I thought surely it was from a parody account, but nope, it’s real.*
I’m a professionally trained word-having person, but I find myself utterly bereft of verbiage.
Also, I just read that the Third Lady is going to speak at the RNC event at the White House, and there’s no contemporary convention speeches from Michelle Obama to plagiarize, so Melania’s probably speechless too.
Open thread.
*After-market graffiti courtesy of MS Paint!
Zzyzx
He confused “for women” and “to women “ again.
dnfree
I see there’s something in the Capitol rotunda from 1921.
https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/portrait-monument-lucretia-mott-elizabeth-cady-stanton-and-susan-b
But whoa, it was in storage until 1997?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/suffragist-statue-trapped-broom-closet-75-years-180963274/
Villago Delenda Est
My loathing of this vile creature can only grow, never diminish.
RepubAnon
Per Zzyxyz’s comment, let’s fix Trump’s typo:
Trump has done more TO women…
The beautiful statue would be for Trump to grope…
Villago Delenda Est
@Zzyzx: He’s also done more to the Blahs than anyone since Woodrow Wilson.
Baud
I hope you’re apologetic for all your criticisms of the man, BC.
Litlebritdifrnt
I love your use of “Third Lady” betty
Gremcat
Isn’t having a political event at the White House a violation of some sort. Heck Gore wasn’t even allowed to use the White House phone to make campaign calls.
WereBear
On the other hand, he’s killing what remains of the Republican Party.
Ben Cisco
Well, he did unite women in opposition to him, propelling them to huge gains re elected offices so technically…
Sorry, can’t do it with a straight face.
As is the custom, “What an asshole!”
senyordave
I have to say for once I agree with Trump. He has done more for women than just about any president in history. There are only 44 president who have done more for women than Donald Trump.
dmsilev
It’s ok, she can plagiarize from Jill Biden’s speech instead. I don’t think Douglas Emhoff has a speaking slot, otherwise that would offer some potentially entertaining material for Melania’s speech ‘writers’.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
This is of a piece with Trump calling Harris “nasty” and “mean”. Yeah, Trump, I’m sure this blatant hypocrisy and pandering will save you with suburban women voters. Not!
JPL
this is OT but I feel it’s important to say, another GA 15 year old died today of the virus and did not have underlying causes. Maybe the reason the numbers are so low for children is because they had sheltered in place for months. Oh and fk trump
John Revolta
I donwanna even imagine the statue he’s got in mind.
OTOH, the White House is going to unveil the newly designed Rose Garden next week. And people say the Repubs aren’t getting things done in DC!
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Gremcat:
Probably, but there’s nobody in a position of power who’s going to stop them atm. Have Ivanka and Trump gotten punished for violating ethics rules flogging Goya?
Villago Delenda Est
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Marge Simpson, suburban housewife, has some thoughts.
Chat Noir
@Villago Delenda Est: I said a version of this to my husband just a few hours ago.
MattF
Trump’s claims to be the absolutely greatest president evaaaah are getting… tiresome. It strains credulity. Then it chops up, incinerates, and pulverizes credulity. He’s overdoing it more than just a little bit… and everyone is left at the bar, holding his beer.
Ben Cisco
@Betty Cracker:
I could literally hear the exasperation in your voice when I read this….
moops
@MattF: Even prop comics change up their act over the years.
scav
He’s clearly supreme ruler of a world lit only by gaslight.
dmsilev
@John Revolta:
I hope it’s going to follow the same Pan’s Labyrinth theme as the Christmas decorations a couple of years ago.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
I take it calling Harris nasty wasn’t polling well?
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@scav: You know Trump would likely poll well for a week or two if he merely stopped with the constant and endless self congratulations.
Betty Cracker
@JPL: I worry about that too. There’s so much we don’t know about this virus.
LongHairedWeirdo
@Zzyzx: Heh. No, there’s no confusion; this is pure-D “who you gonna believe, me,
or your own lying eyes, er,or everyone who has any basic sense of history, and concern for the truth?PeakVT
You only need one: liar.
MattF
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: The current attack is ‘Harris is a Trojan Horse’, and when they discover that doesn’t work, a White House genius is going to come up with ‘Harris is Hillary Clinton in disguise’.
H.E.Wolf
The EMILY’s List Twitter account reliably cheers me up. So many accomplished, energetic women who may be stepping into positions of greater leadership this November!
https://twitter.com/emilyslist
JPL
@Betty Cracker: People who believe him are about to find out, and it makes me so sad. GA lost a seven year old when he had a seizure in the bath tub due to the virus. But send them to school so your parents can work picking up after us.
WaterGirl
@dnfree: Why is that woman wearing curlers in her hair in that statue? //
LongHairedWeirdo
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Honestly, I think he’d poll worse. The only people who believe anything that comes out of his trap will think he’s surrendering in the fight. What fight? Well… the one against the rule of law, civil rights, voting rights, common decency, against those who oppose fascism and white supremacy….
If this were happening early in his term (say, September of 2017), shutting the hell up might have helped, and by now, they’d be insisting he kept us safe, predictions were for possibly millions of deaths, etc.. But now? I think everyone who could be less exhausted by Trump will only get over Trump exhaustion by 2022, which, coincidentally, will probably be when the Republicans are insisting that Covid-19 was Obama&Biden’s fault.
JPL
So after my heartfelt rage OT, I am reading that Kemp is going to allow cities to order masks, if they want.
Major Major Major Major
This is kind of a weird question, and definitely OT, but wouldn’t it have been “smarter” for Trump to kneecap the post office, like, two weeks before the election? Now there are challenges, Dems will have time to educate voters…
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: Our evil president is stupid. Thank god for small favors.
dmsilev
@MattF: I’ve got dibs on ‘Kamala Harris is actually a puppet mind-controlled by Hillary Clinton, via a microchip Bill Gates designed.’
Major Major Major Major
@WaterGirl:
lamh36
Andrew Gillum writes Instagram post on how Kamala Harris reached out to him during his darkest days.
You can read the entire post here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1tyE8FU8c/?igshid=qxu5kvks46mt
Like Gillum said, she def could have just ghosted on him like some folks did, but she reached out. That’s def a sign of good character.
japa21
Betty, I really thought that was an impossibility.
Central Planning
@John Revolta: I imagine the statue would be in a similar nature to Schitt’s Creek’s sign at the edge of town and would require a similar disclaimer on it.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Major Major Major Major:
That’s a good point actually. They probably feel that between the pandemic, other forms of voter suppression, and dismantling the USPS, they’re invincible. It also reveals how desperate they are that they’re resorting to such authoritarian tactics. Apparently, it’s also possible for the USPS to selectively slow down mail delivery in specific zip codes
Worst of all, mail that’s for voting is no longer going to be considered first class and instead bulk. The PO has no obligation to deliver bulk mail at all, which I’ve been told means that potentially ballots could just be shredded
Hoodie
“And by BEAUTIFUL, I mean it’s going to have great legs and big tits. Many people are saying Ivanka should sit for it. I’m not saying that, but many people are.”
WereBear
@Major Major Major Major: Yes.
Stupid is a mixed bag. Even “low cunning” would have not ignored the Pandemic. Much less get caught profiteering with it.
PPCLI
@LongHairedWeirdo:
I have long been speechless at how instantly and effectively the GOP un-personed Bush after the financial crash. A Nikolai Yezhov quality disappearance. Yet for the previous eight years Fox News had been Bush-fluffing 24/7.
Never, ever, ever let that happen again. The entire Republican party owns Donald Trump, and every last one of them have to carry that mark of shame to the grave. Rename the Republican party the Trump-Republican party. The Federalist Society that has been silent through all of Trump/Barr’s pissing on the Constitution will be the Trump-Federalist Society etc.
randy khan
For what it’s worth, besides the Belmont-Paul House in D.C., made a national monument by President Obama, there is a genuine women’s suffrage memorial under construction in Lorton, Virginia.
“Lorton, Virginia?” you say. Yes, