Scientific illiteracy is indeed threatening our future. Actually, our future is now in serious doubt. I am one of those who believes civilization as wScientific illiteracy is indeed threatening our future. Actually, our future is now in serious doubt. I am one of those who believes civilization as we now know it cannot survive into the next century.
I would like to say something about what is known as "free speech" by defining a few things that are not free speech and should not be referred to as such.
1. Lying is not free speech. It should be called out for what it is: lying.
2. Ignorance is not free speech. It should be called out for what it is: ignorance.
Some people seem to be under the impression that the first amendment gives them the right to say anything they darn well feel like saying no matter how untrue it is. Time to call it out for what it is. ...more
An excellent summary of Trump and Russia. It helps if you know some of the names involved.
Here is one of the worst examples. Think about this one. CaAn excellent summary of Trump and Russia. It helps if you know some of the names involved.
Here is one of the worst examples. Think about this one. Can you imagine any Democrat doing this? Can you imagine this coming from a so-called "conservative"?:
1. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a strategic summit in Helsinki. Before that they met privately in Hamburg, Germany. All press and staff were excluded. The notes of the American translator were destroyed. (Isn't that criminal behavior?)
2. In Helsinki, Trump forbade the presence of any staff once again and met Putin for two hours. Only the interpreters were present. Her notes were taken. She was forbidden to reveal what was discussed.
Here is a quote from Ezra Klein, Vox editor at large: "Basically all democratic theory is based around the idea people have a roughly accurate and shared view of what's going on. What if they don't?" ...more
I have to admit to a lot of disappointment reading this as opposed to other opinions I am reading in the reviews. My big issue is that General Mattis I have to admit to a lot of disappointment reading this as opposed to other opinions I am reading in the reviews. My big issue is that General Mattis has some accounting to do for his part in the Trump administration. He failed to do that.
Mattis wonders why Trump picked him for Secretary of Defense. Let me be a bit audacious and try to explain to the good General why Trump selected him. Trump is all about show. It was Mattis's nickname that turned Trump on: Mad Dog Mattis. Trump loved that and kept repeating it. Come on, General. You couldn't figure that out? To Trump's surprise, Mad Dog Mattis turned out to be anything but a mad dog. In fact, Mattis is a professional soldier and a gentleman.
One important story is the effort to kill Bin Laden under the George W. Bush administration. General Tommy Franks wanted to send in Afghan soldiers instead of American commandoes. That was a failure and Bin Laden escaped to Pakistan. An untold number of deaths would later happen because of that mistake. Mattis threw Franks under the bus. I am not so sure. If G W Bush was not such an idiot, he might have had a better understanding of what needed to be done. And as a side note, NO, the generals do not always have the right answers. ...more
I have finished reading this book and am working on my notes. On this Memorial Day 2021, I have just read a report about the recent QAnon conference. I have finished reading this book and am working on my notes. On this Memorial Day 2021, I have just read a report about the recent QAnon conference. Michael Flynn was there saying that what happened in Myanmar "should" happen here. That means a military takeover while shooting civilians in the streets. Who else attended? Texas Republican representative Louis Gohmert, the dumbest post in Congress. Also Allen West, the chairman of the Texas Republican party. Texas has a problem. The Republican party has a problem. America has a problem. Can anyone reading this still call themselves Republicans with any sort of pride? Isn't it way past time to pull out? And have you Republicans been following the decline of democracy not only here but around the world? Can anyone explain to me what the hell you are doing?
The book was published in 2012. I thought it was entertaining and troubling. The situation seem only to have gotten worse. On guns, for example, Texas just passed a law not requiring any license to carry a firearm. As the book points out, gun sales don't stop at the border. So-called "conservatives" complain about Mexico, but our guns are smuggled across the border in their direction. They are also smuggled to other states with stricter gun laws. For example, in 2010 California traced 368 weapons used in crimes back to Texas gun dealers. For those of us who know people who have died by gun violence, we find this deplorable.
Texas has no state income tax. But you can bet the money you did not pay in taxes they get billions in aid from the federal government. They follow the irresponsible ideology of libertarianism by cutting regulations. The results are things like flooding in areas where houses should never been built. The federal government foots the bill.
Former Texas Congressman Phil Gramm led the fight to save sub prime lending and save the banks from collapsing. So much for "libertarianism." It's all BS. The suckers fall for it while the wealthy reap the rewards. Then we have to clean up with our tax dollars.
