TGIF 4/29/22

Golly, it's good week/bad week time again already? Let's see who ended up where...

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-I Wish I Knew Who Leaked Those Tapes) had the best bad week, or the worst good week, I can't be sure - but either way, after being exposed as a liar, he was rewarded with a standing ovation when he met with fellow members of the Awful Conference. All anger at Trump has been forgiven, the lying about what he said has been forgiven, and, oh, he's got a boatload of money and he's not afraid to share it.

I'm not sure whether this is indicative of a good week or a bad week, but four progressive Ds  (Reps. Cori Bush, AOC, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) and four conservative Rs (Reps. Lying Cawthorn, MTG, Thomas Massie and Chip Roy) voted against a symbolic bill that urges President Biden to seize and sell the assets of Russian oligarchs, and use the money to help Ukraine. This brought much joy, or chagrin, to the Twitterverse: having these folks on the same side of an issue is a rare treat, for sure.

President Biden is said to be considering erasing $10K in student debt - or possibly more - for all borrowers. In the eyes of many, that's a good week. Others in his party - including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Jim Clyburn - think that $50K is a nicer number; that might signal a bad week, instead.

I'm not a fan of blanket loan forgiveness, or of the ongoing moratorium on repayment, although I am a fan of ensuring that loan forgiveness programs are fully utilized. So, this might mean I'm going to have a bad week at some point down the road. 

Donald Trump had a bad week - a $10K per day kind of bad week - after a judge ruled him to be in contempt for failing to turn over documents to NY AG Tish James. He's appealing that order, as well as the one requiring he testify under oath in James' investigation. 

On a related note, Trump's lawyer referred to Post-it notes, or rather, the lack of them, in court. However, Michael Cohen, Trump's former 'fixer' provided proof that they exist which is going to make things more complicated for Trump. So, I guess Cohen had a good week. 

And I'll leave you with another good week list-maker; I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so you can see him here. I guarantee it'll make you smile

TGIF, everyone.

Sidebar: Could We Be Like the Ukrainians?

In my Sunday School Extra Credit post, I struggled with a story told by Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who had an encounter with an American one of her visits to Ukraine. Here's what he told her. 

You know, Victoria, these Ukrainians, they're actually more Americans than I thought. They really remind me of Americans, and they really inspire all of us.

I'm still struggling with his comment. There's no doubt Americans, and people all over the world, are finding inspiration in the resolve of the Ukrainian people, but I don't see them as being particularly "American." Honestly? I find them particularly not American - at least, particularly not today's American.

And this morning, as I waited for my first cup of coffee, I envisioned a crisis, an honest-to-goodness existential threat to the United States, not one of the many manufactured threats we're told almost daily we need to fear. Would we be able to pull together to defend each other and our republic (if we can keep it), the way Ukrainians are defending theirs?

Here's what fell out of my head.

• Red state governors would immediately call emergency sessions, or ditch their scheduled legislative agenda of book banning and enhanced cancel culture, and pass laws declaring that teachers, librarians, LGBTQ people, and abortion providers would all be conscripted into the military first, regardless of age, to get them the hell out of the way, so when the crisis was over, "we" would be safe from "them" and their agendas.

• If the Republicans hold Congressional majorities when my crisis occurs, expect the same to come at the federal level. But, on the chance that any of their relatives re teachers or librarians, they would be excluded from military service. They would still be outcasts in their families, but they wouldn't have to go to war. 

• Fortunately, there'll be no need to worry about trans people being in wrong-gendered foxholes; after all, real women won't be sent to fight. They shouldn't have to do that, except in places like Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Eritrea, Israel, and North Korea. But those countries are different. There's not like us. 

• The Rs in states along the southern border would race directly into the Rio Grande to pull immigrants from the water. Unaccompanied minors and other children would be sent to temporary detainment facilities to sew MAGA flags and make other mission-critical supplies, while adults, including parents, rapists, murderers, drug dealers and the other 'not the best people' will be sent with their COVID and fentanyl to the trenches. Promises of speedy citizenship would be dangled, of course, with no intention of anyone ever making good on them.

• The Ds would do their best to ensure that no one got sent to battle unless the government first wiped out their student loans, and guaranteed that, no matter what, they can't be evicted from their home for the duration of their service, including any time served as a POW or in any other state of confinement.

• The most progressive of the Ds would vote against any Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), unless we first ensured that all of our weaponry was carbon neutral, and that none of the bombs would hit the ground, preventing any environmental damage. The bombs would need to be of the 'bursting in air' kind, and would have to leave no trace. They'd vote no, even if 70% of our 'militaria' met the thresholds they demanded, because everyone knows getting nothing is better than getting a lot of what you want.

• Further, nothing could be fired by drone, because having pilots fire missiles and whatever else these things can fire, without being able to see the whites of the eyes of our opponent, is wrong.

• Meanwhile, back on the home front, people from dueling Charles Koch- and George Soros- supported think tanks would be thinking, fast and furiously, how they could make money from the war, and how many additional elected officials and unelected bureaucrats they would need to purchase in order to achieve their goals. And how to finance the purchases, too; I think they might ask Russia for help on that. Or the Saudi Crown Prince. 

• And, the Heritage Foundation would be building a list of potential candidates to replace anyone they like who got sent into battle (after the first wave of undesirables was conscripted). I think that process is called Indeed? Indeed, but I could be wrong.

