For a while, I didn’t think there was going to be any eye-catching nuggets today – but the Trumps proved me wrong!
The story that Herr Drumpf’s campaign has FINALLYfabricated … settled on WRT Melania’s plagiarizing Michelle Obama is that an in-house staff writer, Meredith McIver, at Trump Organization is the guilty party. Well, at least Meredith is the sacrificial lamb being offered up on the golden altar.
But it turns out that this is NOT the first time Melania has stolen … plagiarized … “borrowed” a quote, unattributed, from another accomplished black woman. Back a few years it was Marva Collins, an educator and civil rights activist that Melania plagiarized.
“Always trust yourself, think for yourself, act for yourself, speak for yourself. Be yourself! Imitation is suicide.”
I have no doubt Melania’s eliding the last sentence from her Tweet was purposeful.
I’m starting to think that Melania WAS the guilty party for plagiarizing Michelle Obama. It just took the “Keystone Kops” Drumpf camp this long to put a passably plausible story together and select their sacrificial lamb.
My feeling that Melania is the guilty party is buttressed by some candid photos that (once again courtesy of Google) I have been able to uncover.
But apparently it doesn’t seem to bother The Donald one least little bit.
Oh, well – at least Melania chose strong, accomplished women to admire and steal from.
(I didn’t want to steal anyone’s thunder, so I waited. But I think I can go ahead with this post now.)
Since I probably won’t be putting together a dedicated “Friday Fun” (although I’m feeling much better), I thought I might do some quickie “Fun” observations if and when they become available, courtesy of the GOP Circus … Clown Show … Convention.
Of course the focus today has been on Melania Trump plagiarizing the true sentiments and actual words of Michelle Obama. Although probably everyone has seen it, I wouldn’t want anyone to miss the front page headline of today’s “New York Daily News”
While it’s still not clear who is actually to blame for this major Trumpism snafu of stealing from FLOTUS, but thanks to Google I was able to find a photo of Melania’s speechwriters:
And while surfing the inner tubes, courtesy of Mother Jones, I came across another t-shirt that’s being sold just blocks away from the Convention center that I’m tempted to get for TC:
It’s a little hard to make out, and sadly the only one I can find online is in charcoal gray. But at least you can make out the graphic graphics much easier on this one. (Should I have given this a “Barf Bag Alert” – or maybe a “NSFW” warning – or maybe both?)
I think I’ll hold out for the neon chartreuse green one. It’s so much more reflective of Trump’s … hmmm … “class”.
Well, since I’m heading up to Illinois Monday morning (which is why I’ve been absent more that I’d like while getting ready) for a week at Mom’s (routine paperwork/restocking), and it’s just too hard to post from my phone, I’ll strike a compromise.
Despite my “immunity” to shaming, I’ll (finally) post some pictures of the critter and my much beloved and daily-used “Big Mouth Coffee Mug”.
Since it wasn’t the easiest undertaking with the cat, you’re going to get both of them. The first is of Nike (so named because he has white sneaker-like feet and loves to jump, with his hallmark two-legged “Heigh-Ho, Silver” bounding down the hall) at his “Scouting Perch”. Being not the friendliest of critters, he likes his scouting spot because he can keep an eye on the living room, the entry foyer, the dining room and the family room.
Nike’s second favorite spot is his “Catbird Seat” where he literally likes to keep an eye on the birds in the tree just outside. He’s an indoor cat, so he can only dream …
To actually add a little “Fun” – how about that fiasco of the “Trump-PenceLogo" rollout? After being widely mocked and ridiculed for their X-rated graphic, they sadly decided to entirely dump it.
But since the Twitter world had a frequent meme that their logo looked like Trump was doing to Pence what he would do to the entire country, I think we can elaborate on that theme …
Of course now that they’ve ditched it, out of the goodness of my heart I’m offering an alternative Logo to Trump-Pence using just their initials – AND at absolutely NO COST to them:
As Joanne could so eloquently explain, this was a week where Melpomene, the muse of Tragedy, held center stage. But from a surprising source in an even more surprising setting there was an unexpected (and possibly inappropriate) moment for Thalia, the muse of Comedy.
Today let’s focus on a few of the moments of the week captured in photos – some of which will become iconic. And end with what USA Today called a “Jovial Jig” by Dubya Bush at the solemn Dallas Interfaith Tribute ceremony.
After the tragic killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police, there were widespread protests, and one can understand why …
NOTE: This Tweet has a link to a very graphic picture of Alton Sterling’s gunshot wound to his chest. It was the front page of the New York Daily News captioned “His Hands Were Empty” – but it is very graphic. The Tweet warns you, so if you choose to view it, click “View Content”.
The protests brought in response to these deaths were mostly peaceful. But sometimes the police viewed it differently.
And an 180 degrees different view
While I found these photos particularly compelling …
The one of BLM protestor leisha Evans, a nurse and Mom, in her flowing dress being arrested by cyborg cops after traveling 1,300 mile to peacefully protest in Baton Rouge, LA will certainly become iconic.
A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY – RTSH3XR
While we all hoped that images like this …
Would be the indelible memory we are left with, sadly a madman in Dallas changed all that …
He may have lost his way while joining in the singing of (and dancing to) “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Let’s just say the music certainly “moved” him. But you be the judge:
But in Dubya’s defense, he has a long history of being ready to dance in a seconds notice. But first he has to feel the beat …
And then warm up a bit …
Before he finally gets in to full swing …
But I don’t think we should be too hard on him. Judging from Laura Bush’s reaction being visibly upset in the video, I think she’s got that aspect covered. I just wonder how long it will take before the marks in Dubya’s palms from her nails digging in to clear.
And let us hope that this will be the last time our nation is in need of a Riderless Horse, as noted by the Dallas Police Dept.
I found these pictures of a Muslim woman using the American flag to provide shade for a man overcome at a Dallas prayer rally today to be a balm for my troubled heart.
I apologize. I suppose today more than most we could all use a little “fun” – but my heavy heart is just not in it.
There are too many guns which leads to too many shootings which cause too many deaths.
No one – NO ONE – deserves what has happened in the past few days, weeks, months, years.
Pres. Obama speaking from Warsaw:
With your understanding, I want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the United States, specifically the situation in Dallas, Texas.
My team has been keeping me updated throughout the morning of the evening in Dallas. I spoke this morning with Mayor Rawlings of Dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the American people. I told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance Dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy.
We still don’t know all the facts. What we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. Police in Dallas were on duty, doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests. These law enforcement officers were targeted, and nearly a dozen officers were shot. Five were killed. Other officers and at least one civilian were wounded — some are in serious condition, and we are praying for their recovery.
As I told Mayor Rawlings, I believe that I speak for every single American when I say that we are horrified over these events, and that we stand united with the people and the police department in Dallas. According to police, there are multiple suspects. We will learn more, undoubtedly, about their twisted motivations. But let's be clear: There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. The FBI is already in touch with the Dallas police, and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done.
I will have more to say about this as the facts become more clear. For now, let me just say that even as yesterday I spoke about our need to be concerned, as all Americans, about racial disparities in our criminal justice system, I also said yesterday that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. I also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day, protecting us and protecting our communities.
Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. And in the days ahead, we’re going to have to consider those realities as well.
In the meantime, today our focus is on the victims and their families. They are heartbroken. The entire city of Dallas is grieving. Police across America, which is a tight-knit family, feels this loss to their core. And we're grieving with them. I’d ask all Americans to say a prayer for these officers and their families. Keep them in your thoughts. And as a nation, let’s remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue — not just today, but every day.
Just as not all our National Parks are known for their natural scenic beauty – not all revolutions begin on battlefields. So in celebration of the Centennial of our National Park Service this year, a week ago today Pres. Obama made TheStonewall Inn and adjoining Christopher Park the latest addition to our treasure of National Monuments.
Located in Greenwich Village, The Stonewall Inn gives its iconic name to the legendary uprising that broke out in the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969 when, for the first time, the gay community stood up to police harassment.
“There was no out, there was just in.”
Let’s listen to the historical story from eyewitness recounting by Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt and the words of Pres. Obama from his proclamation and video announcement making the 7.7 acres America’s newest National Monument.
Pres. Obama:
"Raids like these were nothing new, but this time the patrons had had enough. So they stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America."
Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, a veteran of the Stonewall Uprising who was there on June 28, 1969, shares some of his memories when the NYCPD sent its Public Morals Squad (yeah, it actually existed) to raid the bar. Such raids were commonplace back then when it was illegal to be gay.
“We grew up in an era when everything was totally repressed. Liberals thought we should be thrown in mental asylums and conservatives thought we should be thrown in jail.”
An unidentified group of young people celebrate outside the boarded-up Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher Street) after riots over the weekend of June 27, 1969. The bar and surrounding area were the site of a series of demonstrations and riots that led to the formation of the modern gay rights movement in the United States.
Pres. Obama from his Proclamation:
As part of a crackdown on LGBT bars in June 1969, the Public Morals squad of Manhattan's First Police Division raided the Stonewall Inn on June 24, 1969, confiscated its liquor, and arrested its employees. The Stonewall Inn reopened the next day. Having made only minimal impact with this raid, the police decided to plan a surprise raid for the following Friday night or Saturday morning, when the bar would be crowded.
On June 28, 1969, undercover police officers raided the Stonewall Inn around 1:15 a.m., after one of them witnessed the illegal sale of alcohol. Customers resisted the police by refusing to show identification or go into a bathroom so that a police officer could verify their sex. As police officers began making arrests, the remaining customers gathered outside instead of dispersing as they had in the past.
They cheered when friends emerged from the bar under police escort, and they shouted "Gay Power!" and "We Want Freedom!". As word spread, the gathering grew in size and a riot ultimately ensued. Around 3:00 a.m., the City's riot-control force appeared, and started to push the crowd away from the Stonewall Inn. But the crowd refused to disperse.
A scene during the 1969 Stonewall riots, as seen in Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s documentary STONEWALL UPRISING. A First Run Features Release. Photo by Bettye Lane.
Groups of demonstrators retreated to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park.
The riot finally abated about 4:30 a.m., but during the next week several more protests formed, and in some cases, led to new riots and confrontations with the police.
Crowds gathered on the evening of Wednesday, July 2, 1969, five nights after a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a nightclub on Christopher Street popular among gay men and lesbians, which touched off disturbances. The Stonewall uprising has come to be seen as a defining event in the development of the gay rights movement.
Lanigan-Schmidt: “We fought back because we were humanized in there. That night everything changed.” And so the Stonewall riots became the flashpoint that launched what would become the gay rights movement.
Pres. Obama puts these historical protests in perspective in his proclamation read at the unveiling of the plaque:
“Viewed from Christopher Park's central location, this historic landscape — the park itself, the Stonewall Inn, the streets and sidewalks of the surrounding neighborhood — reveals the story of the Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment for LGBT civil rights and a transformative event in the Nation's civil rights movement on par with the 1848 Women's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls and the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights in its role in energizing a broader community to demand equal rights.”
A number of icons of the LGBT civil rights movement were present for the unveiling of the Stonewall National Monument Plaque, including Edith Windsor(on the Left) of United States v Windsor SCOTUS fame that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013.
Let’s close with a small tour of The Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park as they currently appear:
And let's be thankful we have a President in the White House who is dedicated to not only protecting, but also celebrating the diversity that makes America strong.