They have a great influence on textbooks and other things having to do with public schools. Every salesperson I spoke to told me about the influence of Texas on our school books. Each one complained. And more and more of our tax dollars are going to private and religious schools. They want alternative theories to evolution in textbooks. Like a seven day creation?
Sex education was also opposed. And any help for preventing pregnancies. And of course once a baby is born it's on its own. Can't waste tax dollars on helping actually born and living people.
Here is a summary of what made the Texas economy boom while it did: 1. They had oil. 2. They were not in the snowbelt so people moved there from the north. (Let's hope they can bring changes.) 3. They have a high teen birthrate because of failures in sex education. 4. They share a border with Mexico. 5. They like to hitch a free ride on the nation's federal tax dollars. 6. They complain about federal jobs, but they have tons of them, especially military bases.
They can only ignore climate change for so long before the fertilizer hits the fan. They are already in big trouble. ...more
Highly recommended for those interested in this topic.
I was raised to believe in the Common Good or as we called it The Greater Good. I became a bettHighly recommended for those interested in this topic.
I was raised to believe in the Common Good or as we called it The Greater Good. I became a better person by living up to the ideal that there are things in life more important than I am. By caring about each other we all benefit.
Reich is fair minded in his criticism. He discusses both Democrats and Republicans. But he realizes if you listen carefully that it is not an equal equivalency. The Republican Party is off the rails. ...more
An absolutely thrilling, incredibly horrible, even humorous, true-life spy story. Totally worth reading if you are interested in the facts about what An absolutely thrilling, incredibly horrible, even humorous, true-life spy story. Totally worth reading if you are interested in the facts about what Putin has been doing.
The two assassins dressed like Steve Martin and Dan Ackroyd the two wild and crazy guys Yortuk and Georg Festrunk from Saturday Night Live:
Humor aside, as Clive James said, "Truly unprincipled states never blush."
What they do is what I call the philosphy of "Kill Your Ghandis." Then you don't have to deal with them anymore. Never tolerate any criticism. Accept only total allegiance. Sound familiar? That's Trump without the killing.
Putin's brashness is because he can get away with it. No one is going to start World War 3 just because he murders one person. Or even a whole lot of persons. Or attacks countries in his sphere of influence.
To sum up the book in a few words: the Russian government is a mafia state. Notice I did not say behaves LIKE a mafia state. I said it IS a mafia state, filled with assassins, criminals.
This is a must read if you are at all interested in the topic. ...more
Highly recommended for those interested in knowing all of what Putin has been up to. None of it good. It is a gangster government running Russia now. Highly recommended for those interested in knowing all of what Putin has been up to. None of it good. It is a gangster government running Russia now. The words autocracy and oligarchy have been blended together into one. America is on the decline and the world is worse off because of it.
There is no such thing as a "Russian hoax."
Mitch McConnell answered "Absolutely!" when asked if he would vote for Trump in 2024. Why? Fetuses? Automatic weapons? It is all about tax cuts for the filthy rich who are making out like bandits. They are in control.
There are three levels to Russian spydom: 1. Useful Idiot, 2. Unwitting Agent, and 3. Witting Agent. Donald Trump went through all three stages. But, let's face it, he will always be an idiot.
Now the question is What excuse do all of the enablers have for promoting Russian interests? I am talking about Fox News, One America News, Newsmax, and the following among many others:
the Republican Party A word about the Republican Party. Let me try and express my feelings about the Republican Party in as few words as possible: What the fuck? What are you all thinking? Is this what it means to be "conservative"? Being lackeys for Putin? Right now you have one thing to do. Each and every last Republican: Come out and say the election was fair and Biden was elected President. Instead all I see is trying to make it more difficult to vote. Another win for Putin.
the National Rifle Association (NRA) A word about the NRA. Let me try and express my feelings about the National Rifle Association in as few words as possible: What the fuck? Seriously, people. Why are you in this group? It is just a front for the gun makers. They don't care about the second amendment, just making millions at our expense. Couldn't you find something better to do with your dues money? I have been fighting the NRA all of my life and it has only gotten worse. When NRA leaders visited Moscow, the reason was why? Did you think they were going to spread gun rights with Putin in Russia? No, it was only for Putin to transfer money to the NRA coffers to help Trump win and defeat Hilary Clinton. Oh, I forgot, NRA people don't "like" Hilary. Like is that how they vote? She was only one of our most qualified candidates ever.
Jill Stein: A word about Jill Stein. Let me try and express my feelings about Jill Stein and the Green Party in as few words as possible: What the fuck? She visits Moscow to talk to Putin? Did she think the biggest monster in the world was interested in the environment? All he was doing was looking for ways to funnel money into her campaign to siphon votes away from Hilary Clinton. And he did just that. The result was a Trump win in the 2016 election. The damage to the environment in Trump's four years as president has been incalculable. And it will be hard to overcome. Then when William Mueller wants to speak with Stein about her visit to Putin, she gets all snotty and pouty and says, "The nerve of that man! He wants to talk to me! Moi! The Green Party candidate! How dare he!" You know. Talk to the guy who's supposed to be investigating Russian influence on our election? Bill Mueller?
I am sick and tired of third party candidates on ego trips. The same thing happened in 2000 with Ralph Nader. He helped to knock out Al Gore. Please stop doing that!
America Haters A word about America Haters. Let me try and express my feelings about America Haters in as few words as possible: What the fuck? I heard someone at a Zoom event recently saying it was a good thing that America was on the decline. What? And the replacement is? Russia? China? Right now those two nations are splitting the continents that each one controls. Russia is determined to destroy democracy throughout Europe and anywhere else for that matter. China wants to control Asia. It is only a matter of time before they actually attack Taiwan. They would love to see someone run America just like them. ...more
Audio book read by Al Franken himself. I found it simply told and totally fascinating.
If you want to learn about politics, you could do a lot worse tAudio book read by Al Franken himself. I found it simply told and totally fascinating.
If you want to learn about politics, you could do a lot worse than reading this book. I miss him. He was an excellent senator.
Franken lost his job after writing this book. I have known people who kiss on the lips as a way of greeting. I would never do that nor do I want anyone to do that to me. I remember one person thinking of me as being ridiculous that I would not let her kiss me on the lips. She kissed everyone on the lips. Franken seems like that.
I respect everyone's air space, and I expect them to respect mine.
I got what I expected and that is how I star a book. It was a look into the family life of Donald Trump. All I could think about while I was reading iI got what I expected and that is how I star a book. It was a look into the family life of Donald Trump. All I could think about while I was reading it was this famous poem by Philip Larkin:
This Be The Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN
They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself....more
From the Introduction: "The FBI has always been the nemesis of criminals. Today, the FBI is under attack by the president of the United States. The prFrom the Introduction: "The FBI has always been the nemesis of criminals. Today, the FBI is under attack by the president of the United States. The president assails the FBI because he resents or fears the Bureau's independence, its fairness, its professionalism, its competence, and above all its values."
How can any true "conservative" not be concerned about that.
The president looked at everything as "sides." He wanted to know whose side you were on: his or the rest of the world.
It is absolutely necessary that the FBI be independent of the White House to keep the American people safe. Yet it still has to function with the Administration in power. It's a balancing act.
McCabe talks about his first FBI jobs working against the Russian mafia. He also thinks like I do that we missed an opportunity to help Russia after communism. The push for democracy and free-market capitalism ignored the fact that such a change is not easy. Freedom breeds craziness. Just take a look around you. We wanted that so badly we did not fight organized Russian crime more. We end up with Putin and later Trump.
To find organized crime, surveillance is needed. We have provided too much protection for US citizens because of past abuses. Now online, we do the same. And the proliferation of assault weapons does not help. Russian crime also included sexual slavery by bringing Russian women over here to be used by crime figures. Even Russian hockey players were being extorted back in Russia.
Just to give you an idea of the Trump connection. Here is a story. Alimzhan Tokhtakounov was in an Italian jail thanks to a joint effort. A Russian oligarch pledged 200 MILLION DOLLARS to get him out of jail. Next thing, the Italian Supreme Court releases him. Several months he is seen at Donald Trump's Miss Universe contest in Moscow. And you can bet the Russian mafia and spies were all over, around, and through the Donald.
In the 60s, attention was turned to racketeering with AG Robert Kennedy and Senator John McClellan. You cannot give enough credit to the courage it takes to do that. Then came the Organized Crime Control Act in 1970 with the provision known as RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). The important need was to protect informants. With Trump, he demanded informants be identified.
For 9/11, the FBI and other agencies could have seen it coming. That means we have to prevent it in the future. Perhaps the distraction let us forget about homegrown terrorists. We are paying the price for that as I write this. Every holiday now brought dread for agents in counter terrorism.
