It’s another rest all I can day. TGIF!!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 5:08 (average 6:05). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (Inequality Media Channel): Denied the Right to Vote Because They’re Poor
I could not agree more. This is nothing more than weaponizing the Republican War on the poor. RESIST!!
From The New Yorker: Jubilant Trump voters on Thursday celebrated the prospect of a gigantic tax cut that will benefit everyone but them.
Across the country, Trump supporters were overjoyed that, after months of gridlock and wrangling, the man they voted for was about to make Americans other than them wildly richer.
“President Trump has taken a lot of hits from the fake-news media, but he stood his ground,” Carol Foyler, a Trump voter in Ohio, said. “Today he honored his pledge to the American people, except for me and anybody I know.”
Click through to see Andy’s pic of fools and their Fuhrer. RESIST!!
From NY Times: The federal corruption trial of Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey ended in a mistrial on Thursday after jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict, leaving Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, free to return to Congress but injecting uncertainty as he faces re-election next year and his party faces a difficult battle to retake the Senate.
After interviewing jurors individually in his chambers, Judge William H. Walls emerged to tell the court that, after nine weeks of testimony, the jury was deadlocked and that, as a result, “there is no alternative but to declare a mistrial.”
One juror told reporters that 10 of the 12 jurors supported finding Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, not guilty, saying that prosecutors had not made the case that the favors and gifts exchanged between the senator and a wealthy eye doctor went beyond what good friends do for each other.
Menendez needs to go, but not until PIGnocchio is gone and cannot flip the seat. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
16 Responses to “Open Thread – 11/17/2017”
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5:14 “Stenocarpus” sounds more like a dinosaur than a tree to me.
<-Reich – As he says, a poll tax, pure and simple.
TNY – Straight news again. All the way down to “honoring his pledge” to do something no President can do, but only Congress can.
NYT – It is indeed the job of the prosecution to make the case, and if the prosecution does not make the case, it is the duty of the jurors to acquit, even if they are convinced internally, for whatever non-evidential reasons, that the defendant is as guilty as sin. I have been there, and it is no fun. Based on just this snippet, it appears that what the prosecutor failed to make the case for was the intent of the law. That sucks – buit the inly surprise in Trump’s America to me is that a jury would apply it to a Democrat. If I understand correctly, it’s not an acquittal – he could be tried again without it being double jeopardy. According to Daily Kos Elections, the new Democratic Governor, Phil Murphy, will support his bid for re-election.
Cartoon – Nixon had just been elected and there were people with their shorts all in knots about a football game. America doesn’t appear to have changed too much. Sigh.
If you can stand one more piece of information on Menendez, POGO explains why it’s so difficult to meet the standard of proof in cases like his.
OK, I can understand not letting felons vote – for a short time. But striking people from the polls because they owe legal fees is clearly discriminatory, as well as illegal. RESIST and PERSIST and INSIST!
Menendez may have won in court, but that victory could turn out to be of the Pyrrhic variety. Zero points for being a Democrat.
I’ve heard about the “Heidi” game, but had to look it up for details. You can bet your bottom dollar that would NEVER happen today.
Once someone has gotten out of prison, not letting them vote tells them the community does not want them and to return to crime.
RR: Amen!!! Mr. Reich!!!
NYer: Makes me ill, at least I can giggle with Andy’s rendition.
NYT: I agree, Mendez needs to go, but he is also up for re-election next year….we’ll see.
Cartoon: Can laugh now, but back then viewers were furious at the network. Watched Heidi movie instead, and everyone enjoyed that immensely. NOT !!
Keep resting, and hydrated. Take care, enjoy your evening, and Thanks, Tom.
RR: Absolutely! Disenfranchisement is the issue, also, behind the miserably failed “War on drugs,” that Att’y General Puke Face wants to restore to its full wrath! Read “The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, ” by Michelle Alexander, the first book on my other Senator, Cory Booker’s “Book Club “list.
New Yorker: I would not be surprised to find some fools voicing that very sentiment, as Trumpism has, apparently, become something akin to a religion. According to a story on “Alternet,” Fox fans have hit the roof over a Fox broadcaster actually having the gall to fact check the ridiculous story about the Clinton Uranium story. This is the behavior of religious fanatics, who can not tolerate contravening information about their religion.
NYT: Menendez has been around a while, ought to have known that, especially in these days, even the smallest hint of impropriety, questionable ethics (for Dems) can lead to trouble. Watch McConman try to nudge (shove) hi out.
Puzzle — 4:18 Well I finally beat you Puddy Tat!
Robert Reich — As usual, Robert Reich hit the nail on the head! It may take more than hitting Republicans on the head for them to get the point!
The New Yorker — To quote Forrest Gump “Stupid is as stupid does!”
NY Times — “Menendez needs to go, but not until PIGnocchio is gone and cannot flip the seat.” — AMEN!!!
Cartoon — From Wikipedia: (Note the date s/b 17 November not 14 November as in the cartoon)
IM: Of course Reich hits the nail right on the head again; he always does. But while he still manages to baffle me with these facts each time, I’m most gobsmacked by the fact that he and other progressives need to repeat this message over and over again. With little result, it seems. Yet at the same time so many Americans still see their country as the great crusader and protector for democracy.
TNY: Drumpf could easily build a massive wall along the Mexican border just with the interior defense walls his base needs to keep up to shield them from the truth and having to come to terms with it.
NYT: It has been shown repeatedly how difficult it is to get a Republican convicted even when the evidence seemed overwhelming, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that would hold for a DINO too. The silver lining on the outcome of this court case is that the GOP pot can’t play its favorite game of calling the Democrat kettle black, but the Democrats should definitely stop supporting their elitist spoiled brat in the re-election and put a progressive in his seat. NJ is ready for that, thanks to Christie. Until then he should be kept on a very short leash.
Have a very restful weekend, TomCat.
I remember the uproar over the “Heidi Game” … first-hand!
I was watching and had a $20 bet on that game.
Wow. Dude. I’ve been gone from here for a while. Haven’t been online for a week and have been nursing my poor cat Lil Bit. He passed yesterday. One of my bottle cats that I raised. Their momma left them under our Ranchero and disappeared. They were about 2 weeks old when I found them. I’m kinda sad today, but he was my old man’s cat. All the TomCat’s are his and the girls are mine, of course. We had him and his sister for about 5-6 years. He had been a sickly cat for a few years, tho.
I love Robert Reich! He is the brainy-est dude I can think of right now! And he has the best points! Lol.
Andy is ALWAYS right on point! Gotta love the Andy-man!!!
Bob Menendez got lucky. We will see what happens to his seat. People are not loving him much, so his seat will be hard to keep BLUE!
Have a good one, TC! See ya in Sunday!
Oh, Vivian, I’m so sorry. Losing a furry family member is always hard, and the fact that so many people don’t get it makes it exponentially harder. {{{{{ Vivian }}}}}
So sorry about your kitty, Viv. {{{HUGS!!}}}
Viv, I am so sorry about the passing of your puddy. They sure do leave big holes in our hearts don’t they. He may have gone over the Rainbow Bridge, but he is still with you in spirit.
So sorry for the loss of Lil Bit. I think I understand how you feel, Viviane. Our furry friends are part of our family and it breaks our hearts every time one passes away.
Thanks all. Hugs!