Day: February 25, 2019

Closing Thought–25Feb19

WE have been bombarded with the possibility the our president might have committed some crime or another…..plus so many of his advisers have been convicted and others are awaiting trial….all that got me to thinking…..how does other presidential administrations stack up against the Trump as far as people and crime?

And now for your history lesson…(damn you knew that was going, right?)

DAMN!  Did you know that GOP administrations are 38 times more criminal than that of the Dems?

38 times!

Republican administrations have vastly more corruption than Democratic administrations. We provide new research on the numbers to make the case.

We compared 28 years each of Democratic and Republican administrations, 1961-2016, five Presidents from each party. During that period Republicans scored eighteen times more individuals and entities indicted, thirty-eight times more convictions, and thirty-nine times more individuals who had prison time.

Given the at least 17 active investigations plaguing President Trump, he is on a path to exceed previous administrations, though the effects of White House obstruction, potential pardons, and the as-yet unknown impact of the GOP’s selection of judges may limit investigations, subpoenas, prosecutions, etc. Of course, as we are comparing equal numbers of Presidents and years in office from the Democratic and Republican parties, the current President is not included.

We’re aware some of our numbers differ from other totals, but we explain our criteria below.

https://rantt.com/gop-admins-had-38-times-more-criminal-convictions-than-democrats-1961-2016/

If we look back at our history then the troubles with the Trump administrations should be nothing of a surprise.

Learn Stuff!

Class Dismissed!

The “Old Guard” Speaks

The freshman reps in the House are shaking up DC…..and the “old guard”….the old farts in leadership cannot figure out what to do….the people want answers and the donors want things to stay the same after all it is their money that is making these old farts into party leaders……

Of course the conserv writers that push the BS from the GOP are all over trying to lessen the newbies influence……

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been called everything from a “little girl” and “liberal darling” to someone who “comes across like she is 16 years old.” She’s been accused of making her voice sound younger, of seeming “to lack even a modest helping of guile,” and not looking “like a girl who struggles.” Male columnists have been eager to offer unsolicited advice, telling her to slow down and “get some authority before she tries to use it.” The Wall Street Journal recently reduced the 29-year-old representative to someone “whose claim to fame is winning one election, looking cool on Instagram, and proposing ways to spend other people’s money.” And after President Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this month, one of the paper’s columnists, Peggy Noonan, tweeted that Ocasio-Cortez appeared “not spirited, warm and original” but rather, “sullen, teenaged and at a loss.”

Not only was Noonan’s comment textbook sexism — she all but told Ocasio-Cortez to smile — it also wreaked of the same condescending, ageist tone that has followed the political firebrand since she defeated a longtime male incumbent in last year’s primary. What was Ocasio-Cortez expected to do: Look older? Less teenaged? Why was the onus on her — one of many Democrats displeased by Trump’s rhetoric — to play the part of polite young lady, a nice, good girl, when the President drummed up fears about immigrants and claimed that the U.S economy could suffer if investigations into his campaign continue?

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/02/223549/millennial-congresswomen-changing-washington-dc

Personally I love these new Congresswomen for they are showing that they have the ‘nads that their male counterparts do not possess.

Recently Sen Feinstein has shown the contempt that donor money can buy…….

Sen. Dianne Feinstein disagreed with a group of schoolchildren over climate change Friday and saw a video of the tense exchange hit the Internet, CNN reports. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I know what I’m doing,” Feinstein tells the dozen-or-so children and several adults who met with her in San Francisco. “You come in here and you say, ‘It has to be my way or the highway.’ I don’t respond to that.” The group was urging her to change her mind and back the Green New Deal, a progressive plan to limit climate change over the next decade. “There’s no way to pay for it,” says Feinstein, which prompts a girl to respond: “We have tons of money going to the military.” The California Democrat then reminds the children that they’re up against a GOP-led Senate, per the New York Times.

“That resolution will not pass the Senate, and you can take that back to whoever sent you here and tell them,” she says. The tension mounts when a woman in the group says Feinstein is “looking at the faces of the people who will be living with these consequences,” and the senator soon retorts, “I was elected by almost a million-vote plurality, and I know what I’m doing. So, you know, maybe people should listen to me a little bit.” The video was posted by the Sunrise Movement, which urges young people to get involved in climate-change advocacy. The movement’s leader, Varshini Prakash, calls Feinstein “out of touch” and says the Democrats need “fundamental change.” For her part, Feinstein issued a statement saying she heard the children “loud and clear.”

She heard loud and clear my ass! She is just trying to tamp down the blow back from her condescending treatment of concerned teenagers.

Feinstein did what the highly paid “Old Guard” does…….treat future voters as minor irritants and ignore as much as possible…..

Not a god idea…….for ion a few years they will be voting and they will remember the treatment from reps like Feistein……

Speaking of teenagers the future voters……..what is their biggest concerns?

If the 2018 US midterm elections are any indicator, a bigger share of teenagers will show up to the polls in 2020 than in the past.

Politicians looking for their votes would do well to look at a recent Pew Research Center poll that asked American teens about their goals, priorities and struggles. Not all of respondents will be voting age by 2020, but their answers provide a list of issues the many presidential hopefuls should be paying attention to.

https://qz.com/1556019/what-do-american-teenagers-care-about/

Notice anything?