McCabe shares stories about previous attorneys general, but when he gets to Jeff Sessions, we once again see how awful Trump's cabinet picks were. Very few of them seem able to focus or to show even a small amount of intelligence. Sessions only seemed to care about immigration. He wanted to know where everyone came from or where their parents came from.
Briefings for the President are the truly scary scenes. He consistently sided with the Russians. Listen to this: North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test. Such a weapon could reach the United States. The president thought it was a hoax. He said he knew this because Vladimir Putin told him so. Donald Trump actually believed Putin over US intelligence. Did he really think we could not spot a missile test? What else was Putin telling him? Trump made an effort to have no record of any calls to Putin.
After Snowden, suspicion was cast on all "lawful surveillance efforts." I am totally with McCabe on this one. And where is Snowden now? Hiding in Putin's Russia? Hard for me to admire a man like that.
After Snowden, suddenly tech companies were worried about "privacy." They became "defenders of liberty." Bullshit. Cooperation with the FBI became a thing of the past. I find it hard to believe it had anything but money as a motive. The old bottom line. Crimes can be covered up as long as we profit off it.
ISIS suddenly became masterful at production values for jihadist videos. Is that free speech? They created videos for everyone. Beautiful videos about the wonderful lifestyle for some. Horrible snuff films for the unstable loners. Again, free speech?
An American couple inspired by ISIS killed 14 and injured 22 in San Bernadino. Tim Cook was shocked, absolutely shocked, that the FBI would want to hack into the killers' phones. Here is what Cook said, "The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers." I mean, the nerve of the FBI! The absolute nerve of them! Fascist pigs! Maybe someone can explain that one to me.
There needs to be a balance between privacy and security. There is no such thing as total free speech and no such thing as total privacy. Both can be deadly. Let's debate it as adults. And let's make clear and intelligent laws.
The focus in Congress was Benghazi. The immortal Trey Gowdy milked it for all it was worth. The only purpose was to cause trouble for Hillary Clinton. It lasted four years. ISIS was posting videos about beheadings and Gowdy wanted more info about Hillary.
His wife Jill made a great case for expanding Medicaid: "I'm faced with patients every day who are struggling because they don't have that access. If Medicaid were expanded, more patients could seek primary care, the emergency would not be so crowded, and children would be healthier. They'd be on medication to manage their asthma. They would have good preventive care. They would get their immunizations. They would address their obesity. All of the epidemics that are coming along, primary care wants to try to address that. But if they don't have access, how are they going to get that taken care of?"
Sadly, the opposition to Medicaid comes from the so-called "conservatives" who go to the wall for fetuses.
Presidents should never interfere with investigations or prosecutions. Trump does it constantly and publicly. He has created a new norm. There is bound to be someone else like him who will do it again. And he is still doing it. He pardoned Paul Manafort, one of the nation's biggest traitors.
I remember a time when Richard Nixon called Charles Manson "guilty." Of course he was, but it is wrong for a president to interfere. Everyone complained. Now the Republican party remains silent. What is "conservative" about that?
Trump calls McCabe on an unsecured phone. Comey has been tweet fired and Trump thinks the FBI is celebrating. The total opposite happened. It shattered morale. Trump complains about Comey getting a secure flight back from California. There is no decency in Trump at all.
When they meet, Trump says 80% of the FBI voted for him, something no one can possibly know. Later he will say it was 90%. What a narcissistic creep. He even asked McCabe who he voted for.
He calls McCabe's wife a "loser" because she lost her election, something Trump cannot stand. We are seeing the results of that as I write this.
Trump would meet in private with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister in the White House. No American press or other Americans. He gave away classified information. Who knows what else.
Trump suggests John Kelly run both the FBI and DHS. An impossible task. But it fits into his idea of controlling everyone and destroying the government.
McCabe will finally tell Trump he did not vote in 2016 thinking it would be inappropriate. That was his death knell.
Trump accuses McCabe's wife in a tweet of taking $700,000 from Hillary with no proof at all.
McCabe gets fired with 26 hours left to go before he earns his retirement benefits. He is accused by Trump of knowing "all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI."
McCabe calls Trump "the most prolific liar I have ever encountered."
He says Trump "does not know what democracy means" and "has no understanding or appreciation of our form of government." And "He takes no action to protect it." Trump even wanted people to investigate the people who were investigating him.
