It’s warmer here in the CatBox, and the weather is wet and muggy. I’m feeling a little under the weather with a mild case of Republicosis. That has made it a shitty day. I got my order into Store to Door, and it’s a big one this week.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 5:15 (average 7:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: What is Inequality of Place?
In other words poor, white voters too stupid to understand that changing conditions, decayed infrastructure and Republican greed killed their jobs, not the Blacks and Latinos suffering in mega-cities, are the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich. The Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. RESIST!!
From YouTube (CNN Channel): BBC cameraman attacked at Trump rally
It’s not Trump. The criminal hatred, displayed by the Republican Reich, has been evident for years. Trump just reflects their image. RESIST!!
From Alternet: On Thursday, members of Congress from both parties announced they had a tentative working deal on border security.
And President Donald Trump’s allies are already trashing the deal as no good.
“By the way, on this new so-called compromise,” said [Faux Noise delinked] Fox News host Sean Hannity. “I’m getting details. $1.3 billion? That’s not even a wall, a barrier.” Referencing Trump’s rally in El Paso, Hannity added, “Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain — look at this crowd, look at the country.”
“From the details I have seen,” tweeted [Nazi delinked] Hannity’s fellow right-wing commentator Laura Ingraham, “the word ‘principle’ shouldn’t be used to describe this deal.”
The anger was not just limited to Fox News. House Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) raged against the agreement as well.
“This does not represent a fraction of what the president has promised the American people,” Meadows told the Washington Post. “I don’t speak for the president but I can’t imagine he will be applauding something so lacking.”
Under the agreement, Congress would provide $1.3 billion to construct 55 miles of bollard fencing, with restrictions to protect local communities and environments, $1.7 billion for port of entry security and humanitarian aid, and a 17 percent cut to the number of detention beds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
By all accounts, it is an evenly balanced compromise that forces Democrats and Republicans to make concessions and gives both part of what they wanted. But that will not fly with the hardliners in Trump’s camp.
The devil is in the details. Frankly, I think Democrats may have been too generous, but I’m always willing to negotiate, if Republicans negotiate in good faith. If they are, it’s the first time in years. Assuming it passes, a shutdown becomes a nationally obvious Republican problem, again. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread – 2/12/2019”
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8:48 My heart must not have been in it.
Well alrighty then, this is not a story that one sees every day.
RR – OMG gentrification! I imagine everyone here already knows my opinion on that, so I won’t have to use extra cuss words today.
BBC – The criminal hatred displayed by the Republican Party has been evident, yes. But thanks to Traitor Tot, it is becoming more violent, more publicly violent, and definitely more dangerous. Stochastic terrorism.
AlterNet – Coulter, Hannity, Ingraham, the entire Freedumb Caucus hate this deal. But it beats the heck out of another shutdown.
Cartoon – Beautifully done.
Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty does not apply! ?
No kidding !!!
Gentrification is one of many banes inflicting this country. The destruction of the middle class means the destruction of the USA and everything it is supposed to represent. We need laws to designate certain areas for affordable housing.
I certainly hope that our Congress critters can hammer out a deal to prevent another shutdown – without tRump’s idiotic Maginot Line. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I fear that bad things will happen if we get tRump Shutdown II.
Thanks for the story, Joanne – at least Tyson is now at a proper sanctuary. Tigers belong in the wild!
Actually, Republicans do create jobs – for prison personnel, and in overseas sweatshops.
RR: So true. Seeing more and more of helplessness than in the past. So sad !!!
CNN: It’s dangerous to cover his rallies, with so much vitirol emanating from his followers….downright scary.
AN: Nope! We certainly don’t need another shutdown, for gawd’s sake.
Cartoon: Yep.
*Joanne, glad the tiger was rescued. thx!
Hope you get to feeling better. Enjoy your evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
*This just in: 1. “President’s Day Sale!!! Everyone must GO!” ~ Sylvia E. ~ 2. ‘MAGA’ – Moscow Agent Governing America.” ~ Gary R. ~
This just in – I wish they WOULD have a President’s Day sale like that one! Or even, just make those who have already bought him remove him from the premises.
Right on! JD. I wish that too…..Today!!
RRC: Yes, and you might notice, that on the East coast, the burgeoning centers are in the NORTH east, except D.C., according to Reich. He did not cite Atlanta, or the college town/cities in the Raleigh/Durham areas. Jared Diamond, in “Collapse…,” writes about a beautiful part of Montana, where, apparently, the vast majority of young folk who go off to college, never return to live, but go off to the big cities. Republicans and their greed have emptied the country of the blue-collar jobs, and associated unions, that used to feed and clothe so many people, indeed.