Not one of the people in the GOP is talking about any of the issues the teenagers care about…….not to worry…..the Dems have a limited amount of concern for these issues as well……only Bernie is out front…the others will embrace or lose the votes….

This Is Why I Dislike The GOP

To me the GOP and the people under the banner are total hypocrites more so than the religious d/bags of the “Religious Right”.

Why do I say this?

A couple of weeks back the GOP came out hard and full throated about the comments Rep, Ilhan Omar made about AIPAC….calling her a racist and demanded she resign……unlike some in the GOP she apologized (I was against her doing so for she spoke truth to power and need not apologize for the truth)

GOP has many members that make racist, yes racist, comments and seldom apologize mental midgets like Iowa’s Steven King (the d/bag not the author) and he seems to be proud of his hateful self……

Firebrand congressman Steve King has no plans to give up his job, despite a recent rebuke from his own peers. The GOP representative from Iowa said Thursday that he plans to run for a 10th term next year, reports the Des Moines Register. “I have nothing to apologize for,” said King. Earlier this year, King added to his history of controversial statements by telling the New York Times: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization—how did that language become offensive?”

King reiterated Thursday that he misspoke, or was perhaps misquoted, and said he does not in any way support white nationalism. Still, the original comments earned a rare rebuke from Republican and Democratic members of Congress alike, along with a punishment: King was stripped of all committee assignments, per Politico. King shrugged off the latter on Thursday: “If there’s ever going to be a time not to have committee assignments, this time with Nancy Pelosi as the speaker of the House is the time,” he said. One potential problem for him down the road: King already faces three primary challengers.

King is a old white racist and should be called out for what he is…..the GOP will not do that and as long as they allow this type of hate to stay in their party they will always bear the brunt of all criticism…..

Then there is another reason why I cannot see the use of the GOP……their members cannot see what poor people go through….no more evident than something the idiot Grassley said…..

As for Grassley, the irascible Republican penned an op-ed with House Ways and Means ranking member Kevin Brady (R-TX), that attempted to explain to angry voters that smaller refunds are the direct result of not overpaying.

“The size of your tax refund has nothing to do with your overall tax bill,” the two wrote in USA Today on Wednesday. “It merely reflects what you overpaid the IRS in your paychecks last year.”

According to Politico, Grassley was less conciliatory when previously asked about taxpayer discontent.

“Isn’t it kind of stupid to look at a refund, what your refund is?” he blurted. “That doesn’t tell you what taxes you pay.”

Clueless!

You can read more about GOP efforts to get past voter anger here.

I cannot support anyone that is a member of this party…the party of Trump and the party of HATE…..a clueless pack of old angry white guys…..clueless being the operative word.

 

 

Arabs Embrace An Old Enemy

I am old enough to remember when the rhetoric and actions were aimed at the state of Israel……as a matter of fact several wars were fought by the two opposing sides…….

But this is a new century and a new way of thinking?

Israel is embracing old enemies but to what end?

On November 27, 2015, Israel opened its first diplomatic mission in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Israel’s diplomatic outreach to the UAE gained widespread international attention, as the UAE monarchy has officially refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Israeli citizens are forbidden to travel to the UAE, with occasional exceptions being granted to athletes in international sporting competitions.

Israel’s diplomatic overtures towards Abu Dhabi have been followed by other conciliatory gestures towards the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Israeli defense officials have engaged in covert dialogues with their Saudi counterparts on containing Iran. Qatar has also tried to revive unofficial diplomatic ties with Israel that were severed following the 2008-09 Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-ramani/why-israel-is-strengthening_b_11946660.html

This may be confusing if you know nothing of the Middle East other than the conflicts that Israel fought with its Arab neighbors.

https://youtu.be/PYWQnXAWCHc

Let’s be honest the Saudis and their friends are worried about Iran and they will make a deal with the devil to keep Iranian influence to a minimum…..

https://theantimedia.com/netanyahu-israel-arab-nations-war-with-iran/?utm_source=The+Anti-Media+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a7668c3922-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_177e8c8195-a7668c3922-25607105

The Arabs fear Iran more than the massive US weaponry of Israel……a bit pathetic…..so the question is…wassup with this move by the Arabs?

For several years, backchannel ties between Israel and some Gulf Arab states have been developing in the shadows. While Israel is not shy about the relationship, the Gulf states have hoped to keep their rapprochement with Israel under wraps for obvious reasons pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet increasing diplomatic exposure has brought the relationship out into the open and signaled possible momentum toward the establishment of formal relations for the first time.

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official visit to Oman in October—the first for an Israeli head of state since 1996—he has been vocal in his intentions to build on that by solidifying ties with other states, including Bahrain. The Israeli press even reported, citing the prime minister’s office, that Netanyahu intends to formalize relations with Saudi Arabia ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections, which at the time were slated for November.