McCabe filed suit about his termination. I do not know the results.
McCabe respects the thousands of people in government who devote their lives to the work of the United States of America. As do I. That should not be destroyed. ...more
I thought this collection was terrific. Superb reading by Bahni Turpin on this audio tape.
My favorite essays were the ones dealing with Hillary ClintI thought this collection was terrific. Superb reading by Bahni Turpin on this audio tape.
My favorite essays were the ones dealing with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and the 2016 election. I still can't believe what happened and the incredible ignorance it took to make it happen. People tell me they did not "like" Hillary Clinton. So did they "like" Donald Trump? I said then and I say again now if you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you. The damage that has been done is enormous. Virtually every section of the government has been damaged.
I thought Hillary winning the popular vote by about 3 million votes an incredibly large amount. Now I think Joe Biden winning by about 7 million or so and incredibly small amount. After four years you still voted for him? And more of you did? It is truly angering. I don't know how to say it is okay and you have a right to your opinion. I just don't feel that way.
These women are not "nasty." They are patriotic, intelligent, knowledgeable, and so on. But I get the word "nasty" because that is what Trump called Hillary.
So we press on trying to undo the damage. But I think it is too great to repair. And the Republican party has a stranglehold on the states. ...more
The author gives many examples of deceptive food practices in the 1800s and the turn of the century. Here is one: Honey was often tinted corn syrup. WThe author gives many examples of deceptive food practices in the 1800s and the turn of the century. Here is one: Honey was often tinted corn syrup. Without laws and regulations, how would we stop such unscrupulous practices? A few years ago I heard a friend complain about laws in California that required honey makers to register with the state for quality control. They forget that there are reasons for regulations.
The book is a tribute to the great Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley who in 1883 as a young chemist first wrote a paper exposing such practices. And guess who opposed him? The honey producers themselves. They thought it would do harm to their reputations. So the trade journals attacked him. All the while ignoring the fact that many "beekeepers" had NO BEES.
A report on milk production in 1850 reads like a horror story. The cows lived in misery, and the children drinking the milk were sick and often dying.
Wiley became famous as a chemist doing his best to expose such practices. He was hated by some as a man "who is doing all he can to destroy American business.
Lead solder was used to seal the seams of tin cans. Europe regulated the use of lead, but the US had no standards even for food. This libertarian philosophy continues even to today. We have many who want the companies to regulate themselves. A dose of history might get them to think again about such a philosophy.
Medicines were often little more than flavored drinking alcohol. Legislation was constantly flouted. Businesses opposed even the idea of a pure food and drug act.
Wiley found support from women's organizations. One area of concern was a famously stimulating soft drink known as Coca-Cola. They wanted the company to drastically reduce the amount of cocaine in its formula. It also contained caffeine. That is still a problem.
Upton Sinclair, another hero, had a grubstake of $1,000 (about $30,000 today) to work on a novel about the courageous workers of the Chicago stockyards who were fighting for better living conditions. He would spend 7 weeks in the stockyards dressing in the grubby clothes of a worker to blend in. He would settle down to write the most influential book of his prolific career: The Jungle. It was about a Lithuanian immigrant with the dream of a better life in America. But he is nearly destroyed by the horrendous working conditions of the fictional "Anderson" meat-processing company. That name stood for Armour Meats. The conclusion of the book is that the only way out is to embrace socialism.
Sinclair wanted to focus on workers' rights, but it was the meat stories that affected the reading public. Once again, it showed that there is always a connection between social justice and good environmental protection.
From Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle, we learn such things as how pickled beef had to be bathed in acid; the men working that line had their fingers eaten away by repeated exposure. Tuberculosis germs thrived in the moist, stinking air of the processing plants and spread from animal to animal. Workers occasionally fell into vats of acid and "when they were fished out, there was never enough left of them to be worth exhibiting." Sometimes a worker would slip into a vat and be "overlooked for days till all but the bones of them had gone out into the world as Anderson's Pure Beef Lard." Everyone knew he meant Armour's.
Poisoned bread was put out to control the rat population. "Then the rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together."
One hero in the publishing industry was Isaac Marcosson, who pushed to have Sinclair's book published by Doubleday, Page, & Company.
Sinclair was discouraged, even though his book sold well and made a great impact. He said, "I aimed for the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." All anyone cared about was their food and not the workers who suffered miserably.
