Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

I did not have this on my fuck 2024 bingo card.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, it’s door #2)

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Friday Morning Open Thread: Sanctuary Sessions

Friday Morning Open Thread: Sanctuary Sessions

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On Sunday, March 5, traditional Irish musicians through the U.S. and in Dublin, Ireland, will come together to make music, encourage positive dialogue and raise money for the ACLU’s continued effort to support civil rights. The Sanctuary Sessions were organized by members of Boston’s Irish music community. These musicians reached out to the broader traditional music community and found a large number of musicians around the country who agreed to participate by holding fundraisers in their home communities. There are now events planned in over 20 communities.

Thanks to commentor Origuy for the tip. More details available on FaceBook, if you’re a member, or check the music bulletin boards for your area…

What else is on the agenda, as we (hope to) wrap up another very busy week?
************

Reader Interactions

195Comments

  1. 1.

    ThresherK

    Is it bad form of me wishing that poster looked more 1930s-WPAish, a la Lester Beall?

    Anyway, I could not be prouder of my two Senators unless Murphy or Blumenthal called out Blowmentum by name the next time the latter gets in front of a TV camera.

  2. 2.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Well, they didn’t get Capone on bootlegging or murder or racketeering, they got him on his tax returns.

  3. 3.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    It’s not so mysterious, really:

    David Frum‏Verified account @davidfrum

    10) … the biggest espionage scandal since the Rosenberg group stole the secret of the atomic bomb.

    30 replies 1,089 retweets 2,613 likes

    It’s the wrong analogy. The more apt analogy is Benedict Arnold.

    By the end of 1779, Arnold had begun secret negotiations with the British to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York, in return for money and a command in the British army. Arnold’s chief intermediary was British Major John André (1750-80).

    By the end of 2015, Benedict Donald had begun secret negotiations with the Russians to surrender NATO, Ukraine, Crimea, in return for money and a command in the White House. Benedict Donald’s chief intermediary was former US General Mike Flynn.

  4. 4.

    Mustang Bobby

    Got some good news on the theatrical front yesterday. My play “A Moment of Clarity” will be a part of the 36th annual William Inge Theatre Festival’s New Play Lab in April in Independence, Kansas. They do readings of 36 short plays over three days and have talk-backs and commentary. I’m also presenting a paper at the scholars’ conference. This will be my 25th trip to the Inge Festival; it’s like a family reunion.

  5. 5.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Rick Wilson‏ @TheRickWilson 8h8 hours ago

    Whole lot of calls to return tonight.

    The shit, it is stirring.

    42 replies 198 retweets 947 likes

    tick tock… tick tock…. tick tock…

  8. 8.

    cosima

    @Mustang Bobby: Wow! Congrats Bobby! You’re an inspiration.

    I’m baking a birthday cake for Little C (today is her bday). Yesterday I forgot anniversary (again). Today I’m finalising editing of the quarterly that I edit, going to a fundraising ceilidh, and squeezing in a quick cake & present moment between Little C’s fencing lesson & leaving for the ceilidh. And also taking Lola for her quickie walk. In 10 days she’ll be able to be a normal dog again, after months & months of confinement & rehab from her TPLO surgery.

    Speaking of Little C — some of you will know what I’m talking about, some won’t, with regard to the Slender Man drama we had last week. Last Friday I had a meeting with the head in which she told me that the girl was ‘low’ threat to other students. On Wednesday she was suspended from school for stabbing a classmate (not Little C, thank glob for small mercies) with a pencil so hard that it drew blood & the lead lodged in his skin. Yesterday she showed up at school and had to be removed. Last night I took Little C to her first martial arts class.

    I am not sure whether or not to be encouraged by the implosion of Beauregardski Sessionovich — does it mean the house of cards is falling or will it manage to be swept under the rug somehow. I prefer to believe that there is a steady drip of intelligence that will eventually bring this shitshow to a close, through continued small drips, or in impending flood.

  12. 12.

    satby

    rikyrah not up yet? Good morning all!
    @Mustang Bobby: congratulations!
    @cosima: too bad the girl had to injure another child before they took the threat seriously, but glad that the injury wasn’t as bad as it might have been and that she’s now been removed. I just hope she gets the therapy she obviously needs.
    Edited to add: Morning rikyrah!

  15. 15.

    cosima

    @rikyrah: Thank you. :) She’s tough, but I am hoping to make her tougher. She & I are both excited about her starting martial arts — for the empowering aspects, as much as the physical ones.

    @satby: Even Little C was amazed that it was not worse — apparently she stabbed him quite near his neck. This is clearly not normal stuff. There is now an extremely comprehensive paper trail of my concerns related to her emotional/mental health (or lack thereof) and my own concerns about her behaviour. I’m hoping that the boy’s family have done similarly. As my husband & I have discussed, there is zero benefit to attempting to mainstream this girl (re: school) vs. removing her to ensure that she gets the mental/emotional support she needs. That it keeps other children safe from her makes removing her an imperative at this point.