 And when I had coffee in hand, my viewpoint didn't change all that much. 

• Hunter Biden painted a picture of someone who might be wife of the mayor of an enemy city's brother-in-law's niece's boyfriend's sister's daughter's illegitimate son's cousin, who may or may not have thought about giving someone named Biden some money to be used for something: drugs, paying for sex, buying gouache and canvas, or, maybe, bribing an elected official. The jury's still out on that, and we can't tell on social media. Or, maybe they thought about giving Biden the Golden some treats, I don't know. I can't be sure, because the fact-checkers aren't allowed to fact-check any of this.

• Separately, some young Rs in Congress freaked out about the groomer  thing, not realizing that groomers are necessary; sometimes, they even help people wear a coat and tie in the House. And we all know, without groomers, Shih Tzus would look like... you get the drift.

• Not only that, but they're also afraid someone's going to tell them that all of their friends and colleagues and R teammates around the country who've been arrested for things related to the kind of grooming the Rs are now freaking out about are, well, the kind of groomers the Rs are now freaking out about. The call is coming from inside the house, so to speak. 

• On the other hand, if they keep talking about groomers, no one will know they voted against the AUMF, too - not because of any policy idea, but because they're just trying to make sure President Biden and his agenda are stopped - so they'll probably continue pretending their colleagues aren't groomers.

• Democratic leaders in the House and Senate - with a combined age of 1234 years, 5 months, 6 days, 7 hours, 8 minutes, and 9 seconds as I write this - will be huddled in a corner of the Speaker's balcony, trying to figure out how to 'message' the existential threat, who should deliver the message, and how many focus groups will be needed to test it out. Separately, the 57 caucuses - the same number of states President Obama said he visited - all prepared self- serving, unresponsive responses to the official message, to be ready in case the leadership every issued one. The Rs prepared a response, too, for what's it's worth.

• Meanwhile, in the trenches, folks learned to sit around and wait for something to happen. Some people brought books - banned books, can you believe that? - with them to pass the time and that created almost more of an existential threat than the threat they were there to fight. Books don't belong in foxholes, it was argued. Foxhole is a dirty word and shouldn't be allowed, someone said. Others wanted to ban a book someone was reading, which led to hand-to-hand combat.

• And then there were cries for hand sanitizer, to prevent the spread of immigrant COVID germs, but no one thought to bring any. The issue was resolved when the germaphobes agreed to eat dirt, a man said he had eaten dirt as a child and hadn't gotten the Wuhan flu. QED. 

• Back home, people who had family breadwinners deployed, or who lost their jobs when the trouble started, or who were displaced, were looking for safe places to go. But some people wanted the safe places to be safe from conflicting ideas, including disagreement on the existence of the existential threat, and so the churches and schools that had opened their doors had to close, and the government had to step in to solve the problem. And we all know how that'll work out, right? 

This is an admittedly dark take on things, and yet, it presents Americans the way we currently present ourselves to the world, and to each other. I'm sure, if push came to shove, much of what's written above wouldn't happen. We could rise to the occasion, I'm sure. We pulled together after 9/11, for a while, and we could to it again. 

The hard part, for me, is that it seems we're willing to wait until another 9/11, or some other horrific event, for us to try and talk about where we agree, rather than where we disagree... about how we can make our country successful, rather than how we can make an administration fail...  about what's worth fighting for, and how we can go about it...

Wouldn't that be inspiring?

Wondering on Wednesday 4/27/22

 

Ready... Set... Wonder!

What's on my wondering mind tonight?

Elon Musk does not yet own Twitter. Sure, he and the board have agreed that he will buy the company, but it's gonna take a while, as these deals always do. So, what's the wondering here? 

• How much silliness is Musk going to interject into the discussion between now and his closing date, and will his silliness jeopardize the deal? 
• Will he stop blocking people on the platform, given he's a free-speech absolutist? That's one of the main reasons he gave for wanting to buy the darn thing in the first place.
• Will he stop posting boner and peepee tweets about people with whom he has disagreements, or will he continue to act like a bratty kid?

And, of course, what's going to happen to all the people, including many celebrities, who are shouting from the rooftops about leaving Twitter? I wonder, will they stick around until the bitter end when the deal finally closes? Will they bail now? Or will they never bail, just like all the people who were going to move out of the country when Obama, Trump and Biden got elected? 

And what about blue checkmark people? The checkmark, the symbol of 'authenticity' on Twitter, will lose its oomph when Musk takes over, if not sooner - more people could get it, under his current thinking. Will that make the authenticated folks mad, I wonder? 

I mean, they'll be losing some of their specialhood or something - and if I'm willing to subscribe to a paid Twitter, they'd be no different from me. Well, they'd still have lots more followers, but at least 99% of mine are real...

And what about True Justice, Truth Joke, Trust Special, or whatever The Former Guy calls his platform? He said he's going to stay there, but if everyone's allowed on Musk's platform, why would anyone bother with the other one? 

What has me wondering tonight? Redistricting maps. No, not the Florida maps, the ones here in New York, which were tossed this afternoon by our highest court. The Democrats in the legislature had hoped that seven judges appointed by Dems would look kindlier on this tomfoolery, but that was not the case. So, petitions are no good anymore, candidates don't know what the districts will look like, or may want to run in a different one than they thought they wanted to run in, and it's more likely than not that part of the primary will have to be pushed out a month or two.  