The whiskey makers did not want to have labels to show the dyes, additives, and synthetic alcohol in their products. They warned it would hurt taxes. Manufacturers in almost every industry joined together to fight any sign of food, drink, or drug regulation. Some things never change.
Passing the Food and Drug Act in 1906 did not end the troubles. Wiley would be attacked constantly for the rest of his life. Manufacturers would spend all their time and money trying to gut the law. Just like they do today with our Consumer Protection Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, and every regulation on the book designed to protect us all.
One other tactic still used today was to limit funding of these laws. Then there are not enough inspectors. Cheating continues.
The exception often proves the rule. There was one man and one company that tried to do it right: Heinz. They advertised a ketchup free from additives. It costs a few cents more, but they convinced consumers it was worth it. His company fought for pure food and decent working conditions. The fact that he was the only one shows how bad things were.
Cocaine was famously used in Coca-Cola. Also many "soothing syrups" for children were laced with morphine, heroin, and chloral hydrate. Same for cough syrups and asthma medications.
I salute the heroic life of Dr. Wiley. He believed in the power of science to benefit society. He said, "The freedom of science should be kept inviolate." In today's world we could use that type of idealism again. The President of the United States of America fights science all the time, and his party and others enable him. The so-called libertarian/conservative movement supports them. There is nothing conservative about such people. Nothing.
We need to carry on Dr. Wiley's fight and never give up. ...more
When you see the entire administration summarized, it is devastating. Maybe even more so than you realize because he lied so much, it becomes common aWhen you see the entire administration summarized, it is devastating. Maybe even more so than you realize because he lied so much, it becomes common and lost along the way.
Never mind some of the things he has done that have damaged the entire country. Just remember the unbelievable common moments like this one. He is asked to speak before the national meeting of the Boy Scouts of America. He treats it like a campaign speech. He attacks Hillary Clinton and Democrats. He talks about a sex party on a yacht. He says something like, "You're Boy Scouts. You know what went on, right?" The President of the Boy Scouts of America has to apologize to the parents. Donald Trump lies and says the President called it the greatest speech ever given to the Boy Scouts. Never does Trump himself ever apologize or admit his lies.
Well worth reading because we need to understand what is happening here. The worst is yet to come. ...more
He quotes Pope Pius VI: "If you want peace, work for justice."
His first lecture is the question Can the spiritual and the secular meet? I am not comfHe quotes Pope Pius VI: "If you want peace, work for justice."
His first lecture is the question Can the spiritual and the secular meet? I am not comfortable with the so-called "spiritual" when it seems to advocate tax cuts for the rich and taking away health care for the poor. There ain't nothing remotely spiritually about that, Folks. Reverend Coffin agrees with me.
He complains about how David Duke won 69 percent of the white born-again Protestant vote in Louisiana.
Karl Marx to a group of church people: "You Christians have a vested interest in unjust structures which produce victims to whom you can then pour out your hearts in charity."
The three things Reverend Coffin thinks we need are "wonder, anger, and love."
The title comes from Archbishop Helda Camara of Brazil: "the heart is a little to the left." Compassion is politically liberal. Ain't that the truth.
Some people who claim to be Bible literalists are actually selective literalists. They ignore most of the weird stuff.
John Kenneth Galbraith: "The comfortable are in control."
We cut taxes for the rich and social programs for the poor. You would think "the greedy were needy and the needy were greedy."
We give welfare checks for the rich, school vouchers at the expense of public schools.
The Reverend is sure that "no word of God is God's last word."
He believes "confrontation is necessary to shake up the complacent." He quotes Jesus who "came not to bring peace but a sword."
Robert Kennedy ran for president saying "at stake is our claim to our moral leadership of the world." I think that is a legitimate claim that we are losing.
St. Augustine: "Never fight evil as if it were something that arose totally outside of yourself."...more
Well worth reading to learn more about politics in Louisiana and New Orleans. Split into five essays, only number one and five actually deal with the Well worth reading to learn more about politics in Louisiana and New Orleans. Split into five essays, only number one and five actually deal with the statues to any length. I learned a lot about the state. ...more
Here is Corey Lewandowski's response to the question, Why don't you give this critical job to someone who actually knows something about government? HHere is Corey Lewandowski's response to the question, Why don't you give this critical job to someone who actually knows something about government? His response: "We don't have anyone." That sums up libertarian philosophy in a nutshell. The average joe who despises government. I consider it one of the most dangerous ideologies around in America now.