    And now off to buy balloons & walk Lola! Have a lovely morning everyone (nearly noon here).

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    This year, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson has decided that such dispensation will be granted only to those who specifically petition his office, an archdiocesan spokeswoman said. The dispensation will be granted if the archbishop finds that the event merits the special action, the spokeswoman said.

    For example, in a letter Wednesday to the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Carlson responded to a request from order president John Wilson, who sought dispensation for those attending the corned beef dinner at St. James the Greater church in the Dogtown neighborhood of south St. Louis. “With this letter, I give you permission to serve meat, and I would ask that you would inform the Catholics present that they have been granted a dispensation if they choose to use it,” the letter states.

    Carlson also decrees that any Catholic who is granted dispensation and uses it must then refrain from eating meat on one day during the six days following March 17.

    I am sure this will make a for very happy Lenten season for all the Italian fisherman.

  20. 20.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I was thinking of an adventure this weekend down in San Pedro(Banning house, Drum Baracks, the Iowa, the Friendship Bell, and photograph the Milky Way), then I realized that’s it’s supposed to rain. Foiled again.

  24. 24.

    debbie

    @cosima:

    That school should not be holding off until the girl is a high threat; otherwise, they will be complicit in whatever happens, should something horrible happen.

  25. 25.

    Jack the Second

    So my primary dream is for the Trump administration to implode and for things to return to a state of normal, even if it’s an administration of whichever Republican managed not to sell themselves to Russia.

    My secondary dream is that this acts as a learning moment of WHAT AN ACTUAL CORRUPT GODDAMN ADMINISTRATION LOOKS LIKE. I’d be really happy if the next time someone accused someone of corruption for email practices someone else said, “Umm, remember when the entire Trump Administration was in bed with Russia? That’s corruption. This isn’t anything.”

  26. 26.

    satby

    On topic, one of the Sanctuary Sessions will be near me in downtown South Bend, so I’m going. Should be good craic and music.

    They dye the river green here too on St. Patrick’s Day. Who knew?

  27. 27.

    Taylor

    So you organize trad music sessions (seisiuni, I suppose) for civil rights and against tyranny…..and information is only available through a social network that allows the government to watch your every mouse click.

    The Right does not have a monopoly on stupidity.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    @Jack the Second:

    Umm, remember when the entire Trump Administration was in bed with Russia? That’s corruption. This isn’t anything.”

    Violates the both sides principle. Not possible.

  32. 32.

    Baud

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: If Hillary were POTUS, impeachment would have already passed the House and the liberal blogs would be divided on debating the merits of removing her from office.

  36. 36.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    I went to the Wikileaks twitter for laughs – they’re beating up on Sweden and Democrats, and are propping up Sessions.

    I’d like some IC operator to paint the walls with Assange’s brains – it won’t shut down Wikileaks, but it would be justice.

  41. 41.

    Another Scott

    @debbie:

    Donald J. Trump‏ Verified account @realDonaldTrump 13 minutes ago

    It is so pathetic that the Dems have still not approved my full Cabinet.

    What’s pathetic is his attempts to blame the Democrats when his party has the majority.

    He’s a weak, pathetic, brain-damaged, crybaby.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  42. 42.

    satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: It annoys me that the terminology switched from “refugees” to “migrants”. Like a bunch of people just decided to undertake dangerous, sometimes life-threatening journeys with only the clothes on their backs for no more compelling reason than they needed a new view out their window.

  43. 43.

    ThresherK

    @Mustang Bobby: Congratulations!

    The rest of us, who cannot do write, teach buy tickets, cheer loudly, and hit the bar at intermission..

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Hey, nice car pic downstairs. Did you go in search of a silver one, or simply accept the near-inevitable?

  47. 47.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @ThresherK: Thanks, silver was my second preference in color with blue being first. We stopped at the first place on my list and the car wouldn’t start. So we stopped by the Toyota dealership down the street and asked if they had anything, that’s where we ended up buying.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    Remember, if there is dysfunction in Washington, the president’s lack of leadership is solely to blame. Eight years of media coverage of Obama taught me that.

  51. 51.

    Another Scott

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: “The viewpoints expressed on the fake news website “are diametrically opposed to what [Hunter] believes,” her attorney, Marc Randazza, told The Washington Post.”

    Yet another example that makes me think I’m a genius for never being tempted to join Facebook. Why do people put up with this crap?

    :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  53. 53.

    Patricia Kayden

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: LOL!! All this pivoting is making my head spin. Will the pivoting ever stop?

    @Baud: Thankfully, under the Communist Kenyan Muslim, there was no dysfunction in the White House despite the Republicans and Media’s best attempt to portray otherwise.

  58. 58.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Another Scott: Hunter in particular, or people in general?

    Hunter got a lawsuit underway as soon as she learned about it.

    People in general don’t venture very far out of their bubble on FB. I first joined because a friend was using a private group to disseminate details about her dealings with her narcissistic ex. (To save her from having to tell everyone in her widely-scattered RL circles the same story over and over.) I belong to a few other private groups (mostly adoption search, genealogy software, DNA studies) and recently started publicly posting political stuff to help boost the trending numbers for some real news articles.

  61. 61.

    Waldo

    @Another Scott:

    Yet another example that makes me think I’m a genius for never being tempted to join Facebook. Why do people put up with this crap?

    Cat videos are a helluva drug.

  62. 62.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    I went to the Wikileaks twitter for laughs – they’re beating up on Sweden and Democrats, and are propping up Sessions.

    So they’ve dropped even any pretense of being nothing more than some Russian mouth peace. I mean Wikileaks claims it’s supposed to be about unmasking corruption like Sesssions is up to.

  63. 63.

    Another Scott

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: Yeah, she took action. And good for her.

    But this isn’t the first example, and the way the system is set up, there’s nothing (AFAIK) to prevent anyone from grabbing anything you “post on your wall” including your picture, and doing anything they want with it. Zuckerberg doesn’t care, Facebook doesn’t care – all they care about is collecting clicks and pushing ads, and grabbing every scrap of information they can about you (including everything you type but don’t even post). This has been known for ages, but users there put up with it. I see no sign that stuff like this isn’t going to keep happening, and users there will continue to put up with it (with the occasional lawsuit which really won’t change anything about the system).

    It’s a mystery to me. (Not really, I understand “network effects”, but still…)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  65. 65.

    BC in Illinois

    You have to look deeply into the small print on the poster to see it, but one of the Sanctuary Sessions for the ACLU is in St. Louis. At the Tick-Tock Tavern, on Magnolia, just off of Grand, 4 – 7pm on Sunday. With some of the best local Irish Traditional musicians around.

    Irish Session to Benefit the ACLU

    We decided to mobilize Irish musicians across the country to organize musical events on the same day (March 5) in a show of solidarity, believing in the equality of all members of society, and believing too that targeting or scapegoating certain peoples for political and economic gain is abhorrent.

    We will be collecting donations for the ACLU, who strive to protect the rights of all.

    Musical hosts will include Eileen Gannon, Tommy Martin, Kevin Buckley, Eimear Arkins, Conor Arkins and many more!

  66. 66.

    Ramalama

    @Another Scott:

    He’s a weak, pathetic, brain-damaged, crybaby.

    Everyone’s calling Trump a crybaby. But are they using the correct pronunciation? cryBABY. Not unlike the pronunciation of Simpsons’ character Edna Krabappel.

  68. 68.

    Patricia Kayden

    @raven: What a way to celebrate being released from a long prison stay. Kind of cool. Still chuckling over the speculation of what Ryan Gosling whispered into the ear of Gary’s fiance. The Oscars was a pretty good distraction this year given all the mess in the political world. Thanks Trump.

  69. 69.

    delk

    Off to my second day of cardiac rehab which seems rather goofy considering my heart condition was diagnosed in October and this was the earliest that they could fit me in. Not sure that there is much benefit to walking at a snail’s pace on a treadmill especially considering how much exercise I get just taking public transportation to the appointment.

  77. 77.

    Aleta

    @Another Scott:

    (including everything you type but don’t even post)

    Good grief. That could conceivably get someone in trouble for something the ‘thought’ but did not ‘say.’

  80. 80.

    Pogonip

    @cosima: Oh, good! Can you pull her out of the public school for a while? It’ll take her a few weeks of practice to learn peripheral vision and alertness in all directions (this only takes one word, “zanshin,” in Japanese, although it takes many words in English!).

  81. 81.

    NYCMT

    @JMG: This was a vote by a committee of the EP. The European Commission, which has the executive authority to suspend the visa waiver program, says it will not act until the summer. Don’t worry just yet.

  82. 82.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @hovercraft:

    . Sessions: My Russian Contacts Have Been ‘Hyped Beyond Reason’ (VIDEO)

    Then why did you feel the need to hide them, sir?

  83. 83.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @NYCMT:

    I say “worry now and get your paperwork in order”, because Trump will fuck it up like he fucks everything else up.

    It’ll probably be an e visa process similar to what Australia uses, but even then, things can fall through cracks. I’m going to Italy in October, but am inclined to work the visa as soon as I can.

  84. 84.

    Aleta

    @hovercraft: I guess now that he’s nobly withdrawn (I doubt it) from an investigation, he feels free to go on shows and by implication say that all the russian stories are just hype.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    For his part, Sessions said in a statement last night, and again this morning, that he was only meeting with Kislyak in his capacity as a Senator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not as a representative of or surrogate for the Trump campaign. Given the fact that both of these meetings occurred during the height of the campaign, that one of them took place in Cleveland while the Republican National Convention was taking place, and that Sessions was apparently the only member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to meet with the Russian Ambassador during the entirety of 2016, one can judge the veracity of that statement for oneself.

    -Doug Mataconis.

  86. 86.

    hovercraft

    With all of the Sessions shit taking over the news, I missed this yesterday.

    JFK Library
    ✔

    JFK Library
    ✔
    @JFKLibrary

    And the winner of the 2017 #ProfileInCourage Award is… http://profileincourageaward.org/obama
    10:07 AM – 2 Mar 2017

    3,188 3,188 Retweets
    6,648

    From his inspirational 2008 campaign until his final weeks in office, Barack H. Obama consistently reflected in so many ways, big and small, the definition of courage that John F. Kennedy cited in the opening lines of Profiles in Courage: “Grace under pressure.”

    He picked up the torch from President Kennedy and has now passed it on to a new generation of Americans, inspiring young people across the country to enter public service, affirming our belief in an America that is more than a collection of Red states and Blue states, and reminding all of us that no matter what we look like, where we come from, or what faith we practice, we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper.

    Throughout his two terms in office, President Obama upheld the highest standards of dignity, decency and integrity, serving not just as a political leader, but a moral leader, offering hope and healing to the country and providing young men and women of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate in their own lives.

    President Obama’s entire public life has exemplified the courage that John F. Kennedy celebrated

  87. 87.

    Pogonip

    @cosima: Here is THE most important thing to know about the MA’s: if you move or whatever and have to change schools, find a system from the same country as your previous system so you don’t have to learn another bunch of foreign words and phrases. :P

    Also, and this is serious, ignore the endless arguments about which system is best. Other than the big difference between Sports and Practical, they’re not all that different; there are only so many ways it’s physically possible to block a kick. Concentrate on good teachers.

    Now: which system is she signed up for?

  91. 91.

    Elizabelle

    @Mustang Bobby: Best reason I have heard of for visiting WTF is wrong with Kansas.

    Well done and good luck. You may offer them a beam of light.

  94. 94.

    D58826

    @Aleta: According to Ari Mebar on MSNBC he has only recused himself on the ‘Russian meddling in the election’ question. Trumps money and all that happened in the transition and since are still under his control.

    And since there is no confirmed deputy to turn even that small part over to, then I guess he really still is in charge

  95. 95.

    hovercraft

    @Aleta: @D58826:
    It’s all smoke and mirrors, he is still in charge. Twitler is a control freak, and there is no way he is relinquishing control, and Sessions is his pawn. Twitler may not be the smartest tool in the tool box, but the one thing he has proved himself adept at in his 70 years is self preservation. The problem here is that he is no longer a private citizen surrounded by sycophants with non-disclosure agreements. He is dealing with a hostile IC community along with career civil servants who have no love for him. There is no way to plug these leaks, and eventually the dam will break. The question is whether the GOP will have the stomach to deal with it, or if they will just go with the flow, and get swept away with it.

  100. 100.

    Yarrow

    @cosima: I missed your initial post, but did see your comment on the follow up with the school. What a mess. At least the girl didn’t injure someone seriously. And hopefully everyone will be safer now and the girl can also get some help. Hope Little C has a great birthday!

    @Mustang Bobby: Congratulations! Very exciting!

  101. 101.

    cosima

    @Pogonip: She’s signed up for Sooyang Do. Mr. did a bit of research and said that it seems to be a Scottish spin-off of something-or-other. The main benefit, for us, in choosing that is that there is a well-recommended instructor who teaches in our village & another nearby, so it is one of the only sports she does that doesn’t involve lots of driving. It also means that she will be doing it with many children that she knows (she knew roughly 75% of those that were in the class we watched last night). He (Mr.) lived in S. Korea for 4 years, so he’s interested, but not *yet* a participant.

    Little C is at the top (in Scotland) in her age group in one of her sports, so she is very athletic. And incredibly fit & lithe. But no flexibility. So I hope that physically it benefits her in that way. Primarily, though, it is all of the other things that come along with it that I’m more interested in — the awareness, the discipline, confidence, strength. It was you that suggested it, correct? I got on email right then to get an instructor’s name from a friend who has 3 children who excel at it. I think it will be a huge game-changer in many ways for Little C. So thank you for that suggestion — I don’t know if I would have went that direction without your prompt.

    Re: pulling Little C from school — I’m hopeful that the other girl will be out for a while. Crossing fingers. One of the things that came out of my meeting with the head was that I would go in to help in the class, so I will start that next week. It will give me a better picture of what they have in place. And it will put to use the PVG that necessitated fingerprinting & FBI background check, allowing me to work with children here.

  102. 102.

    Aleta

    @OzarkHillbilly: If he wasn’t such a rabid hatestuffed bigot he could claim a personal relationship with K as a way to wriggle out of the unmentioned visit.

  103. 103.

    D58826

    @schrodingers_cat: They will take the path that leads to repeal of Obamacare and large tax cuts for the 1%. At that point Das Fuhrer will become a useful smoke screen as they go about looting the treasury in any other ways they can think of

  104. 104.

    Yarrow

    @D58826: I happened to catch the opening segment of the Today Show this morning. Both Ari Melber and Nicole Wallace were at the desk after they ran the Sessions segment to do “analysis.”

    Melber said what you said, that Sessions’ recusal is only for the election and we already know that contacts with the Russians happened during the transition, and his recusal wouldn’t cover that. Kind of damning.