So, what I'm wondering is, can we get back the money we paid the commissioners - $25K annually - and the $145K paid annually paid to the two executive staff members? I mean, they didn't do what we wanted them to do, so why should they get paid? And, how do we make sure that none of the costs associated with this debacle are shifted to taxpayers? Finally, I wonder how the heck we avoid going through this exact same thing again in ten years?

Oh - one more thing: I wonder if the Dems will stop wailing about the awful gerrymandering the Rs do, now that their own maps have been set out with the trash?  

I'm also wondering how it's even possible that flight attendants are not paid for everything they do during the boarding process. I had no idea that some of the hardest stuff they do - getting nice people, and jerky people, and emotional support animals, and screaming babies, and clunky carry-on bags on the plane, in their correct places, in a timely manner - they did for free. Especially during the pandemic - good lord, they did all that for free?? 

Starting in June, Delta will pay their flight attendants during boarding; even though it's only at half their rate, it's better than nothing. And hopefully this will trickle across the skies to any other flight attendants who aren't being paid for this critical, and often miserable, work.

That's all there's time for tonight; what's got you wondering? 

Sunday School 4/24/22: Extra Credit

I dropped by the State of the Union classroom for your Extra Credit this week. Dana Bash hosted, and one of her guests was Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress. She was in Ukraine celebrating Easter with her family.

In addition to spending time with her grandma, she was there supporting the people of Ukraine who are fighting for freedom. She relayed an interesting conversation she had with an American there, who told her

You know, Victoria, these Ukrainians, they're actually more Americans than I thought. They really remind me of Americans, and they really inspire all of us.

Hmm... such an interesting comment, that one.

She said she was glad to see American officials coming to Ukraine, and said she had written Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking if we could get some of our diplomats back to Lviv. Other countries are starting to return diplomats to Kyiv, and noted that 

 -- in any job, whether it's a political job or diplomatic job, you do take some risks. You need to be smart. But, also, that's a part of your job to do your service. And if you are not on the ground, it's very difficult to do your job. 

Blinken, who was in Ukraine over the weekend with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, announced that our diplomats will start making day trips, to Lviv.

Spartz had harsh words about what's happening with American aid. She's happy to see us providing "more serious support," because it's really needed, but at the same time,

Instead of giving the $3.5 billion to military aid and $10 billion to humanitarian aid, that I haven't even seen it, or actually giving money to organizations like UN, never to be seen anywhere, not really doing the job that they should be doing, we actually need to put more pressure for them to enforce humanitarian corridors, to do more functions for them to negotiate peace.... What's happened with another $10 billion that we provided? Because I haven't seen it on the ground anywhere at all.

On things happening here at home with the Republicans and Kevin McCarthy's 'tape-gate' scandal, Spartz said they need to be working on the serious issues, including the war, and the border. She knows "there's a lot of politics, a lot of drama" but said the Rs are a diverse party with diverse opinions, "which is good." 

...we have debates about issues and ideas. I think it's healthy. So, I think I will let sort it out, politics. But I really want us to figure out how we can find some common ground to work on issues, and even maybe on bipartisan basis, because we do have serious issues.

And when Bash asked if Spartz was bothered by McCarthy's lack of truthfulness on all of this, she said she lots of people try to spin things, and that McCarthy and Trump need to explain "what it was and why it is."

But ultimately, people have different opinions. People change views. That's OK. That's a part of political process, to communicate and have different views and learn about the issues, and maybe change sometimes opinions, and have debate and deliberation. That's very healthy. So, it's not necessarily people maybe not tell the truth, but people can change an opinion based on learning about circumstances.

She also said that she was "very surprised" on January 6th that it took "almost an hour before Nancy Pelosi stopped the session." 

That was surprising for me, because it posed a lot of risk for the members inside and for also our Capitol Police. And we never got an answer to that question. So, hopefully, someday we will.

Bash circled back to Spartz's grandmothers as the interview wrapped up. One's 88, the other 95, so they "lived through the horrors of Hitler and Stalin and now Putin." Spartz said she's worried about them, of course, saying 

 -- honestly, they're really in shock. They couldn't believe, after everything that Ukraine went through, Stalin, World War II -- almost most of my family was killed. My grandma that I met today with, her father, her mother, everyone was shot, because they were helping to lead partisan movement, her father. And, really, Ukrainians, I mean, paid for so much blood to win that war. So, for her, it's, like, unbelievable. But I'm more worried about the young kids that are now getting shelled and killed and raped. They are raping teenage girls. The atrocities that happen in this country, even some men that talk to -- they start crying. I mean, this is so bad. I mean, this is something that -- unbelievable. And world has to help Ukraine to win this war, bring the peace back to Europe, and bring the international order back. That's a responsibility for us. And we need to put more pressure on Russia.

It's hard to imagine being young in Ukraine, or being old there. Or, frankly, being there at all.

And I'm still struck by the comment at the top of the interview, about the American who thought the Ukrainian people "really remind him of Americans." 

• Was that because everyone was standing together, making almost unimaginable sacrifices, to defend their country against an attack that threatens its very existence? 
• To set aside whatever political disagreements they have with each other, to stand united for something, instead of standing divided against each other? 
• To come back to their devastated homes, their demolished cities, even as war rages on, because their love of country and who they are is worth risking being uprooted again if the bombs turn back their way? Is worth risking everything, again? 