When Trump was told money for the transition team could come from himself or the campaign funds, he said, Take it from the campaign and not too much.
As Steve Bannon said about Trump: "Holy Fuck! This guy doesn't know anything. And he doesn't give a shit."
Department of Energy: Trump has Thomas Pyle lead the team. Pyle is Koch and Exxon. Never showed up for transition meetings. Never asked questions. Finally, he wants to know all workers who had anything to do with attending any meetings about carbon and pollution. In other words, they wanted to get rid of climate change people. From now on it would be all carbon, all the time. The Department feared Trumpites would destroy documents, so they saved them on public sites. There were people who were experts on nuclear proliferation. Their jobs were in danger. Quality people were let go, people who dedicated their lives to saving the country and the planet.
Keep in mind that it is Rick Perry who eventually runs the Department of Energy. He is the guy who wanted to get rid of it in that now infamous blooper during the debates. Why get rid of it? So oil companies can Drill, Baby, Drill and never act responsibly.
And Perry spent almost zero time learning about the nuclear side of his department. That's the part whose job it is to prevent nuclear catastrophes. It was barely a concern.
When societies respond to long term problems with short term solutions, the result is the problems get worse and lead to catastrophes. Trump is a master of this. He avoids knowledge. He is willfully ignorant. We are all paying the price.
There is a fascinating story about an American named Arun Majumdar. He invited Heritage Foundation members to look at some of the serious problems with nuclear wastes. But they were ideologues. All they cared about was the free market. That would solve everything. They don't seem to get that freedom allowed companies to pollute. Trump gutted science. Stay ignorant and you don't have to worry.
Trump's new appointees to the US Dept of Agriculture included a truck driver, a clerk at AT & T, a gas meter reader, a country club attendant, a Republican intern, and the owner of a scented candle company. What they had in common was loyalty to Trump. Skills, knowledge, experience, they had none, nada, zero. Some did not even have a degree of any sort.
First, they reassigned anyone hired by Obama. Then they got rid of "climate change." Then eliminated reports on animal abuse. The man who prepared for the Trump transition team never met a single Trump person. They just did not care.
Cathei Woteki was a dedicated government employee. She stayed on because she knew few people had her knowledge. She knew a microbe could bring down a civilization. She stayed in the Food and Drug Administration to protect the country.
The Commerce Department like all the other departments waited for a long time for Trump to send in transition people. Finally, they got one guy, the new head 79-year-old billionaire Wilbur Ross. He arrived by himself, clueless and helpless.
Another thing about Ross. He went from being worth 3.7 billion to a lot less. Why? He gave two billion to a trust owned by his heirs. Are you reading this? That's how the rich accumulate money, and how the middle class loses it. Then the middle class votes for those same people so they can keep accumulating more.
Here is a part of a story about the National Weather Service. A private company like AccuWeather uses the information from the NWS, then take all the credit. In 2005, then Republican Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania introduced a bill to prevent the NWS from communicating any weather info to the public unless it was for absolute emergencies. So private companies could make a profit from the taxpayer money spent on decades of weather science by the government. Fortunately, the bill failed, but Santorum got his campaign donations from the family that owned AccuWeather. Ever since, Barry Myers, the head of the company, has been preventing the NWS from going public. He wants taxpayers to pay for the weather they already paid for. So much for the folly of "libertarianism." Trump almost got Barry Myers to head the NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Can you believe that? It's true. I can only shake my head in frustration.
After Trump took office, data began to disappear. If that is not criminal, then I cannot define the word. The disappearances all pointed to special interests: the NRA of course, coal, oil, poultry, and so on. ...more
How do you get people to grasp the seriousness of this problem?
Al Gore tried. Now Republicans think it is a "partisan issue."
The fact that he wrote How do you get people to grasp the seriousness of this problem?
Al Gore tried. Now Republicans think it is a "partisan issue."
The fact that he wrote this in 1992 is what good citizenship is all about.
There are some offbeat passages in the book that make it interesting. For example, he speaks about dysfunctional families. The result of a long period of dependence on the nurturing parent during infancy and childhood meant that the children of such families "will absorb and integrate the dysfunctional rules and warped assumptions about life being transmitted by the parents." It took great courage for Mr. Gore to say something like that. How else do you explain Trump rallies? And the dysfunctional governments and countries built by such people?
We are disconnected from the natural world. We think of nature as something separate from us. As if we were not animals.
Somehow we need a new "common purpose." But if an existential crisis such as climate change cannot bring people together, what can? It seems hopeless to me, but I plug on. ...more
The epigraph has Trump saying, "Real power is . . . fear." When I first saw that Fear was the title of the book, my reaction was, "What a weird title.The epigraph has Trump saying, "Real power is . . . fear." When I first saw that Fear was the title of the book, my reaction was, "What a weird title. Why did he pick that word?" Now I understand. Trump is using fear to stoke his "base." He apparently believes in fear.
If he wants to use fear as a way to reach society, here is a suggestion for him. Use climate change. The only problem is that "climate change" is too moderate a phrase for what is happening. We are in an existential crisis and to my horror, we are basically ignoring it.
Woodward writes in the Note to readers that Trump declined an interview. Trump would lie about that and then be caught in a lie. No president has ever lied as much as this one. He seems to think he can say anything he wants to say.
Gary Cohn removed a one-page draft letter addressed to the President of South Korea terminating the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement known as KORUS. Cohn just took it off the desk. Cohn had enough sense to understand the importance of this agreement to South Korea and to the US. Trump had no clue.
Steve Bannon, the damage he has done, not only here but around the world. He just helped Jair Bolsonaro get elected in Brazil. He is now considered "the Trump of the tropics."
Obama could have done more publicly about Russian interference. But let's face it, folks, he would have been crucified by Republicans, Fox, "conservatives", and others of that ilk. Obama asked Mitch McConnell to speak with him about the interference and the Senator refused. That tells you all you need to know about today's Republican party.
Then there, of course, was the infamous Access Hollywood tape about Trump's habit of grabbing women and the Wikileaks email scandal. Both happened at just the right time to smother stories about Russia. But Russia won't go away.
The book is filled with names of people Trump praised to the skies. That is, until they were fired or left in disgrace. Remember when he spoke of the best possible cabinet?
In one meeting, Trump puts down Mnuchin with the man there. Trump wants to change his mind and make someone else treasury secretary. So Mnuchin goes to the press and leaks that he is the secretary. Too late to change now.
I think Trump picked Mattis because his nickname was "Mad Dog." Now Trump considers him a "Democrat."
Kushner believed Mohammed bin Salman or MBS was "the future." Salman is now a pariah, except for Putin who high fived MBS today as I write this at the G20. Salman and Putin are men who actually kill their critics.
Trump's whole Promises Made/Promises Kept fiasco means we have to have the Wall, no decent health care, no Iran deal, no climate change deal, and so on.
Throughout the book the ignorance of Trump shines through. But stupid people don't know they are stupid. That's actually known as "the Dunning-Kruger Effect." It's a real thing.
Trump called himself "the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters."
Trump mocked Sessions's southern accent. You know, from that area where everyone voted for Trump?
Tillerson had it right about Trump in his famous phrase: "He's a fucking moron."
Many senior advisers were concerned "about Trump's erratic nature, his relative ignorance, his inability to learn, as well as what they consider his dangerous views."
I am afraid I found his writing very boring. But what an interesting life he lived. I admire people who are handed privileges in their lives and then I am afraid I found his writing very boring. But what an interesting life he lived. I admire people who are handed privileges in their lives and then decide to give back by serving their country and humanity. John Kerry was that kind of man. ...more
This book is pornographic, misanthropic, misogynistic, anti-semitic, racist, and just about any other -ics or -ists you can think of. Yet it is fascinThis book is pornographic, misanthropic, misogynistic, anti-semitic, racist, and just about any other -ics or -ists you can think of. Yet it is fascinating. It makes my head swirl trying to figure out its appeal. Is he putting us on or is he sincere? If he hates everyone, does he hate himself? Are we all to blame for the mess the world is in?
One of the cartoons comes from 1989. The cartoon is called "Point the Finger." Guess who he points the finger at for being "one of the more visible of the big-time predators who feed on this society?" Donald Trump. Yes THAT Donald Trump.
Trump is described as "crass and venal" and "so arrogant he seeks out the spotlight and publicly boasts of his disgusting exploits." One of "Trump's lesser crimes against humanity" is "singlehandedly making the world an uglier place to live in." He gave out eviction notices to "line his pocket." Even though "he's already got billions," he keeps doing it.
Who knew that such a man would inspire millions to vote for him in the name of "conservatism?" How could such a thing happen? ...more
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