings in Baghdad are signs that it works in their favor But who knows, street fighters Drumpf and Bannon may well provoke Da'esh on purpose to give them an excuse to interfere in the area Russian style. Who cares about all the civilians killed in the process. Mattis has already asked NATO to step up their involvement there.
TN: The only way forward is Warren's way and as openly and loudly as possible:
RESIST
&
PERSIST
My Universe: That'll keep the fluffy one busy this winter.
Infidel beat me to it. I supposed it's ok, if the kitty wasn't speaking Russian.
Exactly! Thanks. I almost used the Times piece yesterday.
The ban is the best recruiting tool the daesh has ever had.
Amen!
Thanks! Great job!!
The photo of the four-year-old flatus farter is phenomenal … (and stolen!).
(OK – as a pediatrician I'm pretty sure he looks more like 2, maybe 3 tops… but that ruins the alliteration.)