I'm not seeing a whole lot of that sentiment in action here in my neck of the woods. We are as divided as ever, and wearing division on our sleeves, hanging up banners to show the world exactly how divided we are. And the people we've elected, and those we're considering electing, aren't doing us any favors, either. How's it look from your vantage point?

Oh - if you are seeing us acting more Ukrainian than American, please let me know when I see you around campus.

Sunday School 4/24/22

Here's a recap from my stroll around the Sunday School classrooms.  

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, talked with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, and the first topic was inflation. Which, in case people haven't noticed, is a global problem, not simply a "Joe Biden did this" gas-pump-sticker problem. 

Lagarde has suggested she'd wait a while before raising interest rates, noting that she and the Fed "share the same resolve" - taming inflation - but they're "facing a different beast." She said that energy prices account for 50% of the inflation in Europe.

If I raise interest rates today, it is not going to bring the price of energy down... So, we will be interrupting the purchases of assets in the course of the third quarter. High probability that we do so early in the third quarter. And then we will look at interest rates and how — and by how much - we hike them. But we have to be data-dependent because of the sources of inflation that we have at the moment.

She said her bank's mandate is restoring price stability at around 2%, but they have to act in a "sufficiently well-sequenced, well-calibrated for us in Europe, gradual way" to not cause a recession. And, she said, they have to do things "in a sufficiently smart and subtle way" to achieve their goals, including reducing the flow of money that allows Russia to continue the war against Ukraine. 

That includes sanctions, cutting off their access to SWIFT, seizing assets from Russian oligarch, and so on. That said, 

If we were to take abrupt measures that would induce an increase of the price of oil or gas around the world, from which the Russians would eventually benefit, then that would not be the right policy move.

Europe has adopted a compete boycott of Russian coal, and there's "a lot of work going on concerning oil, concerning gas, and, you know, there will be more stories to tell a bit later on."

Brennan noted there's a bit of debate here that the government bears some blame for inflation, including $6T in COVID stimulus, a third of which went out "on President Biden’s watch last spring when the economy was already recovering." Noting "Europe didn’t spend like this," she wondered if our path exacerbated inflation.

Lagarde said Europe put "half as much" as the US on stimulus; rather, the focus was "predominantly on keeping the jobs, not necessarily sending the checks." That's not the same as what's going on here.

And the current situation you have in the labor market here in the US is clearly contributing to possible strong inflation and second-round effect, where prices go up, wages go up, short supply of labor, wages continue to go up, and that feeds back into prices. That’s one of the differences between our two economies.

Lagarde said we're in a "difficult moment, but it’s one where a very interesting phenomena developed." She explained that Russia's attack on Ukraine "has produced three key results."

... it has resurrected NATO. It has united the Europeans more than ever. And it has strengthened a nation, Ukraine. The price of that is terrible. The death, the destruction, the devastation, and we are all concerned and all want to help. But this is quite an interesting development. And we have to be united and resolved to actually address the situation together because there has to be solidarity.

Another well-known woman was in the classrooms yesterday: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D -I'm a Progressive Capitalist, not a Socialist Like Bernie), who talked with Kristen Welker on Meet the Press. Warren had an op-ed in the NY Times, which Welker quoted in part.

Democrats cannot bow to the wisdom of out of touch consultants who recommended we simply tout our accomplishments. Instead, Democrats need to deliver more of the president's agenda, or else we will not be in the majority much longer.

Warren also said that, even though Dems hold both houses of Congress, "Republican senators and broken institutions have blocked" a lot of the progress the Dems promised during the 2020 campaign. Welker asked her to explain that; here's Warren's answer.

Look, my point is not to look in the rear-view mirror. My point is to say we've got nearly 200 days left between now and the election. 

And she went on to talk about what families are facing: which groceries to send back, unaffordable student loan repayments, inflation (food, gas), and said 

Democrats ran and always run on trying to make government work for working people. We've got nearly 200 days left. That's what we need to put our energy on. If we don't, then we haven't been there. So that's what we need to do.

Welker circled back around to one of the Dems who is blocking his party's agenda: Sen. Joe Manchin (D- I'm a Coal Farmer, Dammit!) and his position that he'll support big legislation solely if it addresses climate change, prescription costs, and reducing the deficit - nothing else. Welker wondered if Warren could support a package like that. 

Ignoring the question, Warren focused on her agenda: attacking inflation by bringing down costs for families by making childcare more affordable so millions of women can go back to work and that increases our capacity and helps drive down inflation (I paraphrased her). 

Welker tried again, this time naming Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Roadblocks Are My Favorite Kind of Infrastructure), who agrees with Manchin; Warren's wish list would add to the deficit and make inflation worse. Welker asked again if Warren could go along with the three-issues-only bill - and Warren added more things to her 200-day to do list.

So, the point I'm trying to make is that we need to do more. Yes, we need to do climate change. Yes, we need to do prescription drugs. And we need to make sure that we're paying for it by making sure that giant corporations that make billions of dollars in profits and pay nothing in taxes are actually paying a minimum tax – and yes, Amazon, I'm looking at you in that one – and other corporations. Look, we need to also authorize the FTC so they can go after companies that are price gouging. And we need to remember that it's not only what Congress can do. It's also what the administration can do.

And that's where she said, "Mr. President, today would be a great day to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for tens of millions of people across this country."

