Day: October 5, 2018

Closing Thought–05Oct18

This Judge Brett stuff has gotten out of hand……and in all that time Trump was silent on his usual brand of of bullying toward the women in Brett’s early life….(did not last long after all)

But of course this civility could not last…..it just could not……

As President Trump exited the White House for a flight Tuesday, he spoke with reporters on the South Lawn about the topic you’d expect: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the allegations against him. Some standout lines, per Time, the AP, and the Hill:

  • “You can be an exemplary person for 35 years and then somebody comes and they say ‘you did this or that,’ and they give three witnesses, and the three witnesses at this point do not corroborate what she was saying. It’s a very scary situation where you’re guilty until proven innocent. … That is a very, very difficult standard.”
  • “It is a very scary time for young men in America, when you can be guilty of something you’re not guilty of.”
  • “What’s happening here has much more to do than even the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. … You could be somebody that was perfect your entire life, and somebody could accuse you of something. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a woman … but somebody could accuse you of something and you’re automatically guilty, but in this realm you are truly guilty until proven innocent. That’s one of the very, very bad things that’s taking place right now.”
  • As for what kind of a time it is for women, “Women are doing great,” he replied when asked if he had a message for them.

CNN sees parallels between Trump’s statements and comments Donald Trump Jr. made in a Monday interview with the Daily Mail in which he said that, in light of the Kavanaugh allegations, he is more afraid for his sons. “I mean, right now, I’d say my sons. I’ve got boys, and I’ve got girls. And when I see what’s going on right now, it’s scary.”

There were a couple of silly things said…..”when you can be guilty of something you are not guilty of”….think about that one!  (That Trump is such a great wordsmith, huh?)

And then there is the ‘scary times for young men today”….really men should be scared…not the women that will be treated like shit if they step up.

First young men should have nothing to worry about if they keep their wankers in their pants……kinda like the “perjury trap”….the way to avoid that is to tell the truth.

But never fear…there are enough GOPers saying all the right crap to get him confirmed.  This person does not have the temperament to handle being a Supreme Court judge….it is that simple.

Supreme Court History

All eyes are on the Supreme Court these days…..this happens every time we get a new nominee or the annual session opens up and we get speculation on how it will go……

This time it is all about the Nominee and his possible antics when he was younger (notice I said “possible”)……

I recently did a post on the 25 most controversial decisions of the SCOTUS…..(read it here….https://lobotero.com/2018/09/25/scotus-famous-rulings/

Now with that outta the way a little more SCOTUS history….this time the most divisive appointees……

On Sept. 26, 1789, all six of George Washington’s nominations for Supreme Court justices were confirmed by the United States Senate, which marked the beginning of the judicial branch of the newly implemented federal government.

While the judicial branch is supposed to be the least democratic and least political of the branches of government, an element of democracy still influences the courts and controversy has followed the judiciary since its founding in 1789.

In honor of divisive politics, a feature of the American system, here are the 10 most divisive Supreme Court justices in American history:

https://www.realclearhistory.com/articles/2018/09/27/10_most_divisive_supreme_court_justices_in_history_362.html

Now my reader has enough history to understand the court and its rulings……the problem is that today the nominee is a political appointment and not one about the Constitution and the the rule of law.

Another reason why the states are making the laws to avoid SCOTUS as much as possible.

Brett Needs To Go Away

The SCOTUS is suppose to be a neutral arena for the decisions on laws in this country…..granted all judges have a partisan side but they keep it to themselves because of the rulings they will be asked to hand down…….Kavanaugh has taken the step that will taint every decision he gives…..

He made sure that he let it been known that these were his words and no one influenced his composition of statement….

Brett Kavanaugh admits he “might have been too emotional at times” when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week—but he says he will be an impartial judge if confirmed to the Supreme Court. “I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been,” he writes in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said,” Kavanaugh writes, explaining that he was “forceful and passionate” because of his “overwhelming frustration at being wrongly accused … of horrible conduct completely contrary to my record and character” and at the “unfairness” of how the sexual assault allegations had been handled.