    Then Nicole Wallace said at this point there’s just so much evidence of contacts with the Russians, if the White House wanted to get to the bottom of it they’d set up an independent commission and special prosecutor, like with the 9/11 Commission. That they don’t is inexplicable. I refrained from yelling at the TV that it isn’t “inexplicable.” There’s a perfectly logical explanation: Trump himself is so closely involved with the Russians that he doesn’t want anyone looking into it.

  105. 105.

    cosima

    @Yarrow: Thank you. She got a new bike, so her birthday is stellar so far! I, too, hope that she gets the help she needs — a lot is clearly needed, and in my opinion it’s needed *out* of the school. Cautiously optimistic!

  106. 106.

    debit

    If you need something to make you feel positive again about humanity, try this article at the WaPo.

    When a German Shepherd rescue organization posted Elmo’s photo online last fall, it made no effort to mask the dog’s problems. He wore a cone around his neck to prevent him from licking the large open sore on his hip. His fungus-ridden feet were swollen. His graying, 11-year-old face held a pathetic, ears-to-the-ground gaze.

    Steve Frost, a retired fire captain in Northern California, said he saw the photo and thought Elmo “looked like hell.” He immediately decided he wanted the dog.

  107. 107.

    Aleta

    @hovercraft: Have wondered if some of these very timely leaks might have come from the now-retired officials in the O administration who, acc to the NYT, were given this information in order preserve it against the incoming trump people, for investigators. If so, leaks will dry up about contacts w Russia since the inauguration.

  108. 108.

    Yarrow

    @cosima: A new bike! How exciting! I hope the girl is out for a long while–at least the rest of this school year–and can get the help she needs. And everyone at the school and breathe a little easier.

  110. 110.

    Shalimar

    I was reading Josh Marshall’s latest columns on Satan and Cohen, which includes some glimpses at all their ties to the Ukrainian mob, and I was wondering if those are the people who have basically kept Trump afloat for the last 15 years. Maybe all he is since his mid-90s collapse is a money launderer for Russian and Ukrainian mobs. It seems like an obvious way of laundering money: Trump borrows money from Russian interests through Deutsche Bank to build something, Russian millionaires buy a certain number of the units with mob money, Trump repays some of his loan and then threatens bankruptcy, after which they negotiate a settlement. The mob has tangible real estate assets in the U.S. and the money that has been repaid, Trump keeps the rest as his fee.

  113. 113.

    Aleta

    @hovercraft:

    highest standards of dignity, decency and integrity, serving not just as a political leader, but a moral leader, offering hope and healing to the country and providing young men and women of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate

    Yeah. + Courage and personal risk and sacrifice to the max.

  114. 114.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Aleta: the article IIRC was mostly about how obama officials got the info about Russia spread around the government in as many formats and at the lowest classification level possible, not that a bunch of obama people were leaking it.

  115. 115.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    On the EU visas, I turned out to be wrong – it looks like it won’t be an e visa like Straya uses. I’m looking at a two page form for a Schengen visa, to be completed at least two weeks prior to your trip departure. While there is no fee to the EU, I’d recommend hiring an expediter if you’re at all antsy (like me).

    I’d gotten pretty spoiled on going to the nations of the EU. Elections have consequences, and acting like a prick toward the essential institutions of your most friendly trading and tourism partners exacerbate those. Right now, my reichwing Trumper friends are shrieking about how this has been in the works for years, and started under the last administration. My only response is “note that they didn’t vote to require it of Canadians, who also have the restrictions in place”.

    What does this ultimately mean? Any additional effort has the effect of dampening travel. I’m going to haul a number out of my ass and state that this will cause a 10% drop in outbound departures to Europe, maybe more, and combined with the drop in travel to the US, is going to hammer the shit out of Delta, AA, Boeing, Disney, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and the cruise industry. Even luxury hotel brands will suffer. As airfares go up to mitigate losses on international travel, losses will ripple through JetBlue, Southwest and pure regionals. And no, people aren’t going to substitute Branson, Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach and Destin/PCB for their cruises, Mexico or Europe for vacation.

    Welcome to the wonderful world of Trump, where everything he touches turns to shit.

  116. 116.

    Tenar Arha

    @hovercraft: It’s like squid ink without the cute squid. “Look look over here, I only talked to Russia a couple times & I’m getting demonized for this!”

    *ignores multiple changing stories, perjury & use of campaign funds*

  117. 117.

    Yarrow

    @Aleta: Our allies’ intelligence services are still watching all the same people and no one can make them shut up.

  118. 118.

    Major Major Major Major

    @schrodingers_cat: I definitely lost all interest in what he had to say as the primary dragged on (or should I say as a certain person dragged the primary on). Looking back, other than some clever names and some meh invective, I don’t know that Pierce ever had much to say.

  119. 119.

