Intercepted Podcast

LGBTQ issues, some scary NSA shit and 45* vs The Press.



Intercepted on Stitcher

Today's Tweet

If the Russians compromised a president & then wanted him to abandon our ability to monitor Russia's nuke arsenal, they'd have him say this. https://t.co/RJUkLEikX9

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) February 23, 2017

Today's Pix

This Just In

It can now be reported that we're getting the first of the photographic evidence of people having been paid to turn out for the Town Hall meetings that have been so boisterous and potentially riotous.

hat tip = @JoshSchwerin

The Cost Of Things

Jeff Scon at Moyers & Company

After the most recent Super Bowl, I read an article that estimated it cost employers $1 billion in lost productivity on the Monday afterward — a mix of people calling in sick, showing up late and spending time discussing the top commercials (46 percent), the halftime show (12 percent), and the game play and strategy (12 percent).

Ask yourself: How much time during the last week did you spend ‘on’ Trump?

This article got me thinking about how much the Trump presidency will cost the US economy during the next four years due to similar losses in productivity.

Trump’s narcissistic behavior — manifested in his unfiltered and uncontrolled Twitter communications and his preoccupation with being the center of attention — has created an unrelenting daily media frenzy. Every day brings a new crisis, new accusations, insults and lies that suck us into spending time “on” Trump.

Ask yourself: How much time during the last week did you spend “on” Trump?

Here's a snapshot of Schon's quickie pass at the math:

 

And what do you think we might be able to do with that kinda money? Go check the end of his piece.

Pushing Back

WaPo:

A new poll from Quinnipiac University suggests that while people may be broadly unhappy with the mainstream media, they still think it's more credible than Trump. The president regularly accuses the press of “fake news,” but people see more “fake news” coming out of his own mouth.

The poll asked who registered voters “trust more to tell you the truth about important issues.” A majority — 52 percent — picked the media. Just 37 percent picked Trump.

The poll did find that registered voters by a narrow margin think the media has treated Trump unfairly, with 50 percent saying they disapproved of the coverage of Trump and 45 percent approving. But voters are even more critical of Trump's treatment of the media, with 61 percent disapproving and 35 percent approving.

Even 23 percent of Republicans say Trump is mistreating the media, and independents disapprove 59-35.

And in case you missed it, WaPo quietly added a little something to it's banner:

 

Which brings us to Three Things About The Daddy State

1. Every government needs to do certain things without telling us about it, but the Daddy State needs the dark more than any other. There are way too many things they can't afford to let us see - a lot more than in anything resembling a democracy. Leakers and the Press are light-shiners; Daddy Staters hate them, and spend a shitload of time and energy covering their own asses and fighting disclosure - because they're always up to no good, and they know it.
2. The greatest threat to the Daddy State is anybody with a functioning memory. 45* is always carping about the Press because they write things down and compare what he says today with what he said before - sometimes moments before.  Creating the illusion of near-infallibility is a key element in any cult. Pointing out mistakes and contradictions makes you their enemy. And boy oh boy do they love having enemies.
3. Citizens who insist on being involved in the decision-making process comprise the best possible preventative measure and the best remedy.

That last one sounds like a very old and very tired cliché because we always assume we get to make up our minds and freely express our opinions and go out and vote once in a while.

But we've internalized the Rent-Seeker's ambition - sit on your ass enjoying the benefits while everybody else does the work.  Anywhere from 40% to 60% of the people who could vote don't vote.

Because we've also internalized the bullshit (fed to us all the time) that government sucks; they're all the same anyway; both parties are corrupt; the major candidates are just two sides of the same coin so why bother blah blah fuckin' blah.

Get past it.

You want better choices? Get your ass out to a Caucus; or vote in the primary.  And take somebody with you. And stop being so damned polite to people who won't help. When you refuse to be part of the solution you become part of the problem. ie: If you think it's shitty but you refuse to make even the simplest effort to improve it, then you're helping the buttheads who're making it shitty. Silence implies consent.

Or you could run for office yourself.  Have you not seen some of these bozos? Look who's in the White House right now.  It is - for all practical purposes and by every modern standard - impossible for you to be any worse than what we've got now.

Cutting to the chase: Bullet point 3a is real simple. When everybody votes, the Daddy State loses - by definition the Daddy State loses and Democracy wins when we all take part in this little experiment called Self-Government.

Feel The Love

This world map shows who feels most threatened by whom.

hat tip = Facebook bud Doug R

Keith

And holy fuck, Batman.

Watch this video on The Scene.

Look, Olbermann can be a little nutty and top-heavy at times.  But when was the last time he ran with real news that wasn't properly sourced and vetted?

I've had to watch it 3 or 4 times. This is totally fucked up, but it kinda makes a little sense in an enormously perverse way.

Suddenly, it doesn't seem quite so weird that Trump doesn't really do anything, and Congress doesn't do anything, and how there are over 500 Senate-confirmable vacancies that span every department for which nominees haven't even been put up yet.

WaPo:

Of 549 key positions requiring Senate confirmation…

515 - Awaiting nomination

20 - Awaiting confirmation

14 - Confirmed

It's been 4 months since the election and over a month since inauguration - so what's the hold up here? This is just too fucking weird.  Not looking forward to it, but if they're gonna pull the trigger, I sure wish they'd go ahead and do it.

Today's Quote

Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.

--Miyamoto Musashi

Hat tip = Linda M-M, Facebook

Keith

The suicide of a presidency

Watch this video on The Scene.