Another month, another heat wave, and I was right. They have already extended the excessive heat warning at least through Tuesday. Because of my schedule, the Monthly Report for July will probably not be available until the third or fourth.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:02 (average 4:55). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Religious Ecstasy:
This was the last and least significant of the preseason games as the starters and most of the second strings did not play. It was still pleasing to win and great to have an undefeated preseason. May the Holy Ellipsoid Orb grant that my Broncos maintain that status.
Fantasy Football Reminder:
The live online draft for our own fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends, is tomorrow on Saturday, September 2, at 10 AM PDT (11 AM MDT, 12 Noon CDT, 1 PM EDT). I strongly recommend that players log into the league and participate in a mock draft between now and then. If you cannot attend, the league will draft for you. See you tomorrow!
Short Takes:
From YouTube (GQ Channel): Could Trump Try to Pardon… Everyone? | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann
I think the only thing that will prevent mass pardons by the Fuhrer is that the recipients would lose their right to plead the Fifth and could be forced to testify against the Fuhrer. That’s the LAST things he wants! RESIST!!
From The Last Word: Potential bombshell in Manafort notes on Trump Jr. meeting
NBC News reports Paul Manafort took notes in the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians, and the notes include mention of political contributions next to "RNC." Now Robert Mueller has those notes. Ken Dilanian, Betsy Woodruff, & Mieke Eoyang join Lawrence O’Donnell.
Why should US $Billionaires pay for Republican Party activities, when Russians will do it for them. I never thought I’d say this, but "Woooo Hoooo IRS!!" RESIST!!
From Daily Kos: In today’s fresh hell news, Politico is reporting that Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education has hired former DeVry University dean Julian Schmoke to head the Student Aid Enforcement Office:…
…And now, thanks to Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump, the agency will be led by Julian Schmoke Jr., a former DeVry University dean—the same DeVry University that was forced to pay a massive $100 million settlement for deceptive practices in December 2016…
…So, Donald Trump—who paid a $25 million Trump University fraud settlement in December—will be appointing the former dean of a for-profit college that paid a $100 million fraud settlement in December, to oversee the agency responsible for policing fraud and protecting students and taxpayers.
This should not be considered unusual. It’s only natural for Republicans to appoint a fraudster to assist private colleges to defraud students and taxpayers. This has been normal for Republicans for years. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
10 Responses to “Open Thread – 9/1/2017”
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KO: dt is a madman, with his treachery, and treasonous activities since he became potus. He’s a disgrace, and I certainly hope that with this investigation(s), that he is removed..!!…and ‘run out of town on a rail’. He deserves it. BTW….dt is supposed to come back to TX tomorrow, Saturday, but, I have to clean my cats litter boxes then, and will be very busy with that. lol
LW: Sweet!!! This is awesome news!!! The hole is getting bigger and bigger…
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DK: Lordy, one thinks they’ve heard the outrageous, but oops…there it is!!
Cartoon: Yep, that pretty much says it right there!
We’re in the mid 90’s in the day, and 60’s in the evenings. Pretty comfortable for me. Sorry about the heat wave up where you’re at. Hope you get a chance to R&R, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
Go throw the used litter at Drumpfenfarten, if you don’t mind soiling it.
5:06 Frankly, those dead heads look a lot more presentable than those of irises – but the irises are prettier to start with, so there’s that.
Climate change update: not pretty …
Keith # 115 – While we are speaking of signals, few days after the Arpaio pardon was announced, it also “leaked” that Mueller is sharing information with Schneidermen. This is considered to be sending a signal to Trump that, hey, you can’t pardon charges filed by the States, you can only pardon for “crimes against the United States” – Federal chanrges, in other words. And, while we are speaking of Federal charges, Contempt of Court may not be a Federal charge, for reasons laid out in an article I have linked previously. The Arpaio pardon has been submitted by Arpaio’s attorneys to the court which convicted him. It has not yet been accepted. It may be accepted, but it may not. TC is pretty sure it will be, and he’s probably right, but I am still hoping. I should add that Arpaio’s case is the only one that has this anomaly. ALL the pardons mentioned by Keith would stand – including those issued to non-citizens.
Lawrence – Well! Lawrence mentioned Schneiderman! And how New York charges would affect the power to pardon! Good for him!
DKos – Real academic counselors have been saying for years – to my certain and personal knowledge, since 1991, and probably before that – whatever you do, don’t go near DeVry.