My point is that we have nearly 200 days. And not just one negotiation going on. We should have multiple negotiations going on. There is a lot we can deliver for American families. And we need to make that happen.

Welker said that "two Obama-era economists" have said extending the moratorium on loan repayment "during this kind of inflation" is both regressive and inflation-inflating. Warren disagrees. 

No, actually not paying student loan debts has already been baked in. But what matters is how we're going to be out there helping millions of American people. You know, keep in mind, 40% of the folks who have student loan debt do not have a college diploma. These are people who tried, but life happened... But now, they earn what a high school grad earns and they are trying to manage college level debt...It is the job of Democrats, it is the job of the party in power to help make people's lives better. We can do that. And the president can do that one all by himself.

She did answer one question, firmly and repeatedly.

I'm not running for president in 2024. I'm running for Senate. President Biden is running for re-election in 2024 - and I'm supporting him. You can ask it any way you want, but I'm going to say the same thing. President Biden is running in 2024 and I'm supporting him. Cheerfully.

Finally (and I'm not sure why), Welker asked if Warren was satisfied with the administration's handling of the decision ending the mask mandate on public transportation, including the appeal. Warren said the appeal is about looking forward and ensuring the CDC can implement decisions to protect public health, whether it's COVID or something else down the road.

Sadly, neither mentioned how confused people were, seemingly not knowing the difference between state and federal mandates, and how people didn't realize that wearing their mask until they were at their final destination, where they could get familiar with any applicable state or local regulations, made sense. And yes, that sounds judgmental, but based on last week's reporting, it seems necessary. 

FYI, when you come to class, if you want to wear a mask, you're free to do so. You're also free to not wear one, because we're an online educational institution. 

See you around campus. 

In Case You Missed It (v86)

Here's your recap of last week's posts, in case you missed anything.

In Sunday School, we heard from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy; his week got worse as it went along, didn't it? He talked with Mike Emanuel on Fox News Sunday, and shared some thoughts on what could happen if the Rs regain the majority.

McCarthy said the Rs are not over-confident about winning back the House, but he said they need to do more than just criticize, they must commit to making changes and fixing the big problems. Emanuel asked if they could do that - tackle the national debt, for example - with a divided government. 

We need to have sound fiscal policy, stop the irresponsible spending to curve inflation and make America in a stronger path. But it's not just to balance the budget, you have to pay off the debt. And the only way we'll be able to do that is with fiscal responsibility, with Republicans in the majority.

And I laughed and laughed at that, I really did.

You'll laugh too, when you click that link.

I was fortunate to stumble upon some presidential poetry - some OrangeVerse in my spam folder. It's funny how this stuff just writes itself. 

Apr 18

Join NOW

I have a TOP SECRET video message for you

My father is about to release a never-bef0re-seen video message

Your wallet needs this

NEVER. HAPPENED. BEFORE.

Contribution status: PENDING

For your Extra Credit, learned from the panel discussion on This Week with George that crime's going to be an issue in November - big surprise, right? 

Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) appreciated Adams agreeing with Bratton that it was "progressive policies that have caused this wave in crime" (an over-simplification of what Bratton said and what Adams agreed with), but he thinks Adams, who ran on fighting crime, is "sticking to his word" and he thinks New Yorkers will "give him the benefit of the doubt" for that. 

Biden, on the other hand, doesn't get a pass. He was against 'defunding the police,' but

he was also standing with a lot of these reforms that have made - that have turned out to be a mistake. And it's not only reforms, it's the attitude of local prosecutors that have been elected, in places like Manhattan, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago who are refusing to prosecute some of these crimes.

We also heard from NYC's two top crime-fighters - Mayor Eric Adams, and NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell. 

I was Wondering on Wednesday all about Florida, and the Florida Man who runs the state, and his attacks on the happiest place in the universe, or whatever they call it, after the legislature decided to revoke the special district in which the happiness has taken root. 

And what about the Imagineers? I wonder if they're going to spend the next few months trying to come up with a theme park ride about a vindictive governor and his minions? Oh wait - can't be minions, maybe they can Imagineer a new name for the Rs in the legislature, and introduce that along with the ride?  

And what about the trailer? Disney always makes a mini-movie when they're ready to roll out a major new 'experience' at their parks, and I wonder, would I have to subscribe to Disney+ to see it, or would ABC carry it on broadcast TV?

And, perhaps against my own best judgment, I dropped a Quick Take on the occasionally armed and frequently dangerous behind the wheel Rep. Madison Cawthorn. Here's just a bit of this 'law and order party' representative's record.

• Oct. 13, 2011, Henderson County, NC: speeding. Case disposed Jan. 25, 2012. Pleaded guilty to a lesser speed, fined $40.
• Feb. 27, 2016, Henderson County, NC: speeding and expired registration card/tag. Case disposed May 18, 2016. Pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of failure to wear seat belt in rear seat; fined $75; The expired registration card/tag charge was dismissed. (How, exactly, do you get that lesser charge option?)

I dropped a Throwback Thursday post, which was actually a Wondering on Wednesday from one year ago, the day the verdict in Derek Chauvin's case gave us the verdict we had hoped for. Here's part of what I wondered that day.

• The prosecution's closing argument - in a nutshell, believe your own eyes and the eyes of the witnesses - made me wonder about the witnesses. How hard it must have been to relive the murder of George Floyd in open court, to be questioned about what you saw, to stay strong with the whole world watching. I wonder if they'll ever know how grateful we are?