Kavanaugh, who was criticized for the partisan tone of his testimony and his angry responses to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, among others, says he will be continue to be “hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent, and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good.” As a judge, he says, “I have always treated colleagues and litigants with the utmost respect.” The Supreme Court “must never be viewed as a partisan institution,” he writes, promising to “strive to be a team player” if confirmed. “I revere the Constitution,” he writes. “I believe that an independent and impartial judiciary is essential to our constitutional republic.” (More than 1,000 law professors signed a letter to the Senate saying Kavanaugh lacks “judicial temperament.”)

Playing to the lowest denominator Brett has proven that he is not fit to be a judge appointed for life.  He is a partisan hack…..not judicial quality.

The accusations be damn……the reality of his temperament shows that he is a petty person that does not belong on the highest court in the land.

If confirmed then a possible impeachment should be considered.  PERIOD!

Propaganda and Social Media

I have accused the MSM of being nothing more than an extension of the M-IC…ever since the Clinton admin made it possible for corporations to own the news.

The MSM tells us which wars to support, which party is the best…..and then social media became prominent and it is now a good source for propaganda..

But first one disses one needs to understand what propaganda is…….and I can help with that chore…….

https://lobotero.com/2013/01/11/what-is-propaganda/

https://lobotero.com/2014/01/06/propaganda-2-0/

Facebook will do its part…..

Media giant Facebook recently announced (Reuters, 9/19/18) it would combat “fake news” by partnering with two propaganda organizations founded and funded by the US government: the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI). The social media platform was already working closely with the NATO-sponsored Atlantic Council think tank (FAIR.org, 5/21/18).

In a previous FAIR article (8/22/18), I noted that the “fake news” issue was being used as a pretext to attack the left and progressive news sites. Changes to Facebook’s algorithm have reduced traffic significantly for progressive outlets like Common Dreams (5/3/18), while the pages of Venezuelan government–backed TeleSur English and the independent Venezuelanalysis were shut down without warning, and only reinstated after a public outcry.

The Washington, DC–based NDI and IRI are staffed with senior Democratic and Republican politicians; the NDI is chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, while the late Sen. John McCain was the longtime IRI chair. Both groups were created in 1983 as arms of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a Cold War enterprise backed by then–CIA director William Casey (Jacobin, 3/7/18). That these two US government creations, along with a NATO offshoot like the Atlantic Council, are used by Facebook to distinguish real from fake news is effectively state censorship.

https://theantimedia.com/facebook-propaganda-partners/

Personally, I would not trust Facebook to do anything like right.  To use an old saying….trusting Facebook to stop “fake news” is like putting a fox in charge of a hen house.

Those Russian Sanctions

Sanctions have been in place against Russia since Obama’s days….part of the problem, legal problems, with the 2016 election is that Trump organization may have been working to throw out the sanctions…….and then once everyone, except Trump, agreed that Russia interfered with the 2016 elections more sanctions were imposed.

But first a working definition of sanctions…..Sanctions are an important tool of governance in the global financial industry. Most countries have used sanctions or had sanctions placed against either them or their citizens. States increasingly use sanctions to fight economically, rather than physically, and as such, sanctions have become a common tool in foreign relations, peacekeeping and conflict resolution. Given their prevalence, everybody in the financial industry should have a good understanding of what sanctions are, how they work, and why they are used.

https://complyadvantage.com/knowledgebase/sanctions/

This is all information that most international relations wonks know….but now I would like to know…just what these sanctions are actually doing?

On September 20, Washington’s announced new sanctions on 33 Russian individuals or entities for election interference. In addition, America’s November deadline is approaching for Russia to meet Washington’s demands for international inspections and guarantees that Moscow will never use chemical weapons again. Assistant Secretary of State Manisha Singh warned during testimony to Congress on September 13, that without compliance a “severe” “second tranche of sanctions” will be imposed. It is not clear what sanctions are meant to accomplish or whether they are working.

For instance, the September 20 sanctions were a part of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). They are meant “to impose costs on Russia in response to its interference in the United States election process, its unacceptable behavior in eastern Ukraine, and other malign activities.” Also, the November deadline and demands were made on August 27 after Russia used the Novichok nerve agent in an attempted assassination of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in the United Kingdom. In that case, U.S. anti-biochemical weapons law required a response.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/09/26/what_is_the_purpose_of_us_sanctions_on_russia_113837.html

I am still working on just what these sanctions do.

Are they, the sanctions, working?  What damage are they actually doing?  Were they really intended to do any damage to Russia or was it just a show of force…a toothless attempt.