The past few days have been busy with my brother and SIL, and their friends, in town for a few days before boarding a cruise ship for Alaska. We had a chance to spend Friday afternoon with my mother and then go out for a great dinner. Even my 3 furbabes got in on the action eating prime rib leftovers which they very much enjoyed! Although the weather was supposed to be rainy, we lucked out with clear skies at all the right times. I certainly was tired and sore from a lot of walking, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared. I wanted to take them to the Britannia Mine Museum but an auto accident on the highway brought that activity to a screaming halt, and the plan B was Stanley Park. I have several meetings, a haircut and a teaching session with Lucia during the rest of the week.
Short Takes
Alternet — Blame abounds in the wake of the brutal slaying of five police officers in downtown Dallas. But while most people place the responsibility for this tragedy squarely in the hands of the man who shot the police officers (who were by all accounts monitoring and protecting protestors), some on the right believe other people are to blame.
Here's a roundup of some of those (besides the gunman himself) who are being blamed for the Dallas shooting.
2. President Barack Obama
As expected, the annals of Twitter were immediately inundated with charges that “Barack is smiling his smug little smile.” Unfortunately, the notion that President Obama bears any responsibility for the Dallas shooting was hardly limited to the fringes of the internet.
“3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded,” former Illinois GOP congressman-slash-ostentatious-right-wing-radio-host Joe Walsh wrote on Twitter. “This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black loves matter punks. Real America is coming after you.”
Walsh has since deleted the tweet, but he continued posting video of the chaos in Dallas throughout the night.
“10 Cops shot. You did this Obama. You did this liberals. You did this #BLM. Time to defend our Cops. Wake up,” Walsh posted.
He later added that Obama “stoked the flame” and “defends Islam.” Eric Trump, son of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, reportedly retweeted a post by Walsh accusing Black Lives Matter of calling for the death of police officers.
Walsh later clarified he “wasn’t calling for violence, against Obama or anyone.”
William Johnson, the executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, also blamed Obama, taking issue with the president’s completely accurate statement that “when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes it more deadly and more tragic, and in the days ahead we are going to have to consider those realities as well.”
"The Obama administration is the Neville Chamberlain of this war,” Johnson told Fox News. “I think their continued appeasement at the federal level with the Department of Justice, their appeasement of violent criminals, their refusal to condemn movements like Black Lives Matter, actively calling for the death of police officers, that type of thing, all the while blaming police for the problems in this country has led directly to the climate that has made Dallas possible.”
Other GOP groups took issue with a statement Obama gave Thursday addressing the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police. “To be concerned about these issues is not to be against law enforcement,” Obama said. ”When people say black lives matter, it doesn’t mean blue lives don’t matter.”
“Obama lectures nation on racial disparities hours before assassination of Dallas police officers,” the conservative group GOPUSA said in an email.
“It was bound to happen,” the email reads. “It was a Daily Beasttime bomb. Every time Barack Obama speaks on race, things get worse.”
For his part, Obama spoke out forcefully against the Dallas shootings Friday morning.
"I believe I speak for every single American when I say we are horrified over these events, and we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas,” Obama said, calling the assault a "vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement.”
"We will learn more, undoubtedly, about their twisted motivations, but let’s be clear: There is no possible justification for these types of attacks," Obama said. "Anyone involved in the senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done.”
This is the second of 4 absurb right wing reactions to the killing of 5 Dallas police officers. Click through for the other three. As is usually the case, this is totally insaniTEA!
Daily Beast — Donald Trump is all about branding, and here’s a striking irony: while his political brand is built on Muslim-bashing, Hispanic-bashing, and, not least, China-bashing, his hotel brand appears to be thriving here in Asia.
Last October, well after Trump’s xenophobic and sinophobic presidential campaign got under way, Trump’s man in China, Eric Danziger, told Chinese state-run media that the Trump Hotel Collection is actively seeking expansion opportunities in Asian metropolises, including Chinese cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. …
A former Chinese public servant who acquired a green card through the EB-5 program told The Daily Beast that he never expected a profitable return on his $500,000 investment. This is common, as many projects funded via EB-5 become inactive or are poorly managed. For Trump, who has had four businesses file for bankruptcy, the program is perfect.
In fact, during the application process, details of the investor’s previous employment were never called into question—how did a low-level official accumulate half a million dollars to burn, with plenty to spare? The former public servant never had to provide an answer.
Congressional overseers and the Department of Homeland Security have pointed out the vetting process for EB-5 is lacking, and could be a portal for dirty money and those who possess it to enter America.
So, let’s be clear: Trump-branded procriminal enterprisejects have ignored concerns raised by government overseers and might be actively creating channels for money laundering.
Is this the kind of POTUS that Americans want . . . one that indulges in criminal enterprise for his own profit? So if elected president, what will come first . . . the country or his profit? I still really like Huffington Post's disclosure on Trump articles:
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.
Dear Huff Post, I think you need to add some more descriptors for Drumpf like 'criminal' and 'narcissist'.