• I wonder what Chauvin was thinking when he had his knee on George Floyd's neck, particularly what he was thinking as he held that look, the unflinching look we saw in the video. Was there ever an "oh, shit, what have I done?" moment, I wonder? 

A friend commented on the post. I'm curious what folks think about his question, and my response. Is his fear appropriate? Am I looking at the world through rose colored readers? Chime in if you want.

Finally, it was TGIF time, and I express my concern about what appears to be a 'thing' now, where reporters for the New York Times (and others) at least appear to be holding information for their books, instead of sharing what they learn when they learn it with the rest of us. 

I haven't yet figured out whether the NY Times had a good week or a bad week. While it was the paper's repauthors (reporters turned authors) who have the tapes, the Times itself is in hot water, IMO, for the perception that reporters are holding stuff for their books, instead of serving the public interest by publishing what they know. 

And this is not the first book written by their reporters on Trump, the Trump Years, the Trump White House, the Trump Christmas Decorations, the Trump Rose Garden... and yes, some of that's made up, but none of it is outside the realm of possibility. The Times is not alone, of course - there are television reporters who have done the same thing.

Should they be able to do this? Which master are they serving, themselves or their employer? And should the Times and the rest be so joyfully sharing excerpts from the books, or should they let the book sell themselves?  

I'll be back for Sunday School, if not sooner.

TGIF 4/22/22

Who's on the good week and bad week lists today? Let's dive in. 

Ron DeSantis (R-Florida Man). You can put him on your good list, if you like banning math textbooks, having the work your legislators do get tossed out by your governor, and attacking a private corporation in the epitome of cancel culture. Obviously, I put him on the bad list.

Let's see... we've got Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R- I'm a liar but you can't prove...er, oops, never mind) saying he thought the impeachment would succeed in the Senate, or saying he would ask Trump to resign, or saying Trump bears responsibility for what he said and did related to January 6th. Oh, he denied saying that stuff - but this time? They've got him on tape.

Don't forget Sen. Mitch McConnell (R- Do They Have Me on Tape Too?). According to the NY Times folks who have McCarthy on tape, McConnell said "The Democrats are going to take care of the son-of-a-bitch for us. If this isn't impeachable, I don't know what is." 

The son-of-a-bitch in question? That would be Donald Trump, of course. He had a good week, I guess: he knows, officially now, what people thought of him back in January 2021, and he knows how willing they were to throw all of that away to curry favor with him. 

On the other hand, his future daughter-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle, testified before the January 6th Committee. And, given her famous 'the best is yet to come!' speech at the Republican National Convention in 2020, it's only logical that Donny Jr. will soon be in the Committee's guest chair. That may or not make Daddy proud, depending on how forthcoming Donny is. Or isn't. 

I haven't yet figured out whether the NY Times had a good week or a bad week. While it was the paper's repauthors (reporters turned authors) who have the tapes, the Times itself is in hot water, IMO, for the perception that reporters are holding stuff for their books, instead of serving the public interest by publishing what they know. 

And this is not the first book written by their reporters on Trump, the Trump years, the Trump White House, the Trump Christmas decorations, the Trump Rose Garden... and yes, some of that's made up, but none of it is outside the realm of possibility. The Times is not alone, of course - there are television reporters who have done the same thing. 

And every time it happens, it chips away at the trust we should be able to have in the media.

TGIF, everyone. And happy Earth Day. Remember to be good to your Mother, today and every day.

Quick Takes (v65): Law and Order, or Something

I thought about writing this one as an Irony Board piece, but given the subject matter, it seemed more appropriate to use the 'Quick Takes' theme. 

I have no idea why Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Pol of Lies, NC) has so much trouble obeying the law. Maybe he's always in a hurry to get back to DC for one of those orgies he told us about? Or maybe a drug party?  

I don't know, but for a kid, he's building up quite a record of violations, across several states. Here's a summary.

• Oct. 13, 2011, Henderson County, NC: speeding. Case disposed Jan. 25, 2012. Pleaded guilty to a lesser speed, fined $40.

• Feb. 27, 2016, Henderson County, NC: speeding and expired registration card/tag. Case disposed May 18, 2016. Pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of failure to wear seat belt in rear seat; fined $75; The expired registration card/tag charge was dismissed. (How, exactly, do you get that lesser charge option?)

• April 21, 2016, South Carolina: speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit. Pleaded down to a 10-miles-over violation in July 2016.

• Oct. 7, 2016, Virginia: following too close. Case resolved Jan. 27, 2017. 

• Dec. 8, 2017, Buncombe County, NC: driving while license revoked (but not impaired). Case dismissed Dec. 29, 2017. 

• Dec. 12, 2019, Georgia: speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit and having expired tags, followed by a charge of failure to appear on Feb. 7, 2020. Plea deal negotiated in August 2021. 

• Oct. 18, 2021, Buncombe County, NC: speeding. Case disposed March 4, 2022. Pleaded guilty to improper equipment, fined $25. 

• Jan. 8, 2022, Polk County, NC: speeding, traveling 87 mph in a 70 mph. Court date is June 2. 

• March 3, 2022, Cleveland County, NC: driving while license revoked (but not impaired). Court date is May 6. 

Now, he's not just a speed demon, he's sometimes armed - or, when he thinks it's useful, he claims he's armed. 

• Jan. 6, 2021: Cawthorn said he was armed on the day Trump insurrectionists attacked the Capitol building. Not sure why he felt the need to be armed on that particular day, or why he felt the need to tell people he went to work armed that day. Bringing weapons to the Capitol, and to Senate and House buildings, is prohibited, of course.

• February 2021: Cawthorn attempted to board a plane in Asheville with a handgun and a loaded magazine in his luggage. He was not charged; the gun and ammo were held for him to pick up when he returned. Rules on charging people for this stupidity vary by location.

• Also in 2021: Cawthorn visited schools around North Carolina, and was accused of bringing a knife to at least four of those visits. There are a number of laws that could apply to Cawthorn's possession of knives on school grounds.

It's no secret that Cawthorn's a jerk, or that he's a proven liar; he's also been accused of predatory behavior towards women. 

I'd say he's a stain on the House of Representatives, but I guess I'd be wrong.

After all, without irony, Cawthorn was named to the House Veterans Affairs Committee - after claiming the reason he didn't make it into the US Naval Academy was because of his car accident. That's a bald-faced lie; he had already been rejected before he had the accident. 

And, also without irony? The party of law and order, the 'rule of law' folks, seem to think he's good enough for them.

Wondering on Wednesday 4/20/22

Ready... Set... Wonder!

I wonder about the people who scream about 'cancel culture' and, at the same time, cheer the politicians who are, in some ways, on the verge of 'cancelling' Disney in Florida? 

And I wonder what happens when someone else in the Sunshine State is forced to pick up the costs of providing services to Disney properties, which (as I understand it), the company provides through their Reedy Creek Improvement District? And who, I wonder, will be the lucky people to assume that responsibility?

And I wonder, now that DeSantis has attacked the cruise industry for COVID rules, and the Mouseketeers for supporting LGBTQ folks, who's next on his radar? Will teachers be swept off the beaches? Blacks, maybe? Or librarians who dare to keep bad books on the shelves? 

And I wonder, when did DeSantis first stop liking the 'special districts' created before 1968? He mentioned in a press conference last month that, "a matter of first principle is I don’t support special privileges in law just because a company is powerful, and they’ve been able to wield a lot of power."  

Was it just when Disney became 'woke' - 0r has he always thought that? And if he's always thought that, I wonder why he waited until now - during a special session of the legislature, called to cram his personal redistricting maps down everyone's throats - to address the issue? 

And if the 'cancellation' isn't going to take effect until June 2023, I wonder what DeSantis and the rest of them will do to punish the company for the next year? And I wonder, if Disney wanted to reapply for a special district, would DeSantis and the gang even consider it? 

And what about the Imagineers? I wonder if they're going to spend the next few months trying to come up with a theme park ride about a vindictive governor and his minions? Oh wait - can't be minions, maybe they can Imagineer a new name for the Rs in the legislature, and introduce that along with the ride?  

And what about the trailer? Disney always makes a mini-movie when they're ready to roll out a major new 'experience' at their parks, and I wonder, would I have to subscribe to Disney+ to see it, or would ABC carry it on broadcast TV?

And I have to wonder, how many other DeSantis-ish pols in other states will follow his lead and start attacking businesses in their own backyards? And who will be the first?

What are you wondering about tonight?

Sunday School 4/17/22: Extra Credit

In your Sunday School, we learned about Senate struggles to agree on COVID aid, tales from the House Minority Leader, and we listened to two dads talking about kids and legacies.

For your Extra Credit, we're talking crime - something Democrats are running from, and Republicans are running on in this year's elections.

George Stephanopoulos hosted This Week; he spoke with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell. 

George asked if we need better tracking of folks like Frank James, the suspect in the recent gas-and-shooting attack in the subway, who had hated-filled videos and "suggestions of violence" posted online. Adams believes we do, and that social media companies have a role to play.

There's a corporate responsibility when we are watching hate brew online. We can identify using artificial intelligence and other methods to identify those who are talking about violence. And you know my concerns around even what's called drill music. Not all drill music, but those that talks about inflicting violence on rival gangs. That is driving some of the shootings we're seeing in the parts of the Bronx.

Sewell said they've been working to "convince people that subways are safe," saying that patrols have been enhanced since January when she and Adams took the reins.

We've done over 280,000 additional inspections by uniform personnel in the subway system. Couple that with our subway safety task force. As it stands now, crime in the subway is actually below pre-Covid numbers.

She said more officers are being surged into the subway, recognizing that "people need to see a visible presence of police..." There's stuff we don't see, too, she said. 

Speaking to the continued increase in major crime since his election, Adams noted that it's a national problem, not just a problem in NYC. 

It's not a red state, blue state. In fact, red states are experiencing a higher murder rate than blue states. Tulsa is three times the murder rate of Los Angeles. Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, those are the highest murder rates in our entire country.

He mentioned the 'defund the police' narrative that was heard before President Biden got elected, but turned that into a message for Republicans.

Let me tell you what the de-funders of police are... those who did not vote on the Build Back Better bill. Money was in that bill for police officers. We have 2,400 ATF agents in our country. Only 80 are in New York. We need to double that amount. We need to go after the ghost guns. We need to put a head to ATF in place. Put in place a real gun-tracing program. 

