Bixby and Bailey looking like they’ve stuffed one of the cats in the toy box and are trying to hide it. Bailey had her first nail trim and a weigh-in this week. She’s 109 lbs. That’s up 17 lbs since she arrived. She’s still skin and bones – just taller and broader. I had to loosen her collar last week and her head is beginning to broaden. There’s a full puppy update here.
We saw Sing yesterday and it was perfect escapism, which is how I’m coping these days. Complete denial.
Should I repost the Woman’s March meet-up thread, or has everyone already made their arrangements? I’m happy to do it if necessary.
There won’t be a recipe thread tonight (really was anyone expecting one, LOL) even though Adam taunted me with the this:
Conjuring memories of the much maligned KFC Double Down, Taco Bell’s latest spawn involves a curved piece of fried chicken serving as a veggie vessel.
Time to put your body through Bell.
Following two years of testing, Jan. 26 will see the nationwide release of the “naked chicken chalupa” — a new Taco Bell menu option that replaces the item’s traditional fried flatbread shell with fried chicken.
Perfect snack for Trump Nation. This coastal elitist person is not going to sample it.
3.
Miss Bianca
I’m still on the fence about the Women’s March meet-up. Any Juicers planning to meet up in Denver? That would tempt me.
4.
ruemara
Meh, I’d eat it. For once, something that seems reasonable, but then again, I’m fond of protein style burgers. Still a pass though. I’m on lockdown regarding my diet and anything fast food is too much salt.
You sure those are puppehs? They look like tiny horses to me.
Q. From what part of the chicken do you make that taco shell?
A. All of them, Katie.
7.
sigaba
So like, what do they do to the chicken in order to get it into that shape? Or is this a KFC-type situation where they’ve bred a race of chickens that stand three feet tall but are only a quarter inch wide?
Glad I’m a vegetarian.
8.
NotMax
Kind of was expecting recipes utilizing orange ingredients.
That Taco Bell remains in business remains a constant source of amazement.
It may be fast but it ain’t food.
9.
Dog Dawg Damn
Not sure if earlier comment went through but Trump is ordering DC National Guard chief to resign during inauguration:
@Dog Dawg Damn: Odd but Trump is so petty that it could be for a variety of minor reasons which make no sense to intelligent people. Plus, Schwartz looks Negro so there’s that. You know how Trump feels about darker folks.
@Cacti: I am sure no Messican would be caught dead eating that thing.
20.
Yarrow
@Patricia Kayden: It just seems like really odd timing. I mean, let the guy get through the day. It’s a busy day and changing leaders in the middle of it for no good reason seems like it needlessly makes things less organized and perhaps less safe. I understand the new administration means people appointed by the previous administration resign and so forth, but usually there’s some form of transition. This seems abrupt and stupid.
Speculation: What Russian mole or puppet is he going to appoint in Schwartz’s place?
I think it’s more ominous. He’s going to use them to quell protests.
Maybe…or re-route them up to Fort Totten (forcing them to walk several miles just to get to the Mall)…or bar them from coming into DC at all…who knows?
I’m having real problems with this story. Until 12:01 p.m. January 20, Trump has no legal authority to fire MGen Schwartz. That means, as far as I can tell, that President Obama would have had to send the order. And I can’t fathom why he would do such a thing.
@Adam L Silverman: I can’t wait for the optics of fully militarized Guard facing down a large group of peaceful woman and children on the mall.
40.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
There is now a KFC ad at the top of my page. Bleah.
@Miss Bianca: We’re actually going to be at a science fiction convention in Colorado Springs that day (long planned, and it’s mr. h’s birthday weekend). I believe reading and thinking are going to be subversive acts, so I’ll be with likeminded folks subverting :)
@SiubhanDuinne: @Dog Dawg Damn: My guess is that because Trump has the order ready to go and it will be issued at 1201 hours on 20 January 2017, someone was required to notify MG Schwartz. This is called a Warning Order or WARNO. Basically its a heads up, an actual order – Executive Order (EXORD), Operational Order (OPORD), or Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) – is coming, here’s the subject, the expected task and purpose, and the expected time and date.
43.
Thoroughly Pizzled
@GregB: One of the most disgusting things about him. My family left China because they couldn’t abide a government that would murder its own citizens for peacefully demonstrating. And Trump praised that.
44.
Yarrow
@SiubhanDuinne: Isn’t it that the Trump people have told him he’s going to be losing his job at that time? They’ve given him a week’s notice. So he’s packing up his stuff. Obama hasn’t given the order. It will be issued by President Trump immediately effective once he’s sworn in. (Edit: I see Adam explained it properly.)
Lord knows what other things are lurking that they’ve planned for that time.
45.
debit
They are such beautiful dogs. I could deal with the size, but not the energy levels. Not unless I lived on a couple acres that were securely fenced.
46.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
A couple of thoughts generated on my commute that got lost in moderation earlier:
1. The reason why a lot of the protective institutions are already failing is that we’re culturally conditioned from early on to trust the guy who speaks aggressively and plainly while bearing the trappings of success. The watchdogs are inclined to take them at their word, and that leads to resistance to the notion that there are lies in the flow of communication, which is why it is so difficult to “turn” the initial inclination. F’rinstance, my tale about the lawyer on another floor of my building finding Trump’s power play on Acosta to be interesting, and why skill and knowledge at the practice of governing are disdained are all part of this difficulty to make things turn (thing “steering the Titanic”). Anymore, the media narrative on “messaging” and “optics” has accelerated the collapse of those institutions.
2. I have a lot of micro experience in dealing with pathological liars like Trump in litigation, both in family cases and business cases, and have both represented and opposed them. The pathological liar never has to be smart, they only have to be persistent, and they get their way to a surprising extent mainly because of the propensity of factfinders to give the pathological liar the benefit of the doubt on marginal calls due to the trappings of success. They can be beaten though, usually by meticulous examination of the facts and circumstances of their transactions, and direct confrontation with contradictions. When caught in a contradictory lie that is profound and reprehensible, the pathological liar rides it to the ground like Slim Pickens on the H bomb, even as they’re being excoriated by everyone from the judge to the jury foreperson to the clerk to their own attorney, and they come up with elaborate excuses as to how everyone has failed them.
@Cacti: May have to do a GoFundMe for bail if the family and I get arrested the next day. Hey BJ, will y’all spring us?
50.
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): Won’t happen. The Deputy Commander knows his job and knows what his duties and responsibilities are. Honestly, I do not know how the DC NG fits into the command structure overall. Given that DC is a Federal city it seems that the DC NG is the only NG that is fully Federal, but I could be wrong. Here’s their about page: http://dc.ng.mil/History/Pages/default.aspx
51.
Yarrow
@Betty Cracker: Be sure to Sharpie phone numbers on your arm. Have a communications plan loved ones can help. We will definitely help spring you out! Assuming Trump’s government allows bail.
I’m worried about that, too. I hope the DC National Guard and DC police have somebody with a clue telling them that they need to keep their cool, because beating up a bunch of women and children is going to make them look very, very bad.
@Yarrow: Usually a replacement is named and a change of command ceremony, and if the individual is retiring a retirement ceremony, is scheduled well in advanced. Even if they planned to replace MG Schwartz, doing it this way is highly irregular. Basically it looks like he’s being relieved of command for cause of just because and right in the middle of his Soldiers being activated for the inauguration.
55.
Miss Bianca
@Betty Cracker: you know it! Saving my pennies for it: )
56.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker: You betcha! In return, we want the “Cracker Letters from [jail to be named]” illustrated as well as rendered in capsule sculpture.
57.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: If the DC National Guard is fully federal, and the president controls it, then couldn’t a president Trump tell them to act very aggressively against these dangers to America – the women and children marching?
Also, too, there could be false flag operations so that some “protesters” become violent or attack the police or other officers and then they crack down. Would not be surprised to see this at all given who Trump is and who is controlling his administration. Russia doesn’t like dissent.
58.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: So, I really, really, don’t get this. Besides being irregular, this seems downright insulting.
59.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Yep. Hence all the horror, fear and speculation. These kinds of actions seem to be right in line with what authoritarian governments do. They do a lot very quickly. So this kind of thing isn’t surprising when looked at in that light.
60.
LAO
@Betty Cracker: of course. Also, may be recommendations for legal counsel! ?
61.
Betty Cracker
@Cacti: Here’s how I responded on Twitter: Not much of a sacrifice on Assange’s part. He’d get a prime-time slot on Fox News, WH office from Trump and a hummer from Hannity.
62.
hovercraft
@Cacti:
What his name was not in the news, so he’s vying for attention? He should be ignored, or better yet asked why he doesn’t come out, his excuse for hiding for years was that he feared being sent here from Sweden, but that he was innocent of the charges there. If he no longer fears being sent here, he should surrender to the Swedish authorities and go face his accuser.
Lochlainn think Taco Bell is haute cuisine — because 16-year-olds are all insane. I had to threaten him over Christmas break that if he asked if we could go to Taco Bell again, I was going to personally burn down every franchise in the state. I’m sure he’s going to be endlessly nagging me to try the chicken thing as soon as it’s available……
64.
Mnemosyne
In happier news, I finally bought the plane tickets for my trip to Disney World, and now OF COURSE my stupid brain is whispering, Are you sure this is a good idea? What if you and the girls now hate each other? What if the plane crashes? What if someone gets eaten by an alligator?
I hate my brain sometimes.
65.
Betty Cracker
@Adam L Silverman: Trump can’t just put some loon like Sheriff Clarke in charge, right? Has to be a current military officer?
66.
Dog Dawg Damn
At least it will be nice to have the “you’re being hysterical and alarmist” portion of the Resistance over with.
@Betty Cracker:
You better hope not, people die of dehydration in his lockups, but don’t worry, if he locks you up with BJ keyboard generals will spring you.
Last chance to visit the Hall of Presidents before it is forever polluted with the inclusion of you know who.
71.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Is it all right if I just call you Botsy, being as we’re kinda sorta neighbors? Or can you give me an (English) acronym for resident (?) of (N?)American region of Russia?
We still may not know who will be performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, but we do know what acts will come out for the pre-party.
Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee on Friday announced an array of performers who will take the stage at a concert Jan. 19 at the Lincoln Memorial, including some country music favorites, a band popular in the early aughts and a theater legend.
Those who are expected to perform or appear included country singer Toby Keith, actor Jon Voight, singer Jennifer Holliday and the band 3 Doors Down.
The concert, artfully named The Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration, is also slated to feature military bands, fireworks and an appearance from the President-elect himself.
Not able to make it to Washington? Never fear, as Trump’s inaugural committee said the concert would be broadcast live and open to air on all U.S. networks, although it was unclear at what time or on what networks the concert would air.
The concert is scheduled to follow another event dubbed “Voices of the People,” which will include performances by bands and choirs who applied to be part of the festivities.
@Mnemosyne: Are National Guard members required to be resident in the state/territory? Because if that is the case, the shitgibbon only got 4% of the vote in DC. The NG might not be inclined to go very far against protestors on his behalf.
I know, it’s just my stupid brain freaking me out. It’s annoying that it does this!
75.
Jeffro
Seen on Twitter:
The current GOP plan to replace Obamacare: You pay all your medical bills up front and then Mexico reimburses you later.
Not bad!
76.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodingers_cat: I don’t think so. In order for that too happen every general officer/flag officer, every nominative and executive level senior enlisted officer (Command Sergeants Major and Master Chief Petty Officer) that serve general officers/flag officers, as well as their field grade counterparts, the Senior Executives and senior supervisory civil servants (GS 13s, 14s, and 15s with supervisory assignments), as well as Governors, Mayors, State Directors of law enforcement/investigation, city police chiefs, and those county sheriffs with actual law enforcement duties (as opposed to those that just run the jails and do security at municipal facilities and provide the bailiffs in the courthouses) would all have to go along. Would I expect someone like Milwaukee Sheriff Clark to do something this stupid? Every day, twice on Saturday, and a matinee on Sunday. Would I expect the Milwaukee City Police Chief, Chief Flynn who actually controls the vast majority of law enforcement resources within and throughout the county to allow him to do so? No I would not. And neither, from what I have read would the Milwaukee County Commission.
Is it possible to see isolated attempts at this, including isolated attempts where there was attempted vertical or horizontal coordination? Sure. And I expect we will (see reference to Sheriff Clark above). In this case the Federalism decentralization of law enforcement in the US is a benefit. And any attempt to Federalize the National Guard en masse, across multiple states, to do this isn’t going to fly either. Would I expect Rick Scott of Florida to go along? Sure. Would I expect Governor Kasich of Ohio to? Not on your life. So it’ll further split the GOP.
@Adam L Silverman: How someone like Gen Mattis can stand by as Gen Schwartz is shown such disrespect is beyond me. Flynn’s a creep and power hungry, I get that, and for him ends justify means. But from what I gather from reports Mattis is supposed to be an intellectual with enormous respect for norms and traditions. How could he want to be part of this administration? Beats me.
80.
Miss Bianca
@hovercraft: well, at least they’re not making it mandatory to watch the Inauguration.
(been listening to Phillip Kerr’s “March Violets” with its description of loudspeakers on the corners and SS types knocking on doors to make sure people were tuned in to Goebbels’s speech).
81.
Patricia Kayden
@schrodingers_cat: That’s probably it although we supposedly have a First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and protest. Or so I was led to believe. I recall ugly/racist protests against President Obama all throughout his two terms but I don’t recall any police crackdowns on them. Funny that.
@Yarrow: Illegal orders will not be followed. Moreover, I’m sure the Commanding General of the National Guard Bureau is in touch with both MG Schwartz, BG Payne, and the DC Guard Land Force Component Commander, BG Walker. Moreover, DC policing is under control of the Chief of the DC Police. Currently they have an interim chief, because the previous chief retired to work for the NFL: http://mpdc.dc.gov/biography/peter-newsham-interim-chief-police
He works for the Mayor of DC.
84.
Calouste
@Betty Cracker: Pretty sure it has to be the second in command. Any one else would amount to a coup.
85.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: It is insulting. Now why they need to commit this insult is the real question. What, exactly, is the problem they have with MG Schwartz? When that question gets answered, then things will make a little more sense.
I prefer Count de Money, after one of Harvey Korman’s finest characters…
But Botsy will do.
88.
Robin
Question.(probably a stupid one.) Could CNN (or any news outlet) sue Trump for saying that they are lying and publishing fake news? It could compel some interesting discovery.
89.
Calouste
@tobie: Mattis is on the board of Theranos, a company that is pretty much outright fraud.
Trump’s inaugural committee said the concert would be broadcast live and open to air on all U.S. networks, although it was unclear at what time or on what networks the concert would air.
Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after approximately 1,650 rounds were spent.
Wow. And yet you have bastards like Niall Ferguson arguing with a straight face that colonialism wasn’t all that bad.
Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee on Friday announced an array of performers who will take the stage at a concert Jan. 19 at the Lincoln Memorial, including some country music favorites, a band popular in the early aughts and a theater legend.
Those who are expected to perform or appear included country singer Toby Keith, actor Jon Voight, singer Jennifer Holliday and the band 3 Doors Down.
I. Love. It.
Check out who was at Obama’s pre-inaugural concert:
– U2
– Bruce Springsteen
– Mary J. Blige
– Bon Jovi
– James Taylor
– Sheryl Crow
– John Mellencamp
– Usher
– Garth Brooks
and that’s just some of the performers: tons of A-list actors/actresses were there, too.
If I can #humblebrag a second…I was there, and despite the fact that it was absolutely freezing, it was incredible how overjoyed everyone was (and how good the performances were!) The whole crowd went nuts during “Higher Ground”, and then a few minutes later between “City of Blinding Lights” (Obama’s campaign song) and “Pride/In the Name of Love”, the tears just would not stop…that this had really happened, was happening.
@Mnemosyne: You’ll have a wonderful time. We expect to hear all about it.
95.
Bruuuuce
@TaMara (HFG): You’re assuming that the NG will or would permit video of their confrontation to be released. I’d expect #TrumpleThinSkin to issue an order that no media be permitted to show such a confrontation, and when it got out, for him to denounce it as fake news, dontchaknow.
96.
raven
Knuckleheads!
97.
Jeffro
@Calouste: He actually resigned from there a week or so ago.
98.
Patricia Kayden
@Betty Cracker: Do you really have to ask? Of course we would. In fact, those of us on the Left should be taking seriously the threat to our civil rights which will occur after next Friday.
I have no doubt that Republicans and their cronies will be eager to crush any dissent, including giving security forces the go ahead to shoot first and ask questions later. I especially feel sorry for Native American protesters in North Dakota (DAPL is still a thing) and Black Lives Matter activists.
@RSA: As a general rule, chicken dishes have fewer calories (and carbs, which for those of us who are diabetic, are MUCH more important than fat or protein) than beef dishes at fast food joints.
101.
Adam L Silverman
@Betty Cracker: The Commander of the National Guard Bureau will recommend a replacement to the Secretary of Defense. That replacement should not only come from within the currently serving general officers within the National Guard, but likely from within the DC Guard itself. That is my understanding of how the process works. As far as I know it is impossibly, under current law, to directly commission someone (ascend them) at any rank higher than Officer Level 3 (O3), which is a captain in the Army, Air Force, and Marines, and a lieutenant senior grade in the Navy. Direct commissioning at this level is only done for doctors and lawyers and even that’s rare these days, they usually start at least one rank lower. So I would think directly commissioning Sheriff Clark as a two start general in the US Army National Guard is unlikely to happen.
This was a major issue over the past 15 years or so. Especially for elements like Civil Affairs and PSYOPS and some other specialized branches and Military Occupational Specialties (MOSes), including the intelligence branches and MOSes. For instance, in 2010 I was asked by the Chief of Staff of one of the US Army Civil Affairs Divisions if I would be willing to accept a direct commission (I had been helping them out on several projects on temporary duty as a civilian and continued to provide support for the next four years including being the temporarily assigned control cultural advisor to the Civil Affairs Branch Chief). Since the vast majority of US Army Civil Affairs is in the Army Reserve Component, they have some flexibility in directly commissioning/ascending personnel, as in they can do it. I said sure, but they would have to work out a higher than normal initial rank. I wasn’t coming in as a 40 year old, joint doctorate, two masters degrees, and several years under my belt as either a contractor working at the GS 15 paygrade or a term appointment GS 15 (which is what I was when I was asked), as a second lieutenant (O1). They were never able to get the exception to policy to bring me in at a higher rank and it never went anywhere. And this is a huge problem, Civil Affairs and PSYOPS, the red headed step children of Special Operations, need to be able to bring in people like me from the civilian side, who have lots of experience, and needed knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and to do so they have to be able to work the rank issue. Because of current law about how this works, they can’t.
102.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: Whatever the perceived “need” is, I can’t imagine that even Donald Trump, dumber than a bag of hammers and distractable as a crack-addled squirrel tho’ he be, could see any advantage in insulting an officer and pissing off his fellow officers thereby.
I vote for reposting the March meetup thread, or a new one combining Adam’s safety precautions with meetups. There wasn’t a Cincinnati march planned at the time of the original post and there is one now. I’m going, already bought some pink fleece at JoAnns to sew into a hat.
For some reason, I remember that Yo Yo Ma and his quartet ended up having to mime to a recording because it was too cold outside to risk the instruments. But they knew that it was potentially going to be that cold, so they had done a special recording ahead of time.
106.
Adam L Silverman
@Calouste: Depends on the unit. The senior leadership, yes. Some of the National Guard Brigades cross state lines. I have a former student and good friend who commanded a Utah National Guard brigade composed of Soldiers from Utah and Southwestern Colorado. He, himself, lived in Southwestern Colorado where he is a county executive.
I hope that, like Rebecca Ferguson, her condition is that she performs “Strange Fruit.”
I will also accept “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
108.
Patricia Kayden
@Mnemosyne: Or “I’m Black and I’m Proud”. That would freak every Republican the hell out. LOL.
109.
hovercraft
@SiubhanDuinne:
Stop it, just stop it, everyone knows that this concert will be the bestest ever.
@Jeffro:
Lucky you to be there in person. In addition to all of the tangible things he is leaving us, there are so many moments that I will always remember, when they made it official he had won, I sobbed, Grant Park, his first overseas trip, seeing citizens of other countries react to him and Michelle with such jubilation, the passage of Obamacare, Bin Laden’s death, his press conference after the New Town Massacre, the last few days these moments when he provided just the right touch, when he lifted us up, made us laugh, his WHCD performances were impeccable. The concert was the start of his inaugural celebration, so many of us were full of hope, the lineup was incredible, the country was scared because the economy was in free fall, not because they feared the new president, that was a joyful hopeful time for our nation and the world. We were all breathing a sigh of relief, we had dodged the McCain Palin threat, little did we know…..
110.
Betty Cracker
@Patricia Kayden: Yeah, I’m mostly kidding about the Women’s March; Trump understands “optics” on some level and thus would comprehend how videos of cops attacking women and children would play. But nonwhite protesters — they are in REAL danger going forward, now that the most brutal police forces know the PEEOTUS has their back.
111.
Adam L Silverman
@tobie: Gen. Mattis has absolutely no ability to stop this at this point other than to recommend to the President-elect and whoever is making this decision/type of decision that this is not a good way to do it. That even if you have cause to relieve this general officer, doing it this way is terrible for morale and will have repercussions down the line. Until Gen. Mattis is confirmed by the Senate and the waiver for him passes both chambers and is signed into line by either the current President or the President-elect, the President-elect is sworn in, and then Gen. Mattis is sworn in as Secretary of Defense he has no official ability to do anything. And ultimately once all that happens he has only limited ability to slow things down.
112.
Sandia Blanca
Betty, not sure if there is actually a Balloon Juice meet-up planned during the D.C. march (couldn’t really tell from that thread from last week)–are you bringing green balloons? I will be there, and would love to at least spot you from afar (I will be marching with my cousins and/or fellow Texans).
113.
Adam L Silverman
@Patricia Kayden: Depends whether you’re on the “send” or “receive” side of the munitions’ equation.
114.
Calouste
@Adam L Silverman: Even then most of the folks would be from NoVa or Maryland, not exactly Trump strongholds.
115.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Adam L Silverman: I’m not sure making sense is a reasonable expectation of a crew this petty and unstable. Not to mention destabilization as a goal from Bannon…
Elvis Costello got himself banned from “Saturday Night Live” for many years because they told him he couldn’t play his song “Radio Radio” (which is critical of the media) during his appearance. He agreed but, during the actual show, they played a few bars of the approved song, stopped, and played “Radio Radio” instead. Lorne Michaels was so pissed that Costello was banned for about 20 years.
If I were writing the screenplay of this, that’s what she would do.
117.
Pogonip
@debit: Hi Debit how’s Walter doing? I hope that last trip to the vet is many weeks away!
@Mnemosyne:
Following the great tradition of the Stones and Doors getting the boot from Ed Sullivan by not following through on his dictates, although Lorne Michaels should have gotten over his bad self considering these are the very people that made SNL a success, not East Europeans spinning dinner plates on sticks.
I’m thinking that ultimately, it is going to look like the parody poster, only worse:
The ghost of the Trololo guy, one Rockette, Clint Eastwood’s empty chair, a broken karaoke machine and a full set from Nickelback. Followed by another full set from Nickelback, as Lee Greenwood’s CD had a skip in it.
In addition to all of the tangible things he is leaving us, there are so many moments that I will always remember, when they made it official he had won, I sobbed, Grant Park, his first overseas trip, seeing citizens of other countries react to him and Michelle with such jubilation, the passage of Obamacare, Bin Laden’s death, his press conference after the New Town Massacre, the last few days these moments when he provided just the right touch, when he lifted us up, made us laugh, his WHCD performances were impeccable.
I hear you, all of it. I was surprised how choked up I got watching that one HRC campaign video that showed all of those things and then (essentially) handing things off to Hillary at the very end, as she walked out to accept the Dem nomination. That and the various slide shows of Obama clowning around with kids at various WH events. He has really set the standard…and we’ll get back there, soon.
I don’t want to begrudge the guy a couple weeks of R&R, but as soon as he and Eric Holder get going with this NRDC thing, I’m all in. I have a pretty good layman’s understanding of the issues involved and what needs doing, but heck, I’ll just answer the phones if that’s all that’s available! =)
Not to mention destabilization as a goal from Bannon…
I would bet hard cash that the plan to get rid of MG Schwartz in medias res originated with Bannon, not Trump.
126.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Adam L Silverman: I knew that, but I still wonder if there is a why, beyond “out with the old/in with new.”
ETA:
@SiubhanDuinne: Yup – my point exactly.
127.
Bobby D
@Yarrow: False flag stuff all the way. The Breitbart clowns already started, with the “rape melania” signs during the initial protests, and the shouting “assassinate him” to catch someone repeating it on tape. Absolutely expect they will have plants causing trouble.
Now that I’ve had my moment of paranoia, I will swing back and say that it’s actually pretty hard to get the US military to fire on US civilians. Kent State happened after a decade of ongoing anti-war protests. The military is much, much better trained and drilled than your average cop on the street.
And the optics of police in riot gear facing off with a bunch of women in pink hats is going to be really, really awful.
Also remember that he’s been cushioned from the consequences of his actions his whole life. First Daddy would bail him out, and now his staff bails him out.
But being President of the United States is working without a net. There is NO ONE to bail his ass out now, even his bestest buddy Vlad. He’s on his own.
Oh, please, let it be so. Let it be a very long, long fall.
132.
Betty Cracker
@Sandia Blanca: Sadly, I’ll be doing a 72-hour whirlwind tour with my disorganized family, 30 hours of which will be spent in the car, so I don’t think I’ll have time to organize or participate in a meetup. But if anyone else is game for organizing one, I’ll be glad to post details in advance. I’m sure TaMara, AL, Adam, et al, would be as well.
I think I’ll have a sign based on George Takei’s brilliant taunt:
Twinkle, twinkle little czar,
Putin put you where you are.
Schwartz said that he is most proud of the Youth Challenge Academy, a school for teenage dropouts run by the guard with an infusion of federal money that is separate from both D.C. public and charter schools. It is located at the former Oak Hill facility, the District of Columbia’s old juvenile jail. He said that about 60 percent of the school’s student body have obtained high school diplomas, and some have gone on to college.
“These are kids with high potential,” Schwartz said. “They just need to be steered a little bit. That’s what guardsmen can do.” He said he has already told his wife that even while retired, he might stay active in the school.
Heaven knows, Bannon et al. hate anyone or thing showing up charter schools.
@Patricia Kayden: Dyer was lauded in Britain for this act by the House of Lords, he was a hero. Kipling was also a great fan of Dyer’s as was the then King. As for death toll during the Raj it was in tens of millions, more due to British action or should I say inaction. Why waste bullets when you can just starve the coolies.
140.
waysel
@Dog Dawg Damn: He’ll make himself temporary chief, call them out to the women march, and personally give the “shoot to kill” order. Seems obvious to me.
141.
Kay
A number of House Democrats left Friday’s confidential briefing on Russian hacking fuming over the actions of FBI Director James Comey and convinced he’s unfit to lead the agency.
“I was nonjudgmental until the last 15 minutes. I no longer have that confidence in him,” Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said as he left the meeting in the Capitol.
“Some of the things that were revealed in this classified briefing — my confidence has been shook.”
Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, delivered a similar condemnation.
“I’m extremely concerned — extremely,” he said.
“I’ll just — I’m very angry,” echoed Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
OMFG, what did he say at this briefing? It shouldn’t be classified. There’s really been more than enough secrecy around this.
The public has a right to know what Comey did or didn’t do. Now. They should know now before Trump and the rest have a chance to bury it.
Not enough of us. I wasn’t, learned it on my own, and constantly have to battle my RWNJ mother on the shit she’ll accept both politically and personally from white businessmen. My dad has a few bad instincts on people selling him antiques, but does well in other areas.
Ireland was the template for India — they started practicing on the Irish under Cromwell. And then they took what they did in India and transplanted it back to Northern Ireland.
149.
Bobby D
“I’ll just — I’m very angry,” echoed Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)”
That’s my Rep. Mark is a good guy, his office helped me out when trying to deal with a difficult personnel issue last year. IIRC, his family was put in a Japanese internment camp back in WWII.
150.
raven
So my boss called us and it looks like she’s going to have to take a leave of absence to have surgery on her lungs. She’s been fighting breast cancer for about 4 years so, I guess, this isn’t a big shock. We keep hoping they are going to come up with something that is going to make a difference but it doesn’t look good.
151.
Ridnik Chrome
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: You know, the more I think about it the more I think that all these entertainers are taking the wrong tack by refusing to perform at the inaugural. The possibilities for trolling would be infinite. Just think of what someone like Andy Kaufman or the Residents or Devo in their prime could do with that kind of an opportunity. Like having the band could come out in matching Trump wigs and play a cover version of “God Bless the USA”, slowed down so that it lasts for an hour.
That’s the only question that matters, now. We need to know.
154.
JPL
@raven: My son and his wife just lost a friend to breast cancer. She left behind a child who just turned one. I’m sorry.
155.
Calouste
@JPL: So what would the repercussions be if all the Democrats that attended that classified meeting came out together and held a press conference and just told us what they were told there?
I mean the repercussions for their security access etc. I’m not talking about the Village pearl-clutching and the rabid howling of the Trump.O.Pee.
Elvis Costello got himself banned from “Saturday Night Live” for many years because they told him he couldn’t play his song “Radio Radio” (which is critical of the media) during his appearance. He agreed but, during the actual show, they played a few bars of the approved song, stopped, and played “Radio Radio” instead. Lorne Michaels was so pissed that Costello was banned for about 20 years.
Was a beautiful moment that I got to see in real time. We were in my high school boyfriend’s parents’ basement watching, stoned out of our minds but very excited to see Elvis, and just went nuts when he did it. BF’s parents came running down to see if we were being murdered.
Last chance to visit the Hall of Presidents before it is forever polluted with the inclusion of you know who.
Goddam it, of all the bitter pills to swallow, this one is one of the bitterest. I don’t even know why… it’s pretty small in the grand scheme of things. I think maybe because Disney World is supposed to represent an ideal of what’s great and noble about America, and anyone going into the Hall will have that ideal thrown back in their faces.
@p.a.: Ireland was first, I believe. British traders were in India since Elizabeth’s time. They first gained substantial territory in the mid 18th century (1757). It took them a 100 years to consolidate power over the rest of the country (1857) and India got its independence in 1947.
164.
JPL
@rikyrah: I’m tempted to move south in order to be in his district. They keep redrawing his district though.
165.
raven
@JPL: Yea, it sucks. She was determined to go to Italy with her family at Thanksgiving and she did. She’s been through so much and really hung tough in the face of continued bad news. Just encouraging her to hang in there seems shallow but there isn’t much else to do.
@rikyrah: JL is a true hero. I am inspired by his courage.
167.
clay
@Ridnik Chrome: The problem is that the groups that are most likely to troll the inauguration are the groups least likely to be asked to play.
Frankly, I’m a bit disappointed in Toby Keith. I know he’s acted the reactionary fool before, but I thought I read where he came to regret his stance on the Iraq War (and against the Dixie Chicks). You’d think he’d be once-bitten, twice-shy.
168.
Jeffro
@rikyrah: Seconded here…let Rep. Lewis show the rest of Congress what it means to have integrity. Heck a few of them might even try it sometime.
The whole next week…drip, drip, drip, Donnie…
169.
A Ghost To Most
This is the response I received from LLBean to the message I sent them yesterday:
Dear Mr. Ghost,
Thank you for contacting L.L.Bean and for taking the time to share your views.
For the last 105 years L.L.Bean has been singularly focused on offering high-quality, satisfaction-guaranteed products and outstanding customer service in the Maine tradition. This commitment has allowed us to not only employ 5,000 hard-working people, but also donate tens of millions of dollars to non-profit organizations promoting environmental stewardship, educational attainment and a host of other worthy causes at the local, state and national levels.
L.L.Bean has been a family-owned business since it began back in 1912. It all started with one man, Leon Leonwood Bean, but now spans five generations and multiple branches of his offspring. As with most families of this size, the views of L.L.’s family members cover nearly the entire political spectrum. And as every member of this very large family would agree, no single person represents the values of the company that L.L. built.
Unfortunately, some have attempted to attribute the personal political activities of one member of a five-generation ownership family to our entire company.
L.L.Bean does not endorse political candidates, take positions on political matters, or make political contributions. Simply put, we stay out of politics. To our customers, employees and community-partners, we regret any undue negative attention that this situation attracted. We remain steadfast, however, that the company has at all times honored our long-standing focus on our products and customers, and not partisan politics.
We hope you find this background information helpful. You are a valued customer and we ask that you will continue to support our business.
Sincerely,
Sherry
L.L.Bean Customer Service
170.
tobie
@Betty Cracker: It would be great if we could have a thread devoted to clever/funny/pointed phrases for protest signs. I’m really bad at this. Right now, all I can think of is “No Mandate–We’re the Majority” but that’s hardly punchy. Other ideas?
Btw, for those going to marches on the 21st, if you have any buttons from the HRC campaign or the Democratic Party, it would be good to wear them. Many of us–I include myself–didn’t show the love publicly during the campaign but I think it’s important to stand u now, especially as the party is trying to decide what direction it should go in.
171.
SenyorDave
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Trump is still an amoral, racist pig.
I’m thinking this could be like the old SNL bit about Franco still being dead (first season, unfortunately I’m old enough to remember it very well).
@A Ghost To Most: What are your thoughts on that response? I find it maddeningly vague, yet I appreciate that they’re between a rock and a hard place. This part in particular is unclear:
Unfortunately, some have attempted to attribute the personal political activities of one member of a five-generation ownership family to our entire company.
Do they mean Trump? Do they mean the people calling for a boycott? Both?
I wish they’d just come out and say they didn’t seek Trump’s endorsement and don’t think it’s appropriate for the PEEOTUS to reward a donor by endorsing a company but at the same time, they don’t think the boycott is fair. That’s a position I could respect.
176.
Larkspur
@Mnemosyne: Well, if you do get eaten by a gator, at least you know right now that you will never be forgotten at this here den of jackals. ( Who would win? Pack o jackals or gator? Guess it depends on if it’s on the shore or in the water. Anyway, if it’s jackal after jackal, at some point the gator will slip up.) We would have Mnemosyne festivals every year, not just on Gator Day, but also on your birthday and the anniversaries of your finest comments, which are many, and there will be retrospectives and commemorative quilts and songs. We will never forget. But being et is highly unlikely.
177.
jonas
@GregB: Apparently the source of contention was that even in a *classified* briefing to lawmakers, Comey refused to say whether or not he’s investigating the Trump dossier. And when they asked him to explain this reticence in light of his willingness to discuss the Clinton investigation via megaphone earlier this fall, he apparently got real evasive and tried to change the subject.
So yeah, they were pissed. As they had a right to be.
I was lucky. My parents were DFHs before there were hippies. I kept saying that I wished they were alive to see Obama take office. Now I’m glad they aren’t here to see the Shitgibbon do it.
I was thinking about what adjective I would like the front-pagers to use when referring to me or giving me credit for a link, and I think I’ve settled on “pugnacious.” Not only is it one of my favorite words, I think it’s a descriptor that my friends and detractors can both agree on. ?
What angered the Dems on the committee was apparently no single factual item or big news thing, just extreme frustration at getting continually stonewalled by Comey – even in a closed/classified session – in combination with what appears to have been application of a double standard in how to proceed with the investigations of Clinton and Trump; lurid, murky and selective disclosures for the former, wall-of-silence for the latter.
I certainly don’t blame the Dems; they and everyone else who care about properly applied standards of law and justice should be pissed!
Did Cory Booker and a bunch of other Democratic senators just vote against importing prescription drugs from Canada? No. No, they didn’t. Here is what they voted against:
…………………………………
What they voted against was the above amendment to the Budget reconciliation bill. The Budget reconciliation bill is not a normal bill because it never becomes law. It never goes to the president for signature or veto. What it does is set out the framework for spending money that the committee chairs must work with when legislating and appropriating.
The Klobuchar/Sanders amendment would have given Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, the chairman of the Budget Committee, the discretion to pass a bill on the importation of prescription drugs or other means of lowering the price for American consumers, even if that required him to adjust how monies were allocated to his subcommittees.
For starters, Sen. Enzi voted against giving himself this discretion, so he clearly had no intention of taking advantage of it. In truth, though, this amendment was just one of several amendments the Democrats introduced to cause political pain to the Republicans. None of them would have actually become law, but all of them could be used to attack anyone who voted against them.
To see how this was supposed to work, all you have to do is look at an article that was produced by the Center for American Progress yesterday. They highlighted “6 essential health benefits” the GOP had voted to take away during their Wednesday night/Thursday morning vote-a-rama. None of those health benefits included the Klobuchar/Sanders amendment on prescription drugs, but they were all poison pill/message amendments intended to embarrass and wound any senators who voted against them. One was on protecting people with pre-existing conditions, another was on letting young adults stay on their parents’ health plan until they’re twenty six, and another was on protecting children on Medicaid or CHIP. None of the amendments meant a damn thing. None of them had the least potential to change the law of the land. But they gave the Democrats the opportunity to blast the (mostly) Republicans who voted against them. The Center of American Progress article was the main instrument for that bludgeoning.
Weird how Cory Booker is just one of the Democratic senators who voted against it, but he’s getting 100 percent of the heat for it. Gee, I wonder why him specifically …
(No, I don’t. ?)
187.
A Ghost to Most
@Betty Cracker:
Seems like nothing will change, as expected. Typical anodyne corporate bullshit.
Time to check out alternate vendors.
That is exactly what they are saying, albeit in the most weaselly possible way.
Again…
Fuck LL Bean. I have a great parka from them, but I’ll be shopping elsewhere for my winter outerwear from now on. And I told them exactly that.
192.
hovercraft
@Jeffro: Of course they are, they do terrible things there with you know that voodoo science thingy they call math.
Remember back in the days when we thought there was such a thing as peak wingnut, oh how naive we were. Nothing is too far out or insane for these people.
@A Ghost to Most: Send them Betty’s preferred wording and tell them that if they said something like that then you’d understand and consider buying from them. Tell them where they’re going wrong. Who knows–maybe someone will learn.
195.
debit
@Pogonip: He’s doing as well as can be expected. The increased pain meds seem to be helping, so I have hope we can keep on top of any discomfort for a while. He’s going to have regular visits for xrays so was can see how much the cancer is spreading, and how thin the bone density gets. My vet is really straight forward and I’m going to rely on him to help let me know when it’s time.
196.
Sandia Blanca
@Betty Cracker: Thanks Betty! I’ll be with family, too, but if I see your sign pass by I’ll wave at you! Stay safe yourself.
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GregB
So it looks like Democrats are aghast at what has been revealed in the Comey briefing.
schrodingers_cat
Perfect snack for Trump Nation. This coastal elitist person is not going to sample it.
Miss Bianca
I’m still on the fence about the Women’s March meet-up. Any Juicers planning to meet up in Denver? That would tempt me.
ruemara
Meh, I’d eat it. For once, something that seems reasonable, but then again, I’m fond of protein style burgers. Still a pass though. I’m on lockdown regarding my diet and anything fast food is too much salt.
You sure those are puppehs? They look like tiny horses to me.
Betty Cracker
Lovely doggies!
Yo, shutterbugs: check out the 2016 Audubon Photography Awards Winners.
Fester Addams
Q. From what part of the chicken do you make that taco shell?
A. All of them, Katie.
sigaba
So like, what do they do to the chicken in order to get it into that shape? Or is this a KFC-type situation where they’ve bred a race of chickens that stand three feet tall but are only a quarter inch wide?
Glad I’m a vegetarian.
NotMax
Kind of was expecting recipes utilizing orange ingredients.
That Taco Bell remains in business remains a constant source of amazement.
It may be fast but it ain’t food.
Dog Dawg Damn
Not sure if earlier comment went through but Trump is ordering DC National Guard chief to resign during inauguration:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/dc-national-guard-chief-removed-inauguration
Patricia Kayden
Good to see that Taco Bell is straight up selling heart attack causing food now. Fitting for our times.
Miss Bianca
@ruemara: Have to say that if I were hungry enough, I’d probably eat it too.
Mike E
@NotMax: …and such small portions!
Patricia Kayden
@Dog Dawg Damn: Odd but Trump is so petty that it could be for a variety of minor reasons which make no sense to intelligent people. Plus, Schwartz looks Negro so there’s that. You know how Trump feels about darker folks.
rikyrah
Those dogs look lovely in the picture.
I..just couldn’t….they are far too big….that’s why I don’t have pets.
Adam L Silverman
Put the chalupa down!
Cacti
@schrodingers_cat:
And since it’s Taco Bell, it counts as ethnic food for them and they can feel good about their open mindedness.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Patricia Kayden: I think it’s more ominous. He’s going to use them to quell protests.
JordanRules
Oh hey Bailey and Bixby!
That chaco thing looks ridiculous. Cloudy Friday the 13th here in Phoenix.
With the 13th floor Watergate fire, the dossier spy being nicknamed James Bond and the Russian TV glitches it feels like the universe is trolling us.
schrodingers_cat
@Cacti: I am sure no Messican would be caught dead eating that thing.
Yarrow
@Patricia Kayden: It just seems like really odd timing. I mean, let the guy get through the day. It’s a busy day and changing leaders in the middle of it for no good reason seems like it needlessly makes things less organized and perhaps less safe. I understand the new administration means people appointed by the previous administration resign and so forth, but usually there’s some form of transition. This seems abrupt and stupid.
Speculation: What Russian mole or puppet is he going to appoint in Schwartz’s place?
Cacti
@Dog Dawg Damn:
Yep.
The criminalization of dissent begins on 01/20/17.
schrodingers_cat
@Patricia Kayden: He wants someone to clamp down on the Woman’s March taking place next day?
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Did you see the Steep comment at the end of your thread last night?
Jeffro
@Dog Dawg Damn:
Maybe…or re-route them up to Fort Totten (forcing them to walk several miles just to get to the Mall)…or bar them from coming into DC at all…who knows?
Adam L Silverman
@Dog Dawg Damn: @Patricia Kayden: The Deputy Commanding General is the Adjutant General of the DC National Guard. That is BG Renwick L. Payne:
http://dc.ng.mil/History/Command/TAG/Pages/default.aspx
This is very, very unusual.
Dog Dawg Damn
@Cacti: Glad someone has been paying attention. He and his surrogate shave been broadcasting this for months.
It is coming.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: It’s very unusual and not in a good way.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: yep
hovercraft
@Patricia Kayden: So Schwartz is blah?
I thought the ‘blacks’ loved him. Someone should ask Senior Advisor Omarosa how the black outreach is going.
schrodingers_cat
@Yarrow: His role models are Assad and Putin, after all.
Major Major Major Major
In Trump’s America, a naked chicken chalupa truck on every corner.
SiubhanDuinne
@Dog Dawg Damn:
@Patricia Kayden:
I’m having real problems with this story. Until 12:01 p.m. January 20, Trump has no legal authority to fire MGen Schwartz. That means, as far as I can tell, that President Obama would have had to send the order. And I can’t fathom why he would do such a thing.
JordanRules
@schrodingers_cat: Don’t forget the Duerte love!
Dog Dawg Damn
@SiubhanDuinne: Above my paygrade. Maybe Adam can comment
GregB
This is the man who praised China’s response to Tiannamen Square protests.
dexwood
@Yarrow:
He can’t wait to become Commander in Chief.
Miss Bianca
@Dog Dawg Damn: This makes no damn sense at all. AT ALL. It’s willfully, dangerously, almost criminally dumb. Why the hell –
Oh, wait. This is Trump we’re talking about. “Willfully, dangerously, almost criminally dumb” is just another Friday for him.
Cacti
This just in: Julian Assange still an ass.
Agrees to “extradition” to the U.S. in exchange for Manning pardon.
Problem: Assange is not charged with a crime in the U.S. and there is no legal basis for an extradition here.
TaMara (HFG)
@Adam L Silverman: I can’t wait for the optics of fully militarized Guard facing down a large group of peaceful woman and children on the mall.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
There is now a KFC ad at the top of my page. Bleah.
@Miss Bianca: We’re actually going to be at a science fiction convention in Colorado Springs that day (long planned, and it’s mr. h’s birthday weekend). I believe reading and thinking are going to be subversive acts, so I’ll be with likeminded folks subverting :)
SiubhanDuinne
@Cacti:
LOL.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: @Dog Dawg Damn: My guess is that because Trump has the order ready to go and it will be issued at 1201 hours on 20 January 2017, someone was required to notify MG Schwartz. This is called a Warning Order or WARNO. Basically its a heads up, an actual order – Executive Order (EXORD), Operational Order (OPORD), or Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) – is coming, here’s the subject, the expected task and purpose, and the expected time and date.
Thoroughly Pizzled
@GregB: One of the most disgusting things about him. My family left China because they couldn’t abide a government that would murder its own citizens for peacefully demonstrating. And Trump praised that.
Yarrow
@SiubhanDuinne: Isn’t it that the Trump people have told him he’s going to be losing his job at that time? They’ve given him a week’s notice. So he’s packing up his stuff. Obama hasn’t given the order. It will be issued by President Trump immediately effective once he’s sworn in. (Edit: I see Adam explained it properly.)
Lord knows what other things are lurking that they’ve planned for that time.
debit
They are such beautiful dogs. I could deal with the size, but not the energy levels. Not unless I lived on a couple acres that were securely fenced.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
A couple of thoughts generated on my commute that got lost in moderation earlier:
1. The reason why a lot of the protective institutions are already failing is that we’re culturally conditioned from early on to trust the guy who speaks aggressively and plainly while bearing the trappings of success. The watchdogs are inclined to take them at their word, and that leads to resistance to the notion that there are lies in the flow of communication, which is why it is so difficult to “turn” the initial inclination. F’rinstance, my tale about the lawyer on another floor of my building finding Trump’s power play on Acosta to be interesting, and why skill and knowledge at the practice of governing are disdained are all part of this difficulty to make things turn (thing “steering the Titanic”). Anymore, the media narrative on “messaging” and “optics” has accelerated the collapse of those institutions.
2. I have a lot of micro experience in dealing with pathological liars like Trump in litigation, both in family cases and business cases, and have both represented and opposed them. The pathological liar never has to be smart, they only have to be persistent, and they get their way to a surprising extent mainly because of the propensity of factfinders to give the pathological liar the benefit of the doubt on marginal calls due to the trappings of success. They can be beaten though, usually by meticulous examination of the facts and circumstances of their transactions, and direct confrontation with contradictions. When caught in a contradictory lie that is profound and reprehensible, the pathological liar rides it to the ground like Slim Pickens on the H bomb, even as they’re being excoriated by everyone from the judge to the jury foreperson to the clerk to their own attorney, and they come up with elaborate excuses as to how everyone has failed them.
schrodingers_cat
This is going to be the model for handling dissent.
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Ah, thank you. That’s very clear (as usual).
Betty Cracker
@Cacti: May have to do a GoFundMe for bail if the family and I get arrested the next day. Hey BJ, will y’all spring us?
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): Won’t happen. The Deputy Commander knows his job and knows what his duties and responsibilities are. Honestly, I do not know how the DC NG fits into the command structure overall. Given that DC is a Federal city it seems that the DC NG is the only NG that is fully Federal, but I could be wrong. Here’s their about page:
http://dc.ng.mil/History/Pages/default.aspx
Yarrow
@Betty Cracker: Be sure to Sharpie phone numbers on your arm. Have a communications plan loved ones can help. We will definitely help spring you out! Assuming Trump’s government allows bail.
Mnemosyne
@Dog Dawg Damn:
I’m worried about that, too. I hope the DC National Guard and DC police have somebody with a clue telling them that they need to keep their cool, because beating up a bunch of women and children is going to make them look very, very bad.
NotMax
re: the doggies.
Flashing back to the Atomic Knights.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: Usually a replacement is named and a change of command ceremony, and if the individual is retiring a retirement ceremony, is scheduled well in advanced. Even if they planned to replace MG Schwartz, doing it this way is highly irregular. Basically it looks like he’s being relieved of command for cause of just because and right in the middle of his Soldiers being activated for the inauguration.
Miss Bianca
@Betty Cracker: you know it! Saving my pennies for it: )
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker: You betcha! In return, we want the “Cracker Letters from [jail to be named]” illustrated as well as rendered in capsule sculpture.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: If the DC National Guard is fully federal, and the president controls it, then couldn’t a president Trump tell them to act very aggressively against these dangers to America – the women and children marching?
Also, too, there could be false flag operations so that some “protesters” become violent or attack the police or other officers and then they crack down. Would not be surprised to see this at all given who Trump is and who is controlling his administration. Russia doesn’t like dissent.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: So, I really, really, don’t get this. Besides being irregular, this seems downright insulting.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: Yep. Hence all the horror, fear and speculation. These kinds of actions seem to be right in line with what authoritarian governments do. They do a lot very quickly. So this kind of thing isn’t surprising when looked at in that light.
LAO
@Betty Cracker: of course. Also, may be recommendations for legal counsel! ?
Betty Cracker
@Cacti: Here’s how I responded on Twitter: Not much of a sacrifice on Assange’s part. He’d get a prime-time slot on Fox News, WH office from Trump and a hummer from Hannity.
hovercraft
@Cacti:
What his name was not in the news, so he’s vying for attention? He should be ignored, or better yet asked why he doesn’t come out, his excuse for hiding for years was that he feared being sent here from Sweden, but that he was innocent of the charges there. If he no longer fears being sent here, he should surrender to the Swedish authorities and go face his accuser.
jacy
Lochlainn think Taco Bell is haute cuisine — because 16-year-olds are all insane. I had to threaten him over Christmas break that if he asked if we could go to Taco Bell again, I was going to personally burn down every franchise in the state. I’m sure he’s going to be endlessly nagging me to try the chicken thing as soon as it’s available……
Mnemosyne
In happier news, I finally bought the plane tickets for my trip to Disney World, and now OF COURSE my stupid brain is whispering, Are you sure this is a good idea? What if you and the girls now hate each other? What if the plane crashes? What if someone gets eaten by an alligator?
I hate my brain sometimes.
Betty Cracker
@Adam L Silverman: Trump can’t just put some loon like Sheriff Clarke in charge, right? Has to be a current military officer?
Dog Dawg Damn
At least it will be nice to have the “you’re being hysterical and alarmist” portion of the Resistance over with.
schrodingers_cat
@Mnemosyne: Girls love their fun aunt. Planes seldom crash. You will be fine.
p.a.
@schrodingers_cat: … that still leaves gators…
hovercraft
@Betty Cracker:
You better hope not, people die of dehydration in his lockups, but don’t worry, if he locks you up with BJ keyboard generals will spring you.
NotMax
@Mnemosyne
Last chance to visit the Hall of Presidents before it is forever polluted with the inclusion of you know who.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Is it all right if I just call you Botsy, being as we’re kinda sorta neighbors? Or can you give me an (English) acronym for resident (?) of (N?)American region of Russia?
hovercraft
Finally, Trump Scores Some Inauguration Talent: Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down
We still may not know who will be performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, but we do know what acts will come out for the pre-party.
Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee on Friday announced an array of performers who will take the stage at a concert Jan. 19 at the Lincoln Memorial, including some country music favorites, a band popular in the early aughts and a theater legend.
Those who are expected to perform or appear included country singer Toby Keith, actor Jon Voight, singer Jennifer Holliday and the band 3 Doors Down.
The concert, artfully named The Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration, is also slated to feature military bands, fireworks and an appearance from the President-elect himself.
Not able to make it to Washington? Never fear, as Trump’s inaugural committee said the concert would be broadcast live and open to air on all U.S. networks, although it was unclear at what time or on what networks the concert would air.
The concert is scheduled to follow another event dubbed “Voices of the People,” which will include performances by bands and choirs who applied to be part of the festivities.
ETA: I’m sure this concert will put the We Are One concert to shame.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjPt6-a5b_RAhVp9YMKHb0JCU4QtwIIIDAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DLmq0hV_G3CY&usg=AFQjCNGKv8p83ZA8Bq4HviK54P0Pg1QsGg&bvm=bv.144224172,d.amc
Calouste
@Mnemosyne: Are National Guard members required to be resident in the state/territory? Because if that is the case, the shitgibbon only got 4% of the vote in DC. The NG might not be inclined to go very far against protestors on his behalf.
Mnemosyne
@p.a.:
Given that both of the girls are Florida natives, the person on the trip most likely to get eaten by a gator is probably me. ?
@schrodingers_cat:
I know, it’s just my stupid brain freaking me out. It’s annoying that it does this!
Jeffro
Seen on Twitter:
Not bad!
Adam L Silverman
@schrodingers_cat: I don’t think so. In order for that too happen every general officer/flag officer, every nominative and executive level senior enlisted officer (Command Sergeants Major and Master Chief Petty Officer) that serve general officers/flag officers, as well as their field grade counterparts, the Senior Executives and senior supervisory civil servants (GS 13s, 14s, and 15s with supervisory assignments), as well as Governors, Mayors, State Directors of law enforcement/investigation, city police chiefs, and those county sheriffs with actual law enforcement duties (as opposed to those that just run the jails and do security at municipal facilities and provide the bailiffs in the courthouses) would all have to go along. Would I expect someone like Milwaukee Sheriff Clark to do something this stupid? Every day, twice on Saturday, and a matinee on Sunday. Would I expect the Milwaukee City Police Chief, Chief Flynn who actually controls the vast majority of law enforcement resources within and throughout the county to allow him to do so? No I would not. And neither, from what I have read would the Milwaukee County Commission.
Is it possible to see isolated attempts at this, including isolated attempts where there was attempted vertical or horizontal coordination? Sure. And I expect we will (see reference to Sheriff Clark above). In this case the Federalism decentralization of law enforcement in the US is a benefit. And any attempt to Federalize the National Guard en masse, across multiple states, to do this isn’t going to fly either. Would I expect Rick Scott of Florida to go along? Sure. Would I expect Governor Kasich of Ohio to? Not on your life. So it’ll further split the GOP.
PaulW
It’s FRIDAY THE 13th!
Break out the BLACK KITTEHS!!!
http://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/11/its-friday-13th-you-get-black-cat-being.html
debbie
@Yarrow:
Name it what it is. It’s a putsch.
tobie
@Adam L Silverman: How someone like Gen Mattis can stand by as Gen Schwartz is shown such disrespect is beyond me. Flynn’s a creep and power hungry, I get that, and for him ends justify means. But from what I gather from reports Mattis is supposed to be an intellectual with enormous respect for norms and traditions. How could he want to be part of this administration? Beats me.
Miss Bianca
@hovercraft: well, at least they’re not making it mandatory to watch the Inauguration.
(been listening to Phillip Kerr’s “March Violets” with its description of loudspeakers on the corners and SS types knocking on doors to make sure people were tuned in to Goebbels’s speech).
Patricia Kayden
@schrodingers_cat: That’s probably it although we supposedly have a First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and protest. Or so I was led to believe. I recall ugly/racist protests against President Obama all throughout his two terms but I don’t recall any police crackdowns on them. Funny that.
Miss Bianca
@PaulW: black kittehs rule!
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: Illegal orders will not be followed. Moreover, I’m sure the Commanding General of the National Guard Bureau is in touch with both MG Schwartz, BG Payne, and the DC Guard Land Force Component Commander, BG Walker. Moreover, DC policing is under control of the Chief of the DC Police. Currently they have an interim chief, because the previous chief retired to work for the NFL:
http://mpdc.dc.gov/biography/peter-newsham-interim-chief-police
He works for the Mayor of DC.
Calouste
@Betty Cracker: Pretty sure it has to be the second in command. Any one else would amount to a coup.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: It is insulting. Now why they need to commit this insult is the real question. What, exactly, is the problem they have with MG Schwartz? When that question gets answered, then things will make a little more sense.
SiubhanDuinne
@Miss Bianca:
Yup. It gives me that queasy “thief-in-the-night” feeling.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
I prefer Count de Money, after one of Harvey Korman’s finest characters…
But Botsy will do.
Robin
Question.(probably a stupid one.) Could CNN (or any news outlet) sue Trump for saying that they are lying and publishing fake news? It could compel some interesting discovery.
Calouste
@tobie: Mattis is on the board of Theranos, a company that is pretty much outright fraud.
schrodingers_cat
@p.a.: And the yuge flying roaches and Burmese pythons.
SiubhanDuinne
@hovercraft:
Snicker.
Patricia Kayden
@schrodingers_cat: From your link:
Wow. And yet you have bastards like Niall Ferguson arguing with a straight face that colonialism wasn’t all that bad.
Jeffro
@hovercraft:
I. Love. It.
Check out who was at Obama’s pre-inaugural concert:
– U2
– Bruce Springsteen
– Mary J. Blige
– Bon Jovi
– James Taylor
– Sheryl Crow
– John Mellencamp
– Usher
– Garth Brooks
and that’s just some of the performers: tons of A-list actors/actresses were there, too.
If I can #humblebrag a second…I was there, and despite the fact that it was absolutely freezing, it was incredible how overjoyed everyone was (and how good the performances were!) The whole crowd went nuts during “Higher Ground”, and then a few minutes later between “City of Blinding Lights” (Obama’s campaign song) and “Pride/In the Name of Love”, the tears just would not stop…that this had really happened, was happening.
Ah what a day and a night…
Iowa Old Lady
@Mnemosyne: You’ll have a wonderful time. We expect to hear all about it.
Bruuuuce
@TaMara (HFG): You’re assuming that the NG will or would permit video of their confrontation to be released. I’d expect #TrumpleThinSkin to issue an order that no media be permitted to show such a confrontation, and when it got out, for him to denounce it as fake news, dontchaknow.
raven
Knuckleheads!
Jeffro
@Calouste: He actually resigned from there a week or so ago.
Patricia Kayden
@Betty Cracker: Do you really have to ask? Of course we would. In fact, those of us on the Left should be taking seriously the threat to our civil rights which will occur after next Friday.
I have no doubt that Republicans and their cronies will be eager to crush any dissent, including giving security forces the go ahead to shoot first and ask questions later. I especially feel sorry for Native American protesters in North Dakota (DAPL is still a thing) and Black Lives Matter activists.
RSA
Yes, but how evil?
Naked chicken chalupa: 370 calories, 21 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein.
McDonald’s Big Mac: 540 calories, 28 grams of fat, 25 grams of protein.
I was surprised.
Bruuuuce
@RSA: As a general rule, chicken dishes have fewer calories (and carbs, which for those of us who are diabetic, are MUCH more important than fat or protein) than beef dishes at fast food joints.
Adam L Silverman
@Betty Cracker: The Commander of the National Guard Bureau will recommend a replacement to the Secretary of Defense. That replacement should not only come from within the currently serving general officers within the National Guard, but likely from within the DC Guard itself. That is my understanding of how the process works. As far as I know it is impossibly, under current law, to directly commission someone (ascend them) at any rank higher than Officer Level 3 (O3), which is a captain in the Army, Air Force, and Marines, and a lieutenant senior grade in the Navy. Direct commissioning at this level is only done for doctors and lawyers and even that’s rare these days, they usually start at least one rank lower. So I would think directly commissioning Sheriff Clark as a two start general in the US Army National Guard is unlikely to happen.
This was a major issue over the past 15 years or so. Especially for elements like Civil Affairs and PSYOPS and some other specialized branches and Military Occupational Specialties (MOSes), including the intelligence branches and MOSes. For instance, in 2010 I was asked by the Chief of Staff of one of the US Army Civil Affairs Divisions if I would be willing to accept a direct commission (I had been helping them out on several projects on temporary duty as a civilian and continued to provide support for the next four years including being the temporarily assigned control cultural advisor to the Civil Affairs Branch Chief). Since the vast majority of US Army Civil Affairs is in the Army Reserve Component, they have some flexibility in directly commissioning/ascending personnel, as in they can do it. I said sure, but they would have to work out a higher than normal initial rank. I wasn’t coming in as a 40 year old, joint doctorate, two masters degrees, and several years under my belt as either a contractor working at the GS 15 paygrade or a term appointment GS 15 (which is what I was when I was asked), as a second lieutenant (O1). They were never able to get the exception to policy to bring me in at a higher rank and it never went anywhere. And this is a huge problem, Civil Affairs and PSYOPS, the red headed step children of Special Operations, need to be able to bring in people like me from the civilian side, who have lots of experience, and needed knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and to do so they have to be able to work the rank issue. Because of current law about how this works, they can’t.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: Whatever the perceived “need” is, I can’t imagine that even Donald Trump, dumber than a bag of hammers and distractable as a crack-addled squirrel tho’ he be, could see any advantage in insulting an officer and pissing off his fellow officers thereby.
It is completely baffling to me.
Patricia Kayden
@hovercraft:
Jennifer “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going” Holliday? Really? I am so disappointed with her.
Apparently, she hasn’t confirmed that she’ll participate. I hope her fans are giving her the business on twitter.
Ohio Mom
I vote for reposting the March meetup thread, or a new one combining Adam’s safety precautions with meetups. There wasn’t a Cincinnati march planned at the time of the original post and there is one now. I’m going, already bought some pink fleece at JoAnns to sew into a hat.
Mnemosyne
@Jeffro:
For some reason, I remember that Yo Yo Ma and his quartet ended up having to mime to a recording because it was too cold outside to risk the instruments. But they knew that it was potentially going to be that cold, so they had done a special recording ahead of time.
Adam L Silverman
@Calouste: Depends on the unit. The senior leadership, yes. Some of the National Guard Brigades cross state lines. I have a former student and good friend who commanded a Utah National Guard brigade composed of Soldiers from Utah and Southwestern Colorado. He, himself, lived in Southwestern Colorado where he is a county executive.
Mnemosyne
@Patricia Kayden:
I hope that, like Rebecca Ferguson, her condition is that she performs “Strange Fruit.”
I will also accept “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Patricia Kayden
@Mnemosyne: Or “I’m Black and I’m Proud”. That would freak every Republican the hell out. LOL.
hovercraft
@SiubhanDuinne:
Stop it, just stop it, everyone knows that this concert will be the bestest ever.
@Jeffro:
Lucky you to be there in person. In addition to all of the tangible things he is leaving us, there are so many moments that I will always remember, when they made it official he had won, I sobbed, Grant Park, his first overseas trip, seeing citizens of other countries react to him and Michelle with such jubilation, the passage of Obamacare, Bin Laden’s death, his press conference after the New Town Massacre, the last few days these moments when he provided just the right touch, when he lifted us up, made us laugh, his WHCD performances were impeccable. The concert was the start of his inaugural celebration, so many of us were full of hope, the lineup was incredible, the country was scared because the economy was in free fall, not because they feared the new president, that was a joyful hopeful time for our nation and the world. We were all breathing a sigh of relief, we had dodged the McCain Palin threat, little did we know…..
Betty Cracker
@Patricia Kayden: Yeah, I’m mostly kidding about the Women’s March; Trump understands “optics” on some level and thus would comprehend how videos of cops attacking women and children would play. But nonwhite protesters — they are in REAL danger going forward, now that the most brutal police forces know the PEEOTUS has their back.
Adam L Silverman
@tobie: Gen. Mattis has absolutely no ability to stop this at this point other than to recommend to the President-elect and whoever is making this decision/type of decision that this is not a good way to do it. That even if you have cause to relieve this general officer, doing it this way is terrible for morale and will have repercussions down the line. Until Gen. Mattis is confirmed by the Senate and the waiver for him passes both chambers and is signed into line by either the current President or the President-elect, the President-elect is sworn in, and then Gen. Mattis is sworn in as Secretary of Defense he has no official ability to do anything. And ultimately once all that happens he has only limited ability to slow things down.
Sandia Blanca
Betty, not sure if there is actually a Balloon Juice meet-up planned during the D.C. march (couldn’t really tell from that thread from last week)–are you bringing green balloons? I will be there, and would love to at least spot you from afar (I will be marching with my cousins and/or fellow Texans).
Adam L Silverman
@Patricia Kayden: Depends whether you’re on the “send” or “receive” side of the munitions’ equation.
Calouste
@Adam L Silverman: Even then most of the folks would be from NoVa or Maryland, not exactly Trump strongholds.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Adam L Silverman: I’m not sure making sense is a reasonable expectation of a crew this petty and unstable. Not to mention destabilization as a goal from Bannon…
Mnemosyne
@Patricia Kayden:
Elvis Costello got himself banned from “Saturday Night Live” for many years because they told him he couldn’t play his song “Radio Radio” (which is critical of the media) during his appearance. He agreed but, during the actual show, they played a few bars of the approved song, stopped, and played “Radio Radio” instead. Lorne Michaels was so pissed that Costello was banned for about 20 years.
If I were writing the screenplay of this, that’s what she would do.
Pogonip
@debit: Hi Debit how’s Walter doing? I hope that last trip to the vet is many weeks away!
Adam L Silverman
@Ohio Mom: No combinations, no substitutions!
Adam L Silverman
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): By sense I mean we will know why. Not that it was a rational decision.
trollhattan
@Mnemosyne:
Following the great tradition of the Stones and Doors getting the boot from Ed Sullivan by not following through on his dictates, although Lorne Michaels should have gotten over his bad self considering these are the very people that made SNL a success, not East Europeans spinning dinner plates on sticks.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@hovercraft:
I’m thinking that ultimately, it is going to look like the parody poster, only worse:
The ghost of the Trololo guy, one Rockette, Clint Eastwood’s empty chair, a broken karaoke machine and a full set from Nickelback. Followed by another full set from Nickelback, as Lee Greenwood’s CD had a skip in it.
Jeffro
@hovercraft:
Truly blessed, I know.
I hear you, all of it. I was surprised how choked up I got watching that one HRC campaign video that showed all of those things and then (essentially) handing things off to Hillary at the very end, as she walked out to accept the Dem nomination. That and the various slide shows of Obama clowning around with kids at various WH events. He has really set the standard…and we’ll get back there, soon.
I don’t want to begrudge the guy a couple weeks of R&R, but as soon as he and Eric Holder get going with this NRDC thing, I’m all in. I have a pretty good layman’s understanding of the issues involved and what needs doing, but heck, I’ll just answer the phones if that’s all that’s available! =)
Spanky
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Could we have Le Comte’s #2 chiseled at the top of the BJ page?
debbie
@Adam L Silverman:
Donald Trump has never given a shit about repercussions, which is why he’s been so destructive all his life.
SiubhanDuinne
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
I would bet hard cash that the plan to get rid of MG Schwartz in medias res originated with Bannon, not Trump.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Adam L Silverman: I knew that, but I still wonder if there is a why, beyond “out with the old/in with new.”
ETA:
@SiubhanDuinne: Yup – my point exactly.
Bobby D
@Yarrow: False flag stuff all the way. The Breitbart clowns already started, with the “rape melania” signs during the initial protests, and the shouting “assassinate him” to catch someone repeating it on tape. Absolutely expect they will have plants causing trouble.
Mnemosyne
@Betty Cracker:
Now that I’ve had my moment of paranoia, I will swing back and say that it’s actually pretty hard to get the US military to fire on US civilians. Kent State happened after a decade of ongoing anti-war protests. The military is much, much better trained and drilled than your average cop on the street.
And the optics of police in riot gear facing off with a bunch of women in pink hats is going to be really, really awful.
debbie
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Well, he is African American.
Mnemosyne
@debbie:
Also remember that he’s been cushioned from the consequences of his actions his whole life. First Daddy would bail him out, and now his staff bails him out.
But being President of the United States is working without a net. There is NO ONE to bail his ass out now, even his bestest buddy Vlad. He’s on his own.
debbie
@Mnemosyne:
Oh, please, let it be so. Let it be a very long, long fall.
Betty Cracker
@Sandia Blanca: Sadly, I’ll be doing a 72-hour whirlwind tour with my disorganized family, 30 hours of which will be spent in the car, so I don’t think I’ll have time to organize or participate in a meetup. But if anyone else is game for organizing one, I’ll be glad to post details in advance. I’m sure TaMara, AL, Adam, et al, would be as well.
I think I’ll have a sign based on George Takei’s brilliant taunt:
Twinkle, twinkle little czar,
Putin put you where you are.
Have fun and stay safe!
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
debbie
@Mnemosyne:
Or maybe this is the reason:
Heaven knows, Bannon et al. hate anyone or thing showing up charter schools.
debbie
@Betty Cracker:
I sang that little song to myself yesterday at work. I love it, plus it’s the only way to get the damn theme to GOT out of my head.
geg6
Puppehs are so beautiful, TaMara. Just love them.
Adam L Silverman
@Betty Cracker: I won’t be meeting up. I’ll be hunkering down in the bunker. Testing the waste extraction and filtration systems… And my stillsuit…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl3uNkBUbvc
patroclus
It’s nice to see that the big summit meeting between Trump and Steve Harvey went so well!
schrodingers_cat
@Patricia Kayden: Dyer was lauded in Britain for this act by the House of Lords, he was a hero. Kipling was also a great fan of Dyer’s as was the then King. As for death toll during the Raj it was in tens of millions, more due to British action or should I say inaction. Why waste bullets when you can just starve the coolies.
waysel
@Dog Dawg Damn: He’ll make himself temporary chief, call them out to the women march, and personally give the “shoot to kill” order. Seems obvious to me.
Kay
OMFG, what did he say at this briefing? It shouldn’t be classified. There’s really been more than enough secrecy around this.
The public has a right to know what Comey did or didn’t do. Now. They should know now before Trump and the rest have a chance to bury it.
geg6
@Cacti:
He really is as stupid as Trump, isn’t he?
geg6
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Speak for yourself. Some of us were taught people like this are lying blowhards trying to put one over on us.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Kay:
I like to think that he’s going to seppuku and leave a long, detailed missive that he sends to a half dozen outlets in the hours before.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@geg6:
Not enough of us. I wasn’t, learned it on my own, and constantly have to battle my RWNJ mother on the shit she’ll accept both politically and personally from white businessmen. My dad has a few bad instincts on people selling him antiques, but does well in other areas.
p.a.
@schrodingers_cat:
Was Ireland the template for India or vice-versa?
JPL
@Kay: This is a tweet from Rep. Lieu
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned, but John Lewis is not attending the inauguration.
Mnemosyne
@p.a.:
Ireland was the template for India — they started practicing on the Irish under Cromwell. And then they took what they did in India and transplanted it back to Northern Ireland.
Bobby D
“I’ll just — I’m very angry,” echoed Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)”
That’s my Rep. Mark is a good guy, his office helped me out when trying to deal with a difficult personnel issue last year. IIRC, his family was put in a Japanese internment camp back in WWII.
raven
So my boss called us and it looks like she’s going to have to take a leave of absence to have surgery on her lungs. She’s been fighting breast cancer for about 4 years so, I guess, this isn’t a big shock. We keep hoping they are going to come up with something that is going to make a difference but it doesn’t look good.
Ridnik Chrome
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: You know, the more I think about it the more I think that all these entertainers are taking the wrong tack by refusing to perform at the inaugural. The possibilities for trolling would be infinite. Just think of what someone like Andy Kaufman or the Residents or Devo in their prime could do with that kind of an opportunity. Like having the band could come out in matching Trump wigs and play a cover version of “God Bless the USA”, slowed down so that it lasts for an hour.
Dog Dawg Damn
What in the hell happened in that Intel briefing
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Dog Dawg Damn:
That’s the only question that matters, now. We need to know.
JPL
@raven: My son and his wife just lost a friend to breast cancer. She left behind a child who just turned one. I’m sorry.
Calouste
@JPL: So what would the repercussions be if all the Democrats that attended that classified meeting came out together and held a press conference and just told us what they were told there?
I mean the repercussions for their security access etc. I’m not talking about the Village pearl-clutching and the rabid howling of the Trump.O.Pee.
Mnemosyne
@raven:
Fuck cancer.
JPL
@Dog Dawg Damn: I’m scared.
I’m also worried for those, who aren’t aware enough to be afraid.
geg6
@Mnemosyne:
Agreed.
And this?
Was a beautiful moment that I got to see in real time. We were in my high school boyfriend’s parents’ basement watching, stoned out of our minds but very excited to see Elvis, and just went nuts when he did it. BF’s parents came running down to see if we were being murdered.
rikyrah
YES YES YES YES YES YES
John Lewis: I do not see him as a legitimate President.
JPL
@Calouste: They would be arrested, but at least they would put country first.
clay
@NotMax:
Goddam it, of all the bitter pills to swallow, this one is one of the bitterest. I don’t even know why… it’s pretty small in the grand scheme of things. I think maybe because Disney World is supposed to represent an ideal of what’s great and noble about America, and anyone going into the Hall will have that ideal thrown back in their faces.
rikyrah
@raven:
Cancer sucks :(
schrodingers_cat
@p.a.: Ireland was first, I believe. British traders were in India since Elizabeth’s time. They first gained substantial territory in the mid 18th century (1757). It took them a 100 years to consolidate power over the rest of the country (1857) and India got its independence in 1947.
JPL
@rikyrah: I’m tempted to move south in order to be in his district. They keep redrawing his district though.
raven
@JPL: Yea, it sucks. She was determined to go to Italy with her family at Thanksgiving and she did. She’s been through so much and really hung tough in the face of continued bad news. Just encouraging her to hang in there seems shallow but there isn’t much else to do.
schrodingers_cat
@rikyrah: JL is a true hero. I am inspired by his courage.
clay
@Ridnik Chrome: The problem is that the groups that are most likely to troll the inauguration are the groups least likely to be asked to play.
Frankly, I’m a bit disappointed in Toby Keith. I know he’s acted the reactionary fool before, but I thought I read where he came to regret his stance on the Iraq War (and against the Dixie Chicks). You’d think he’d be once-bitten, twice-shy.
Jeffro
@rikyrah: Seconded here…let Rep. Lewis show the rest of Congress what it means to have integrity. Heck a few of them might even try it sometime.
The whole next week…drip, drip, drip, Donnie…
A Ghost To Most
This is the response I received from LLBean to the message I sent them yesterday:
tobie
@Betty Cracker: It would be great if we could have a thread devoted to clever/funny/pointed phrases for protest signs. I’m really bad at this. Right now, all I can think of is “No Mandate–We’re the Majority” but that’s hardly punchy. Other ideas?
Btw, for those going to marches on the 21st, if you have any buttons from the HRC campaign or the Democratic Party, it would be good to wear them. Many of us–I include myself–didn’t show the love publicly during the campaign but I think it’s important to stand u now, especially as the party is trying to decide what direction it should go in.
SenyorDave
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Trump is still an amoral, racist pig.
I’m thinking this could be like the old SNL bit about Franco still being dead (first season, unfortunately I’m old enough to remember it very well).
Shell
Shiny Puppehs!
Jeffro
They’re also pushing to get rid of the Congressional Budget Office btw. Unbelievable.
Mnemosyne
@tobie:
I LOVE Shepherd Fairey’s posters for the Women’s March.
Love. Them. Madly.
Betty Cracker
@A Ghost To Most: What are your thoughts on that response? I find it maddeningly vague, yet I appreciate that they’re between a rock and a hard place. This part in particular is unclear:
Do they mean Trump? Do they mean the people calling for a boycott? Both?
I wish they’d just come out and say they didn’t seek Trump’s endorsement and don’t think it’s appropriate for the PEEOTUS to reward a donor by endorsing a company but at the same time, they don’t think the boycott is fair. That’s a position I could respect.
Larkspur
@Mnemosyne: Well, if you do get eaten by a gator, at least you know right now that you will never be forgotten at this here den of jackals. ( Who would win? Pack o jackals or gator? Guess it depends on if it’s on the shore or in the water. Anyway, if it’s jackal after jackal, at some point the gator will slip up.) We would have Mnemosyne festivals every year, not just on Gator Day, but also on your birthday and the anniversaries of your finest comments, which are many, and there will be retrospectives and commemorative quilts and songs. We will never forget. But being et is highly unlikely.
jonas
@GregB: Apparently the source of contention was that even in a *classified* briefing to lawmakers, Comey refused to say whether or not he’s investigating the Trump dossier. And when they asked him to explain this reticence in light of his willingness to discuss the Clinton investigation via megaphone earlier this fall, he apparently got real evasive and tried to change the subject.
So yeah, they were pissed. As they had a right to be.
geg6
@Kay:
Yup. I’m outraged that they won’t be telling us. The American people have a right to know. Fuck this shit.
Ridnik Chrome
@clay:
You could say that about a lot of people in this country nowadays…
geg6
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I was lucky. My parents were DFHs before there were hippies. I kept saying that I wished they were alive to see Obama take office. Now I’m glad they aren’t here to see the Shitgibbon do it.
geg6
@JPL:
I did not know that. Good.
Mnemosyne
@Larkspur:
I was thinking about what adjective I would like the front-pagers to use when referring to me or giving me credit for a link, and I think I’ve settled on “pugnacious.” Not only is it one of my favorite words, I think it’s a descriptor that my friends and detractors can both agree on. ?
Miss Bianca
@Mnemosyne: OMG that is AMAZING!
sharl
@Kay:
A little more information on the briefing has dribbled out, at least according to Spencer Ackerman at The Guardian.
What angered the Dems on the committee was apparently no single factual item or big news thing, just extreme frustration at getting continually stonewalled by Comey – even in a closed/classified session – in combination with what appears to have been application of a double standard in how to proceed with the investigations of Clinton and Trump; lurid, murky and selective disclosures for the former, wall-of-silence for the latter.
I certainly don’t blame the Dems; they and everyone else who care about properly applied standards of law and justice should be pissed!
rikyrah
The Stupid War on Cory Booker
by Martin Longman
January 13, 2017 2:46 PM
Did Cory Booker and a bunch of other Democratic senators just vote against importing prescription drugs from Canada? No. No, they didn’t. Here is what they voted against:
…………………………………
What they voted against was the above amendment to the Budget reconciliation bill. The Budget reconciliation bill is not a normal bill because it never becomes law. It never goes to the president for signature or veto. What it does is set out the framework for spending money that the committee chairs must work with when legislating and appropriating.
The Klobuchar/Sanders amendment would have given Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, the chairman of the Budget Committee, the discretion to pass a bill on the importation of prescription drugs or other means of lowering the price for American consumers, even if that required him to adjust how monies were allocated to his subcommittees.
For starters, Sen. Enzi voted against giving himself this discretion, so he clearly had no intention of taking advantage of it. In truth, though, this amendment was just one of several amendments the Democrats introduced to cause political pain to the Republicans. None of them would have actually become law, but all of them could be used to attack anyone who voted against them.
To see how this was supposed to work, all you have to do is look at an article that was produced by the Center for American Progress yesterday. They highlighted “6 essential health benefits” the GOP had voted to take away during their Wednesday night/Thursday morning vote-a-rama. None of those health benefits included the Klobuchar/Sanders amendment on prescription drugs, but they were all poison pill/message amendments intended to embarrass and wound any senators who voted against them. One was on protecting people with pre-existing conditions, another was on letting young adults stay on their parents’ health plan until they’re twenty six, and another was on protecting children on Medicaid or CHIP. None of the amendments meant a damn thing. None of them had the least potential to change the law of the land. But they gave the Democrats the opportunity to blast the (mostly) Republicans who voted against them. The Center of American Progress article was the main instrument for that bludgeoning.
Mnemosyne
@rikyrah:
Weird how Cory Booker is just one of the Democratic senators who voted against it, but he’s getting 100 percent of the heat for it. Gee, I wonder why him specifically …
(No, I don’t. ?)
A Ghost to Most
@Betty Cracker:
Seems like nothing will change, as expected. Typical anodyne corporate bullshit.
Time to check out alternate vendors.
geg6
@A Ghost To Most:
Not good enough for me and no different than their PR flacks gave to the press.
Fuck LL Bean. I’ll never buy from them again.
A Ghost to Most
My wife and I are planning to attend the Denver March.
hovercraft
@rikyrah:
Why would you, he’s not.
John Lewis is one of my heroes.
geg6
@Betty Cracker:
That is exactly what they are saying, albeit in the most weaselly possible way.
Again…
Fuck LL Bean. I have a great parka from them, but I’ll be shopping elsewhere for my winter outerwear from now on. And I told them exactly that.
hovercraft
@Jeffro: Of course they are, they do terrible things there with you know that voodoo science thingy they call math.
Remember back in the days when we thought there was such a thing as peak wingnut, oh how naive we were. Nothing is too far out or insane for these people.
hovercraft
@Mnemosyne:
Love LOVE Love it.
Yarrow
@A Ghost to Most: Send them Betty’s preferred wording and tell them that if they said something like that then you’d understand and consider buying from them. Tell them where they’re going wrong. Who knows–maybe someone will learn.
debit
@Pogonip: He’s doing as well as can be expected. The increased pain meds seem to be helping, so I have hope we can keep on top of any discomfort for a while. He’s going to have regular visits for xrays so was can see how much the cancer is spreading, and how thin the bone density gets. My vet is really straight forward and I’m going to rely on him to help let me know when it’s time.
Sandia Blanca
@Betty Cracker: Thanks Betty! I’ll be with family, too, but if I see your sign pass by I’ll wave at you! Stay safe yourself.