CNN: These poor folks are so primed to buy his B.S. wholesale, with no questioning! It is obscene.
Alternet: Let us not forget, “Freedom Caucus,” is just the latest name for the Tea Party, champions of “No compromise politics.”
‘Toon: Jobs, sure. Elsewhere, at peon wages. More money for the CEOs, screw the people.
5:12 Some lovely blue stones there.
Robert Reich: This Inequality of Place is not only a problem of the US, but a global problem where strong urbanization has drawn people to the cities, leaving the rural, strongly conservative areas underpopulated and strongly increasing the number of very poor and homeless people in those urban high-development areas at the same time. In those countries, there is simultaneously a fast growing (income) gap between the extremely rich 1% and the very poor, exacerbated by right-wing governments with their welfare for that 1% but not for those who need it most. Unless we all adopt a more social – note I’m not saying socialistic – economic model and are willing to share both wealth and knowledge (education) with each other, that gap will only widen. Unless America acknowledges this, its former strong economy will come crashing down (the cracks are already there) despite these economic strongholds on its coasts.
CNN: Of course the mindset of Drumpf supporters has been groomed for years by the Republicans, but never before has an American president been known to actually sic his dogs, i.e. incite his followers, on the media present at rallies. Banana republic dictators are envious of how Drumpf gets away with enticing violence against members of the press present while he speaks.
Alternet: $1.3 billion is too much of a concession already. Give him this and ‘next week’ he’ll threaten with another shutdown because he wants more. Give Drumpf a finger and he’ll take your whole arm. For that wall is the lifebuoy that keeps him afloat with his base.
Cartoon: Republicans have many of these ‘lists’ to their name.
‘MAGA’ – Moscow Agent Governing America.”
Hope your republicosis is cured real fast TC! ?
RR: Sad he speaks such true facts that doesn’t seem to be getting any better for our country. With heartless leaders, it isn’t going to get any better.
CNN: Doesn’t surprise me. The idiot he’s there to see, tRump, is one who brainwashes hatred in all of his followers.
AN: They were showing tRump telling them that he’s “Not Happy”, with what they are offering. Seems like he’s going to continue being a real jackas* about it. Wish they’d have a “special vote” that would let us vote whether or not we want a wall, so we can put an end to this crap now.
Cartoon” Looks exactly like the kind of brainless list they’d have…blank.
Puzzle — 4:36 My heart! When I was a kid, we watched I Love Lucy! As the credits rolled at the beginning of the show, my brother and I used to compete to yell”My heart” when the heart first appeared. Fond memories!
Robert Reich — I wonder if the Trumpians (older, white, less educated and poorer) in the heartland will ever accept that it is Republicans and their policies that are “killing” them off. And then there are those left behind in the bigger centres where costs are skyrocketing. I see it too here in Metro Vancouver, the most expensive city in which to live in North America. As a society, we MUST deal with these divides to survive.
CNN — The criminal hatred of the Republican Reich may have been evident for decades, but I think that Diaper Don has amplified it and taken Republican bullshit to new levels of callousness and greed. And now his deranged groupies are taking their violence up a notch or two. The problem is that his groupies are too stupid to know what is actually happening.
AlterNet — I doubt Diaper Don will sign this deal. Last time, he allowed a few ultra conservatives (Coultergeist, Limbaugh, Ingraham, the Freedom Caucus) to sway him into the shutdown despite the fact that the shutdown caused $11 billion in economic damage. A few rabid Republican dogs cost 800,000 federal employees their wages for 35 days. If he does it again, the damage will be catastrophic and his approval numbers will be like the temperature here . . . lower than dirt and in the negatives. When the Congress has the ability to play god as in orchestrating a shutdown, the US is no longer a democracy but a Republican dictatorship.
Cartoon — Short list but then from Republicans, that is to be expected.
So we have your snow do we? It snowed again last night and this morning. My neighbour again shovelled my walk. Then it started to snow again much to her disgust! We have about 30 cm (11.8 in) of snow. The ploughs and sanders have been going up and down the road behind me. Apparently more snow is forecast for Wednesday – Friday. Thankfully I like snow. It may be snow angel time by Friday! Given what it is like down here at the base of the mountain, I doubt I will be teaching tomorrow since my student lives fairly high up the mountain. And speaking of snow and screwed up weather, I heard that it was snowing in Hawaii today, albeit on the highest mountain. But still . . .
Thanks and hurried hugs to all!