Sewell said police need to rebuild trust and work with the public to do that. It's something she and her officers do, every day, she said,

because we need them. And I think we keep saying that public safety is a shared responsibility. This recent case illustrates just that. And everyone came together. So, we need to build strength in our communities with the police.

George played a clip of former NYPD Commish William Bratton talking about reforms, and asked Adams if Bratton was right.

The scales right now are tipped very heavily in favor of the reforms of the progressive left. Well intended, some needed, but a bit too far. And what we have as a result is this growing fear of crime, this growing actual amount of crime, as evidenced in almost every major American city.

The mayor - a former NYPD captain - said yes. He admitted "major mistakes" had been made in the past, and he agreed with Sewell that they need to rebuild trust with the community. They can't do that 

by allowing those who are dangerous and that have... a repeated history of violence to continue to be on our streets. We have to un-bottleneck the courts. Too many people during Covid, when courts closed down, have not served their time or have not been in the courtroom. And then we have to be honest about some of the things we're doing generationally that has created the crime problem that we are facing right now. And that is why we believe in intervention and prevention to solve this issue that we're facing.

Sewell added that they can't "lose sight" of crime victims, either.

We believe the system has to be fair and balanced, but when we lose sight of the victims of crime, we are not doing what public safety is intended to do.

In the panel discussion, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile admitted the Rs will run on crime. It's a problem across the country, she said, because "we have a problem with gun violence... people are just shooting, shooting, shooting... It's not a Democratic problem. It's an American problem."

And, she said, it's going to take a "...'whole of government' approach" and private sector involvement,

because we’ve got to deal with the fact we have a lot of teenagers, a lot of folks who are just disconnected from society and we have to bring them back in. And if we don't bring them back in, crime is only going to increase.

Speaking of NYC specifically, where she had relatives in uniform, she said the crime budget is $11B, higher than the Ukrainian budget.

So, let's be clear that we can increase the number of policemen. We can increase the budget for police. But you’ve got to bring in Social Service workers, you’ve got to bring in the Youth and Child Department. This is a huge issue...

Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) appreciated Adams agreeing with Bratton that it was "progressive policies that have caused this wave in crime" (an over-simplification of what Bratton said and what Adams agreed with), but he thinks Adams, who ran on fighting crime, is "sticking to his word" and he thinks New Yorkers will "give him the benefit of the doubt" for that. 

Biden, on the other hand, doesn't get a pass. He was against 'defunding the police,' but

he was also standing with a lot of these reforms that have made - that have turned out to be a mistake. And it's not only reforms, it's the attitude of local prosecutors that have been elected, in places like Manhattan, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago who are refusing to prosecute some of these crimes.

The result of all of this is that "crime is going up. And Democrats are going to pay the price for it because it's their policies that changed us from a low crime country to a higher crime country."

George gave the last word to Maria Salinas, an ABC News contributor.

All right. But is it really -- does it have to do with policy or does it have to do -- especially the increase in the last couple of years, increase in crime, does it have to do more in the fact that people -- were in pandemic, people were locked up?

Doesn't mean that people locked up commit crimes once they come out, but all that frustration, losing your job, having the prices of everything being higher, doesn't that affect people? And you combine that with the access to weapons does not -- doesn't that increase a crime?

I've got thoughts on what Salinas said, but that'll have to wait for another day.

See you around campus.

OrangeVerse LXI: A Week of Spam

For some time, I've subscribed to Trump emails on a secondary email account. All of the emails - and there are a LOT of them - go to my spam folder, and every now and then I nose around to see what's on his mind. 

The emails come from a variety of addresses. In this latest barrage of requests for money, President Trump, Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump, Jr., DonaldJTrump.com, Team Trump, and Trump Dinner Alert all sent at least one email.

Today, I realized there's a certain odd poetry to the subject lines of these emails.  And so, we have today's OrangeVerse: a Week of Spam. 

Apr 12

15 Patriots 

 

Apr 13

My father chose YOU

 

 Apr 14

This has NEVER. HAPPENED. BEFORE.

Do you want to be a Trump MVP? Offer valid for 1 hour

 Invitation for YOU 

Here's your winner...

 

Apr 15

Pending

 You're on the list

I want you to know how important you are to me

 I endorsed Sarah Palin

Sad

Offer: available

 

Apr 16

Chicken or steak?

We EXTENDED your 7X-IMPACT

I have something special for you

3000% MORE

 

Apr 17

You're 1 out of 100

Dinner?

I've unlocked an exclusive DOUBLE ENTRY

LIMITED EDITION

 

Apr 18

Join NOW

I have a TOP SECRET video message for you

My father is about to release a never-bef0re-seen video message

Your wallet needs this

NEVER. HAPPENED. BEFORE.

Contribution status: PENDING

My contribution status will remain 'PENDING' - as will my membership status. I received more than two dozen emails on that, including nine telling me it was my last chance to renew my expired membership. They are relentless, I tell you.

Relentless - and effective. Politico reports that

Trump's Save America PAC crossed $110 million in the bank at the end of February, after taking in $3.5 million during the month and spending just $1.2 million.

That is more money than both national political parties - the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee - have combined in their main bank account...

And, to no one's surprise I'm sure,

Trump has done little to spend his largesse around the party. The committee did not report any new donations or independent expenditures backing Trump-endorsed candidates. 

What poetry are you finding these days? Drop a comment, if you like.