eVille Times

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Today's Podcast

Preet Bharara's podcast - with Jeff Flake:

Flake seems like a decent and at least marginally reasonable guy, but don't mistake him for any kinda hero.

The issue of guns comes up at about 34:00, and Bharara asks him about Congress Critters voting with the NRA every time because they're afraid of what the Ammosexuals will do if they don't vote that way. Flake runs as fast as possible to the False Equivalence of a Both-Sides response, saying there're plenty of instances of members "on the left" being influenced by big money donors blah blah blah.

I think about that for a short minute and I'm left with the notion that Flake is saying it's OK for him to trade dead kids for the safety of a continued stream of campaign donations and the near-guarantee of no primary challenges.

In a very real sense, he admitted his vote against gun control is - and has always been - for sale.

Today's Tweet II

As could be expected, the Dems are in the process of becoming paralyzed by their knee-jerk reaction to even a hint of hypocrisy, which inevitably leads to a long session of navel-gazing.

It's not like Republicans don't know this. And since they don't give one empty fuck about hypocrisy to begin with, they're free to exploit it in order to use it against the opposition.

We can't have a 100% honest conversation about sexual harassment while toleratin' a confessed sex predator livin' in the People's House. #TrumpMustGo
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) November 21, 2017

No, I'm not saying we need to be like those other guys - if you don't understand that; or you can't tell quite tell the difference by now, you need to recalculate your dosage or just stay the fuck outa the way.

So here it is:

We gotta have Al Franken in the game
Stop apologizing for every little thing that floats by and get back on offense

Because when the house is on fire, it's fuckin' stoopid to be out in the yard arguing about the goddamned hose.

Today's Tweet

Yo, "conservatives" - just a heads up here - get those thoughts and prayers warmed up.

“If we don’t get the monies we need in the next few months, I would say 125,000 little boys and girls will die.” --David Beasley, Executive Director of The World Food Programme on #YemenFamine. #60Minutes pic.twitter.com/YVYQ1d4w74
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 20, 2017

Monday, November 20, 2017

Truth Lives On

While irony dies a thousand deaths.

Emily Shapiro, ABC News:

A man accidentally shot himself and his wife in their Tennessee church after he had taken his gun out during a discussion about weapons in places of worship, police said.

The man, 81, and his wife, 80, both suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The incident happened Thursday afternoon as members of the First United Methodist Church in Tellico Plains -- about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville -- were gathered at the church for a pre-Thanksgiving lunch, Tellico Plains Police Department Chief Russ Parks told ABC News.

The church members were discussing weapons in places of worship on the heels of the shooting at a Texas church earlier this month that killed over two dozen people, Parks said, and "one of the gentlemen said, 'Well, I take my gun with me everywhere.'"

Today's Tweet

It's not funny if there's no kernel of truth in it.

In the Bad Timing Department, Charles Manson died just before @realDonaldTrump could pardon him & put him in charge of the CDC.

Sad!
— driftglass (@Mr_Electrico) November 20, 2017

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Amy's List

Amy Siskind - the past week's list of shit 45* is pulling:

November 18, 2017 (week 53)

This week the headlines and narrative were dominated by women (and men) sharing their stories of sexual assault and harassment — a historic movement. Stories entered the political domain with accusations against men of both parties, reopening questions about Trump’s sordid past. Trump tweeted himself into the sexual assault discussion, almost as if to be part of the zeitgeist, despite the perilous risks. This is the shortest list in many weeks as Trump was largely absent from the narrative and headlines.

This week the Russia probe entered Trump’s inner-circle, as more lines of direct and indirect communications surfaced, and efforts at cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russia were revealed. A political backlash against Trump continued as a special election in Oklahoma 37, a district Trump comfortably won by 40 points, went to a Democrat — a 26 year-old lesbian whose wife is African American.

Some hi-lites:

2. On Sunday, in response to Trump siding with Putin over US intelligence on Russian interference in Week 52, ex-intelligence chiefs James Clapper and John Brennan said Trump is being “played” by Putin.

6. On Monday, Trump met with controversial leader Duterte. Trump boasted of their “great relationship,” and laughed when Duterte called journalists “spies.” At least 177 Filipino media workers have been killed since 1986.

7. The WH said the two leaders “briefly” discussed human rights, but Duterte’s spokesman denied that the issue was discussed. Tuesday, Trudeau did bring up human rights, which Duterte called an “insult.”

10. On Monday, WAPO reported Jeff Sessions is considering a second special counsel to investigate GOP concerns, including the Clinton Foundation, Uranium One, and Hillary’s emails. Trump has been encouraging this.

11. NYT reported Sessions is shattering longstanding norms by doing so, and so the credibility of any investigation presumably would be called into question since Trump is publicly going after a political rival.