While this is likely far-fetched, and cannot be separated from political posturing within Israel, in today’s Middle East it is not difficult to discern the reasons why both sides would court each other. Excessive regional instability and mistrust are heightening tensions between states, especially with adversaries like Iran. The region lacks a collective security framework of any kind, and after nearly two decades of war, America’s appetite for further military engagement in the region has waned, leaving open a considerable security vacuum. Salvaging America’s security commitment is at the heart of the Gulf overture to Israel.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/01/28/whats-behind-the-relationship-between-israel-and-arab-gulf-states/

Are all Arab nations on-board with this move to normalization with Israel?

No they are not!

Kuwait refuses to make nice with Israel!

Kuwait has reiterated its rejection of Arab countries’ normalisation with Israel, slamming those ministers who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at last week’s Warsaw Conference.

In a press statement yesterday, the Speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanim affirmed Kuwait’s “principled and firm position” against normalisation with Israel, stressing it was one of few Arab countries that had not acquiesced to building ties with Israel.

Al-Ghanim said he “wish[ed] there wasn’t a picture of any Arab or Kuwaiti official with any official of [Israel],” responding to allegations that the presence of a Kuwaiti official in a group photo of conference attendees signalled a change in his country’s stance towards Israel.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190218-kuwait-reiterates-rejection-of-israel-normalisation/

Nice to see that some will not bow down to Israel and the influence of the US…….I have been critical of Kuwait in the past now I may have to re-evaluate my thinking.

It’s Venezuela, Right?

Big news! Well not so big right now because our Dear Leader is about to go to Vietnam and meet with Lil Kim of North Korea…..but the battle in Venezuela rages on.

Trump’s “axis of evil” is working full time to bring down the government of Maduro and establish a compliant puppet like Guaido……

The US-sponsored coup in Venezuela, still ongoing as I write, is the latest chapter in the long and bloody history of US imperialism in Latin America. This basic fact, understood by most across the left of the political spectrum – including even the chattering liberal class which acknowledges this truth only with the passage of time and never in the moment – must undergird any analysis of the situation in Venezuela today. That is to say, the country is being targeted by the Yanqui Empire.

This point is, or at least should be, indisputable irrespective of one’s opinions of Venezuelan President Maduro, the Socialist Party (PSUV), or the progress of the Bolivarian Revolution. Imperialism, and its neocolonial manifestation in the 21st Century, is there to pick clean the bones of the Bolivarian dream and return Venezuela to the role of subservient asset, an oil-soaked proxy state ruled by a right-wing satrap eager to please the colonial lords of capital.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/30/trumps-coup-in-venezuela-the-full-story/

The US has a long history of wanting regime changes…..

Since 1995, the U.S. has been involved in twelve more regime change operations—Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, Honduras, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Iran, Nicaragua. Venezuela makes it thirteen. Judging from the miserable U.S. record at coercing change in other countries’ governments, U.S. interference in Venezuela threatens to turn a crisis into a catastrophe.

The U.S. government has been opposed to Venezuela’s socialist revolution since Hugo Chavez was first elected in 1998, and it supported the unsuccessful 2002 coup. Chavez was well loved by poor and working class Venezuelans for his extraordinary array of social programs that lifted millions out of poverty. Between 1996 and 2010, the level of extreme poverty plummeted from 40 percent to 7 percent. The government also substantially improved healthcare and education, cutting infant mortality by half, reducing the malnutrition rate from 21% to 5%, and eliminating illiteracy.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/02/19/us-brinksmanship-venezuela-dangerous

What of the Dems? So far only Tulsi has come out with a strong statement….all others have been weak kneed including Bernie……

When Trump announced his support for the unfolding coup in Venezuela, Bernie Sanders remained silent for 24 hours.  This matters because coups are made or broken in the first moments or hours; a day during a coup can feel like a month or more.

With each hour Bernie’s silence roared louder.  So much was hanging in the balance with Trump at home and abroad, to the point where a finger could tip the scales—  yet Bernie refused to lift his.

Among the many Democratic Party candidates running for President, only Tulsi Gabbard made an unequivocal statement condemning the coup, while leftist darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez limited her criticism to a retweet.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/29/bernie-and-the-dems-flunk-trumps-test-on-venezuelas-coup/

Once again the US claims to speak for the people of Venezuela……but I ask…who gave them that permission?

This is a situation that needs watching…I can only say think 2003 and Iraq…..

Once again the media is NO help…they, all the MSM, is just regurgitating the standard BS from the government…….

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/02/18/trump-pushing-regime-change-venezuela-critics-warn-news-outlets-failing-us-viewers

As it is today with all the back and forth there are basically two Venezuelas…..

The first is the Latin American nation which is currently wracked internally by ruinous socio-economic policymaking, and damaged externally by a long-term US sanctions regime. It long profited from an oil industry that Hugo Chavez’s United Socialist Party nationalised in the late 1990s, consuming its revenues in the name of the poor. But its reliance on oil was painfully exposed by the sharp drop in oil prices in 2014. The government compensated for the shortfall by increasingly taking out overseas loans, and, when the loans stopped, printing money so fast that inflation recently hit 1.3million percent.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/12/a-tale-of-two-venezuelas/

I refuse to stand by and allow this to go forward without my dissent……granted a small voice but a voice nonetheless.