Think Progress — G.T., who escaped from Eritrea due to political and economic turmoil, works as a steward at a Washington, D.C.-area Hilton hotel. He cleans and washes dishes among other tasks, makes $14.85 an hour, and saves up a portion of his paycheck because he aspires to go to college one day. His life is far different from when he left Eritrea to escape a lifetime of forced military conscription.
Now, G.T. earns a steady paycheck and has become a success story of a controversial refugee resettlement process in the United States that some politicians want to restrict on fears that terrorists could come into the country through this manner. …
Last year, U.S. politicians began tearing into the refugee resettlement process, claiming that terrorists could potentially come into the country disguised as refugees because the country lacks a rigorous refugee application process. As testimony to their fears, as many as 31 state governors rejected refugee resettlement in their states after the terrorist attacks in Paris, France. Roughly 800,000 people have been resettled in the country since 9/11, but not one refugee has been arrested on terrorism charges.
In spite of these vicious claims against refugees, G.T.’s successful integration into U.S. society stands out as an example of the reciprocal, beneficial relationship that refugees and local communities can have on one another. Some local politicians see refugee resettlement as a way to revitalize their cities and to harness talent and skills for entry-level jobs that many native-born Americans may not necessarily want to do.
So what is the Republican line . . . shiftless, lazy, uneducated, thieves, and terrorists? All refugees are not alike but the vast majority are honest, hard working people who want nothing more than safety and the opportunity to properly provide for their families. Properly supported, refugees will add to the community making it a more vibrant place to be.
My Universe — OK, equal time for all the dawg lovers out there!
5 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread — 11/07/2016”
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So sorry you didn't get to the mining museum, but Stanley Park sounds wonderful.
AlterNet – I have lived for 70 years, and there has been a race war going on for all of it. A class war too. The only time anyone in power says anything about it, however, is when someone goaded beyond reason strikes back. Can you say "Hy-po-cri-sy"?
Beast – Cynical though this may sound (and be), any potential laundering channel so obvious that the DHS can see it is pretty out in the open. But then, there are none so blind as those who WILL NOT see.
TP – If Republicans really wanted to keep Amerca safe, as opposed to keeping America scared, they would see that the refugee vetting process is already one of the most stringent in the world. Our Visa process, not so much. i can only assume they must somehow be making money from Visas.
Universe – Cute.
What?!!? No prime rib leftovers for me?!!?
What Garbage!!
I have no doubt that Rump Dump amd the Rectumites would bankrupt the country.
They wan't only white immigrants.
Booo!! CAT is where it's AT!!
No left overs, sorry! My three devoured the prime rib and had nothing but admiration for their auntie who provided the left overs.
Glad you enjoyed your time with your brother and sister-in-law, did some walking in Stanley Park and lived to tell the tale and the got to see your mother after such a long time. I hope you prepared them well for that visit. Take care of your feet and knees during your busy week, otherwise you'll know their vengeance in the rebound, Squatch.
Alternet: These four reactions to the Dallas shooting range from absurd to vile, racist and hateful. There's a myriad of disgusting reactions by people who have peen stoking the fire of racism for years and of course want to put the blame where it belongs according to their warped logic and as a preemptive strike in case anyone should think to lay the blame at their feet. And in election time this is a good opportunity to blame the left/liberals/Democrats/Hillary and even Liz while their at it. Bedlam is to good for these vicious nut jobs. These reactions were very predictable, we've come to expect that from right-wingers, but the toxicity of their content, the hatred behind these reactions has reached new levels. I do hope that America gets through this long hot election summer without more bloodshed.
DB: Yes, Lynn. A too large a group of Americans want this kind of POTUS. A lot of his sordid and even criminal enterprises were known before Drumpf entered the race for the White House and more is uncovered every day. But his supporters either don't want to hear of it, just ignore these facts or deny them and call them lies or they'd like the opportunity to do business the same way Drumpf does and hope that his presidency will be a time of unlimited wheeling and dealing and making a fortune at the cost of other people, the environment and the economy.
TP: Sadly, vilification, dehumanizing and branding refugees terrorists is what I see happening in too many countries. The right rules by fear and this is the way the do it, targeting refugees and turning them into scapegoats as an outlet for the growing dissatisfaction they themselves have created in their countries. And refugees are such easy targets because they have no voice, they're not organized, they can't refute the outright lies as individuals. If they speak out they risk not being allowed to stay. So articles like this one are needed to make people more aware of the contribution they make to our societies and point out a wider public how a wicked thought process and deliberate lies keep them from becoming part of our society or even from coming here at all.
My Universe: Adorable, but the kittens were cuter, though. 😉
Yes, I sent a couple of pictures of mother to my brother beforehand to prepare him for the drastic change. He was glad I did. The visit went as well as possible and thedhen we went out for dinner. As to my feet and knees, they are still attached and not too sore. Ask me tomorrow after I finish the laundry today.
I agree — cats and kittens are always cuter!