    Aleta

    @Shalimar: There are suggestions that a Trump condo scheme in Florida was also a money laundering operation. (IIRC, but only my memory: It is said to have been run by Russian mob-connected guy(s) via Trump, and 60% of units were purchased by shell companies that cannot be traced, so far.)

  120. 120.

    cosima

    @schrodingers_cat: I had to give up reading him when he was in the phase. Have still not returned to by previous level of engagement with his pieces because when I do read them it’s all filtered through a mental ‘what could *you* have done to prevent this thing you are pissing & moaning about.’ How to separate the two I have not quite figured out. He still likes to talk smack about the DNC regularly as well.

    Our oldest, living in VT, of course jumped on the BS train. However, when she started sharing the anti-HRC/DNC shite on her FB page I took her to the woodshed in the comments on her posts. It could be me, but there still seems to be the stench of all of that permeating a lot of what CPierce writes.

  121. 121.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: People who voted for T think that since America is so awesome people in other countries will gladly eat all the shit T is shoving their way and say sir please may I have some more. They expect other countries that have their own interests to look after to behave like the MSM. May be some tiny countries will but most countries won’t and they will retaliate in ways big and small.

  125. 125.

    Yarrow

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: The travel industry is already showing a 6.8% decline since the Muslim ban was announced and a 17% drop in searches for flights to the US from abroad. I expect travel and tourism industries to show poor earnings for Q1 results and lower projections for the rest of the year, especially and including the busy summer travel season.

    Requiring visas to visit Europe will definitely impact American airlines, as you said. Not to mention tour operators and even hotel chains. Cruise lines that depend more on Caribbean trips may be less affected.

    The travel industry apparently is already calling this the Trump Slump. I can’t wait for it to get more publicity. Winning!

  126. 126.

    hovercraft

    @schrodingers_cat:
    I know. That is why they find themselves at the mercy of a madman, at every junction over the last 40 years where they could have stood for any actual principle they refused to. Nixon and his cohorts were the victims of the media, many of his cohorts actually made comebacks, and rose to become “elder statesmen”, see, Chaney, Dick, and Rumy. Iran-Contra was no biggy, fiscal responsibility was never important enough to get in the way of tax cuts, so they drummed Poppy out, everyone knew Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, but they all stood in lockstep behind that trumped up war and bullied the spineless democrats into getting in line. They passed a huge new unfunded entitlement when they needed something to try to save their majorities, they stood by and cheered when the straight talker selected nincompoop as his running mate. And the last year, what can one say about them the last year, they’ve displayed their utter lack of morals, principles, or basic human decency. I guess it was more rhetorical, they will stick with the shitgibbon until it become clear that the will lose their perches.

  127. 127.

    Major Major Major Major

    @schrodingers_cat: as Adam and others have pointed out a lot of our trading partners merely tolerate our grandstanding and bloviations because we’re good trading partners. Trump is going to nuke that, hopefully figuratively, and then they’ll just refocus their efforts on places like China that offer a similar bargain but with consistency and without hypocrisy.

  128. 128.

    Pogonip

    @cosima: Great! She can start out with these folks, a sport school can teach the basics just fine, and then if there’s a need she can move on to a traditional school. I looked them up, it sounds like they specialize in kids. And you’ll all learn some Korean!

    My aunt’s from Korea but we live a long way from each other in the U.S. so I never learned any.?

  129. 129.

    Mike J

    @cosima: I could never stand Pierce from the first time I saw him misspell “fuck”. If you’re enough of a big boy to use big boy language, don’t try to be cutesy.

  130. 130.

    Shalimar

    @Tenar Arha: Also ignores that his only 2 contacts were with the alleged Russian spy-master for the United States. In this instance, it would probably be better for Sessions if he had some contacts with Russians who aren’t spy-masters.

  131. 131.

    Spanky

    Because of course he did:

    New EPA head told Congress he never used personal email for government business. But it turns out he did.

    –WaPo

  132. 132.

    bystander

    @OzarkHillbilly: Haven’t thought about Dogtown in St. Louis since college.

    As I told by a St. Louisan, a group of people from an unspecified Asian country were entertaining/working at the World’s Fair in 1904. The people in whose neighborhood this group was housed started noticing their pet dogs disappearing. The reason given was that in their native country they routinely ate dog meat, so they were grabbing whatever Fido may be available.

    Nothing like baking the racism into your neighborhood’s name.

  137. 137.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Major Major Major Major: You think countries that have had a history of being on the wrong end of western imperialism like India and China, will put up with T and his bellicosity? White is right does not play well in India, ask Zuckie who condescendingly rolled out his gated internet version in India only to be told to fuck off.
    ETA: They also know how to twist arms with a smile on their face, just see how quickly T reversed himself on China and Taiwan.

  138. 138.

    hovercraft

    @Aleta:
    Twitler is trying to spin it that way, but even if some of the initial leaks came from Obama people, the reporters are getting confirmation from somewhere. From everything I’ve read, career government service workers are freaked out about this stuff. Twitler has done nothing to endear himself to them, and his budget proposal to slash virtually every department will not earn him any more fans. I think the leaks will continue. Presidents come and go, but most of these people stay, and they believe in what they are doing, they may claim to be a-political, but they are self interested.

  139. 139.

    D58826

    @Major Major Major Major: My understanding and from what Malcolm Nance said on MSNBC last night is they distributed the information across a number of government channel;s for the investigators to follow. They did not leak any specific information, other than that the info was there to be found.

  141. 141.

    Yarrow

    @D58826: Adam explained in a thread a day or so ago that they put the info in small packets and distributed it across many channels. That way someone could just delete one big file from one place. There are a lot of small files all over the place. Much harder to get rid of.

  142. 142.

    lapassionara

    @schrodingers_cat: This. It always amazes me how ignorant some people in the US are about other countries.

    And congratulations to Mustang Bobby. That is way cool, and no matter how sad Kansas may be, Lawrence is a lovely place to visit.

    Oh, and someone in another thread downstairs mentioned the movie “Z,” being on TCM. Highly recommend. I worry that the end of all our current woes will be similar to the end of that movie.

    PS Good morning

  143. 143.

    mai naem mobile

    @debbie: I was figuring he would wait until Jared and Vanki were off babysitting duties. Madoff is small fingerling potatoes compared to this family.

  144. 144.

    hovercraft

    @Yarrow:
    This, how many people think that MI6 had nothing to do with the Twitler Russian dossier getting leaked? Teresa May, may want to be Twitlers new BFF, but MI6 and the rest of he Europeans know that Putin is a danger to all of them, they more than anyone else are seeing the results of Putin’s meddling up close and personal. He’s assassinating people on their soil, he’s interfering in their elections, and his military is being provocative. The western intelligence services will do whatever it takes to undermine Twitler so long as he maintains this relationship with Russia. His problem now is that most of them believe his election to president was the result in no small part of Putin’s meddling, and the people around him are also tainted.

  146. 146.

    schrodingers_cat

    @lapassionara: Well, to be fair the average Joe in just about every country thinks that their motherland is the awesomest with the bestest and bravest people. They also think that their country can do no wrong. Such people however seldom become heads of state.
    Do you know the story of the elephant and the ant?

  149. 149.

    hovercraft

    @schrodingers_cat:
    These are the same people who believe that we have the best health care system, schools, colleges and standard of living in the world. That’s all true if you are rich, but for the vast, vast majority, it’s a pipe dream, many of us have good, but we are excluded from the best, those poor people living in those European hellholes have access to it all, poor them.

  151. 151.

    liberal

    @hovercraft:

    He’s assassinating people on their soil…

    Yeah? Pinochet assassinated a Chilean on US soil, and killed an American citizen in the process. And what did the US do?

  154. 154.

    Yarrow

    This is a fascinating thread about Jeff Sessions and his involvement with the Russian ambassador. Also, Trump and Pence. All from readily available open source material.

    #Sessions met w/ Kislyak for the 2nd time on Sept. 8. I did a LexisNexis search to see what was going on at that time. Here we go… 1/— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) March 2, 2017

    Includes such interesting finds as:

    At the G20 summit, Obama & Putin discussed sanctions that US imposed on Sept 1, which Putin said were inconsistent w/future cooperation. 3/

    Also on the same day (9/8) that #Sessions met w/Kislyak, both Trump AND Pence heaped praise on Putin & his leadership style. 7/

    And (here it is), on the same day that #Sessions met w/Kislyak, Russia suddenly became optimistic about building good relations w/the US, 8/

    So at the start of the wk, Russia wasn’t optimistic abt cooperation. After #Sessions-Kislyak mtg, that changed, 9/

    There are screencaps of articles to back it all up.

    Is Sessions a Russian asset?

  156. 156.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @liberal:

    I’ve heard Portugal is awesome, and not expensive. A friend of mine had some great photos from a trip to Lisbon last year – looked amazing and fun.

    Back before the political and diplomatic world blew up, we were looking at possibly hitting Madeira for port guzzling and scuba. Now we’re definitely going to curtail expense and being away from business so much, because I think a massive shit sandwich is coming.

  159. 159.

    Yarrow

    @schrodingers_cat: Agreed. He’d definitely be ripe for the plucking. And he’s been in the Senate bubble so long he probably thought he was safe from any scrutiny.

  161. 161.

    Shalimar

    @Aleta: Yeah. That part wasn’t touched upon in Marshall’s latest piece, but I remember that too and am pretty confident that was one of the projects Sater acted as sales leader for.

  164. 164.

    hovercraft

    @liberal:
    Well just as with the Muslim ban, it depends on whether or not we like and or need you. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, are noticeably not on the list. I wonder why?

  165. 165.

    Bruce K

    With regard to “Z”: the movie was made in 1969. The Greek junta fell five years later.

    (Ever since then, the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 has been a national holiday in Greece. They make a point to teach conscripts in the Greek army why the Polytechnic is so important in modern Greek history.)

  166. 166.

    D58826

    @Aleta: It may well turn out that Trump will make Al Capone look like a piker. I suspect that IC knows most of this as does the leadership in Congress. The D’s can’t say anything because of security issues and the R’s don’t want to say anything because it would derail their gravy train.

  167. 167.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Yarrow: And slower to come out…

    It’s like getting your Christmas presents one day at a time, over weeks & months, instead of opening them all at once…

  168. 168.

    Kathleen

    @schrodingers_cat: I totally agree with that. Also too lots of keening, wailing and hand wringing about Obama. BJ front pagers and commenters are wittier and more insightful in general. I think he’s highly overrated.

  169. 169.

    hovercraft

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Agreed, about the leak, but I suspect they were aware of his activities when he was assembling it, and they may have helped there, ( speculation, no proof), but no I don’t think they actually leaked it. But that is the problem Twitler would have, all these agencies have third parties they deal with who they can plausibly claim they had nothing to do with.

  170. 170.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Shalimar:

    Maybe all he is since his mid-90s collapse is a money launderer for Russian and Ukrainian mobs.

    In other words, Drumpf is nothing but a bag boy for Russian gangsters…

    ETA: That would explain why he’s so willing to fluff Vlad every time Vlad snaps his fingers…

  175. 175.

    Kathleen

    @schrodingers_cat: I’m in his demographic and he doesn’t appeal to me either. Hate posting on this phone. Always do weird crap when i post on phone. As my boss says in lieu of swearing, “Bad Words”!

  179. 179.

    Aleta

    @debit:

    The best you can do is make him have a great life

    The funny thing is how ours has turned the tables and is making us have a great life.

  180. 180.

    J R in WV

    @Yarrow:

    The NBC MSNBC corp is a shameless booster of the Republican party’s philosophy of stealing everything that isn’t fastened down. They use their limited cleverness to make snide cuts at Democratic plans and people, and their flaming stupid to boost Republican plans and people.

    This is why Andrea Mitchell is still allowed to lobby on air for them. This is why they seem so puzzled by Republican corruption when it is the obvious explanation for events like we are seeing recently. Republican corruption is officially invisible to NBC staff because of their talking orders from on high, as well as their own inclinations once they learn of their boss’s intentions.

  183. 183.

    catclub

    Your regular reminder that at the center of this engima wrapped in a riddle tucked inside a mystery are the tax returns.

    I do think He should release his tax forms. I don’t think they will be easy to parse. Or ‘the answer’.

  185. 185.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @catclub:

    Want not expensive? – try Uruguay.

    Too many ex-Nazis and/or their children and grandchildren…

  186. 186.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @Yarrow:

    There’s a perfectly logical explanation: Trump himself is so closely involved with the Russians that he doesn’t want anyone looking into it.

    As the French would say, Bingeau!

    ETA: Trump’s just not ‘closely involved with the Russians’, he’s their bag boy…

  187. 187.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    @catclub:

    I don’t think they will be easy to parse.

    Yeah but that’s what forensic accountants are for… one thing that s/b fairly clearcut is how much debt he’s carrying on his balance sheet and even if that runs back to shell companies that can’t be easily traced, it’ll still be damning…

  190. 190.

    hovercraft

    @Thru the Looking Glass…:
    Ha ;- )
    Between that and their latest defense, I’d say they have some work to do.

    Donald J. Trump
    ✔
    @realDonaldTrump

    We should start an immediate investigation into @SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!
    12:54 PM – 3 Mar 2017

    17,445 17,445 Retweets
    44,057

    To which Schumer responded:

    Chuck Schumer
    ✔
    @SenSchumer

    Happily talk re: my contact w Mr. Putin & his associates, took place in ’03 in full view of press & public under oath. Would you &your team? https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/837722869106880517 …
    1:24 PM – 3 Mar 2017

    9,520 9,520 Retweets
    15,830

    And circulating the fact that the Russian Ambassador visited the WH 22 times when Obama was president, this is beyond pathetic. No one but the base thinks this is the same thing. Sigh.

  191. 191.

    Yarrow

    @hovercraft: That’s hilarious. I hadn’t seen that yet. I hope there are more calls for him and his staff to testify under oath. Let them commit perjury.

  195. 195.

    No One You Know

    @cosima: I was thinking of you when I saw a promotion of a cable documentary titled Beware the Slenderman. Explained, sans drama or gore, what the phenomena was, who the families were, and the battle over why the girls should be tried as adults v. as children. The interviews with the fathers of the two attackers was eye-opening and heart-breaking. The interview clips of the girls by the police were equally so.

    Recommended if you’re still interested in a well-told true story, and prepare to be slowly horrified as the impossible becomes the inevitable: a best friend of a year’s standing narrowly missed killing a girl, and conspired to hide her in a forest shoo that she wouldn’t be found.

    What struck me most was how borderline issues sat in the gray zone while everyone hoped things will just get better on their own. I came away from it remembering the book The Gift of Fear, which argued that trusting instinct isn’t an exercise of irrationality. It’s a means of perceiving danger before the proof of it arrives–because waiting for proof risks lives unnecessarily.

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