Cartoon – That seems a bit advanced for most Republicans.
KO: Following Keith’s logic, I picture Rumpy being swallowed by an orange rimmed, hugely huge, black hole! It’s name is “INFAMY!”
TLW: Manaforte as an unknowing FBI mole? Wonderful!
DK:Why would anyone be surprised by this? This is Rumpy at his “best!”
That bigly huge black hole is likely his ass!
Keith Olbermann #115: If I had a dollar for every time I heard or read of someone say “Now that Trump has done this…” or “If Trump will do this”…”then surely the Republicans will have to instantly decide whether they are going to risk their political careers or whether they are going to impeach him,” I’d be rich by now. Because every time Republicans do risk their political careers and stick by him. They have stuck by him when Drumpf pardoned Arpaio against the background of hurricane Harvey landing in Texas so the news programs would have high ratings, so pardoning the whole deplorable Russian conspiracy bunch won’t change that either. It looks like nothing Drumpf does directly affects the GOP, only when Drumpfs actions finally accumulate in a public revolt will the GOP cut itself lose from the monster they’ve created.
TLW: It would be too ironic if it came down to the IRS to make Humpty Dumpty fall and none of his WH staff or the GOP could put him together again.
DK: Dear Betsy has done very well in the eyes of Drumpf: she’s taken Drumpf’s list of qualifications and taken those qualities relevant for this job out and underscored them. Next she found a candidate who just the right amount of defrauder qualities to head an agency responsible for policing fraud and protecting students and taxpayers. Well done, girl, Drumpf is so proud of you.
Cartoon: I would have thought a Republican weathercock would always point in the same direction with the wind steadily blowing from the extreme right and/or Russia…
Republican insistence on sticking by him is exactly the modern version of what happened during Hitler’s regime – “People got used to it.” That’s also one reason why I called this article a “must-read.” Of course in Europe the Holocaust is better remembered (i.e., still taught.) But I am starting to get the hang of it now. If change comes (which I hope it will), it will be administered by people who know what they are doing (such as Mueller and Schneiderman.) It won’t be triggered by some stupid trump action.
From the article: “Fascists and Nazis don’t scare me nearly as much as people who just get used to it.”
Thanks all. Hot bleary-eyed hugs.
Puzzle — 4:22 I wonder if these are edible.
YouTube — “A wholesale campaign of obstruction of justice, a full octane White House cover-up. Proof of his guilt in these cases might prove to be utterly unnecessary.” — Not “Proof … might prove to be utterly impossible.”. In other words, there is enough proof to likely convict Drumpf, but his own actions (pardons) would make that route unnecessary.
I also find the wording in Sater’s email interesting — “Our boy can be president of USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putin’s team to buy in.” — Is Drumpf being manipulated by Sater and friends for their own ends? Drumpf as the unwitting participant? Or is Drumpf totally complicit with the plan? I lean with the latter. I don’t think Drumpf would be an unwitting participant because he wants power, money and ego stroking glory, and to admit unwitting participation would mean he was deceived and is stupid. He’d not like that because after all, Drumpf is the great deal maker. Just ask him.
The Last Word — I think a Sir Walter Scott quote works well to describe the situation: “O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” I think it highly likely that Manafort, and maybe Sater, rolled over on Drumpf and there are some very intelligent financial investigators sleuthing things out. When all is said and done, I just hope that there are no deals made with Drumpf as the ‘shit hits the fan’.
Daily Kos — “Donald Trump … will be appointing the former dean of a for-profit college that paid a $100 million fraud settlement in December, to oversee the agency responsible for policing fraud and protecting students and taxpayers. ” — The fox is in the hen house! Further proof of Drumpf deepening the swamp and having really poor decision making skills, or DeVry has some dirt on him. Drumpf’s whole team, in my opinion, is a group of cronies out for their own gain. I’ll stop there because otherwise my comment will devolve into numerous ‘4 letter’ words and not be fit to print.
Cartoon — Republican science!
Sorry I’m late to the party. I kept falling asleep last night at my keyboard, and then slept in this morning. Having said that, I had a damn fine sleep. Like Portland, we have a heat warning — 33 C (91 F) — and we also have an air quality warning from forest fires in BC now the wind direction has changed from south west to east. I could feel the stinging in my eyes yesterday.