I’m feeling completely wiped out today. After a very busy day yesterday, a small kitchen fire on the 5th floor set off the alarms, waking me from a sound sleep at 1:30 AM. By the time anyone knew there was nothing to worry about, as always, I had dressed, gotten up, put on George, and prepared to be evacuated. I was back in bed by 2:30, but was wide-awake and could not get back to sleep.
Nameless Update:
As I commented last night, Nameless is in the hospital and requests your thoughts and prayers. He expects to be allowed to return home after his echo-cardiogram, so he may be on-site before I publish this.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:44 (average 4:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (Inequality Media Channel): The Monopolization of America
I fully agree. There’s nothing in the presentation that I didn’t already know, but few do and all need to learn in order to RESIST!!
From CNN: National security officials and some Republicans are preparing contingency plans in case President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel, falters amid questions about her past role in the George W. Bush-era extreme interrogation program and destruction of videotapes of waterboarding, five sources familiar with the matter tell CNN….
…Haspel’s 33-year CIA career is controversial for several reasons. She oversaw a CIA black site in Thailand in 2002 where harsh interrogations were conducted, although she was not at the site when al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded at least 83 times. She was also chief of staff to the director of the National Clandestine Service, Jose Rodriguez, in 2005 when the CIA tapes of interrogations were destroyed. Rodriguez wrote in his memoir that he asked Haspel to prepare a cable granting permission to destroy the tapes, though he made the decision.
National security officials say they still believe she can survive a Senate confirmation hearing — but some say there contingency plans if she doesn’t.
At that time, the majority of Americans believed Republican lies that torture works, and it was legal. Most Americans did not know we hung Japanese officers for waterboarding GIs. Torture was "legal", so it is not reasonable to blame her for her oversight. However, she must not be confirmed because she participated in a cover-up by destroying tapes she was legally required to safeguard. Her apparent intent to obstruct the investigation that resulted in outlawing torture. RESIST!!
From NY Times: A group of student activists sat in the library at George Mason University this past week feeling both vindicated and violated.
The group, Transparent GMU, had sued the university and its fund-raising foundation last year after it was denied requests for documents that it suspected showed how deep-pocket donors were given undue influence over academic affairs. After a recent court hearing in the case, the university released those documents, some of which appeared to affirm the group’s suspicions.“It feels like transparency Christmas,” said Kailey Adkins, a sophomore at George Mason and a Transparent GMU member. But, she added, “I mostly feel deceived and disappointed. GMU breached my trust and sense of security in my education.”
The documents reveal in surprising detail that for years, as George Mason grew from a little-known commuter school to a major public university and a center of libertarian scholarship, millions of dollars in donations from conservative-leaning donors like the Charles Koch Foundation had come with strings attached.
As early as 1990, entities controlled by the billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch were given a seat on a committee to pick candidates for a professorship that they funded, the records show. Similar arrangements that continued through 2009 gave donors decision-making roles in selecting candidates for key economics appointments at the Mercatus Center, a Koch-funded think tank on campus that studies markets and regulation. The appointments, which also created faculty lines at George Mason, were steered to professors who, like the Kochs, embraced unconstrained free markets.
If Republican Billionaires want to control the agendas of colleges to teach their bullshit propaganda to turn students into Koch suckers, it is their right to do so, no matter how distasteful I consider it. However, it is NOT their right to do it secretly, hiding it from the students. Caveat discipulus! RESIST!!
Cartoon:
16 Responses to “Open Thread – 5/7/2018”
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We need another Theodore Roosevelt – another Trust Buster! That is why I read labels carefully when I shop and support mom-and-pop type businesses whenever I can. Meanwhile, RESIST, PERSIST, INSIST! Above all, VOTE – but don’t just vote blue, support genuinely progressive candidates. It is not enough to make sure the Blue Wave continues into November – we need REAL Democrats in office, not DINOs.
Horrible Haspel – this is like putting the head of the KKK in charge of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
NYT: The wealthy have the right to support what colleges they like, but NOT to dictate that the students be taught B.S. courses. Our children need real education. Our current excuse for an educational system is training up kids to be obedient robots that spew trivia on cue.
Cartoon: A glorious day in history.
5:50 I tried making it bigger since my eyes were not cooperating,, but it didn’t help.
Nameless – Hope you are right. I’m going to assum he DID listen to all of us saying “Take care of YOURSELF” and that this happened in spite of that.
Reich on the Left – So, how Dunning-Ktuger challenged does one have to beto keep hearing about, reading about and signing petitions to oppose “The merger from hell,” and then the next one and the next, and infinitum, and NOT realize we have a monopoly problem? BTW those anti-trust laws were all passed by Progressives who manged to come into power when monopolies were at their worst – before today, that is. And in case anyone thinks that Sam had any honor, and that his kids are selling his ideals, monopolization (with concomitant price increases) was HIS businee model way back when. (And as for Bork – who would you believe – Robert Reich, or a man whose name has become a synonym for “phuq up,” transitive and intransitive.)
CNN – I’d be most interested to hear their contingency plans … since they can’t count on Haspel to keep her hat in the ring.
NYT – The colleges and universities in question need to be THEIR OWN colleges and universities, NOT public ones. George Mason fought alongsode James Madison for a Bill of Rights. I wonder what he would say about this. Any recent earthquakes in Fairfax County?
Cartoon – Too true to be funny. I suppose it would be too tedious to design an elephant cobbled together from the US Flag, the COnfederate Flag, and the Nazi flag, not to mention too difficult to interpret at scale.
I’m not feeling terribly perky myself – world class post nasal drip along with plenty of drowiness with very little actual restful sleep – and then the eyes. I’l just check the kast few days and disappear till tomorrow.
Joanne, hope that you start feeling better. Take it easy and rest, and pamper yourself. One needs to do that sometimes.
Take care, ShipMate!!
Sorry you’re not feeling too well either, Joanne. Take yourself off to bed and allow yourself some healing time, dear friend.
It is allergy season with the new crop of weeds and flowers, not to mention trees and grasses. Is that the cause of your world class, super sized post nasal drip?
Whatever, please take care of you with plenty of rest, lots of liquids, particularly tea, and 3 squares to keep your body in fighting form.
Probably yes. It’s a wee bit better today, but I’m not quite back to fighting form yet. Thanks to everyone.
Ditto all and me too!
IMC: Excellent video. Passing this on to friends.
CNN: She would be placed in a high(er) position, and her lack of integrity stands out, and… would she do it again? No to Haspel !!
NYT: Boy, that’s pretty sneaky……and sad. I hope that they get some kind of compensation for this too.
Cartoon: Ain’t that the truth??
Glad that no one was hurt from the fire. I’m glad you’re okay too. Take good care, and Thanks, Tom.
Nameless: Healing thoughts & prayers to you, hope that you start feeling better, and take good care.
Take it easy, and REST!, we need your humor in these times!
Excellent video. A must view & listen. Only 11 minutes long and LOTS of information.
Robert Reich takes a take an in-depth look at antitrust laws in the United States and explains how corporate giants have come to dominate the American economy and politics.
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IM: I wish I could say that monopolization is a typical American problem, but it isn’t. It is the blight of a world economy and our watchdogs, instated to prevent monopolization, may possibly do a slightly better job than yours, but it is marginal.
CNN: The BBC noted this afternoon (here) that
If Drumpf needed to defend his nomination of me in a tweet, I’d definitely not stay on, but run for the hills! I wonder who the Republicans have in mind for their contingency plan. It’s hard to imagine anyone would want to risk a future career working in the vicinity of the White House, so it’ll probably be someone either too old or too damaged to care about that.
NYT: A bitter-sweet victory indeed. And George Mason University may well be the top of a huge iceberg of schools, colleges and university where the Kochs are influencing students curricula and minds with their millions. Working on a new generation of Drumpf voters. ???
Cartoon: The armies surrendered, but the ideas just went underground and are resurfacing 70 years later.
The number of kitchen fires you have reported on over time is frighteningly high, TomCat. It must be beyond annoying to be woken up for nothing again, but its better to lose sleep through false alarms and be safe, than not to wake up until it’s too late and be very sorry. I hope you manage to catch up on some sleep soon.
Inequality Media: No surprise.
Cnn: Haspel as cruel, uncaring, giving the rule of law the middle finger? The perfect Dumpy pick!
NYT: George Mason has benefitted immensely from the Koch boys. How many times have I urged people to read “Democracy in Chains-The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America,” by Nancy MacLean? The Mercatus Center, I believe, or, as I recall was set up by James Buchanan, whose father was one of the founders of the John Birch Society. His hero was John C. Calhoun, a rabid elitist and lover of slavery.
‘Toon: The GOPIGS have become the modern Nazis!
Puzzle — 3:29 This is likely the Mediterranean Sea, beautiful and dangerous.
Inequality Media — How Republican of these super sized corporations. I think the saddest thing is the gullibility of so many people to believe that this is best. These economies of scale only benefit the 1% investors. And of course, Drumpf is busily removing regulation which only makes it easier to make profits without regard to social and economic responsibility and accountability. In Canada, we have the same problem only to a lesser degree I think. For example, we don’t have the same level of consolidation in the healthcare industry unless you call the government a monopoly. I don’t since it is really The People. The people should always be the focus.
CNN — Haspel may not have been on site when some of the extreme waterboarding was done, but she, as the head, set the tone of the torture. If torture is not legal in the US already, it should be. The US should not use foreign rendition sites for torture but do it on its own soil and be directly accountable to the people for the fallout! Interesting to note that the US signed the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (commonly known as the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT)) on 18/04/88 and ratified it 21/10/94. I hope she does not call herself a true Christian, because she is not! . . . like the rest of the Republicans.
NY Times —- Bad things go bump in the night! There must be transparency. Just as ingredients must be displayed on food labels in stores, “labels” should be required on universities and their courses. Full and transparent disclosure. Caveat emptor!
Cartoon — You think so Republicans??? I think you will surrender on 06 November 2018!
BTW, it seems we do have Republicans in Canada! Look at this piece from the Ontario provincial party leaders’ debate yesterday. I am sure everybody remembers Doug Fords brother, Rob Ford who passed away from cancer 22/03/16. It was revealed that a PC candidate paid actors to wear a Ford Nation t-shirt and gear and support the Progressive Conservatives.
It has been a long, long few days. I spoke at the fund raising dinner for my mother’s care centre on Saturday evening and was complimented on my speech and my delivery. I had some humour in it but I also had some people in tears apparently. Then on Sunday, I completed the Alzheimer’s Walk for Memories raising approximately $1200. I was fine when I finished but by the time I got home, my knees were in severe pain — hot and throbbing! I elevated them without relief for about 3 hours but had to resort to ibuprofen extra strength which really helped. Yesterday I felt a bit better but had to rest my knees later in the afternoon. Tonight I have a meeting at my mother’s care centre and then physio and teaching tomorrow. To boot, yesterday it was about 27C out by me . . . too hot!
Thanks all! Hot Tired Hugs!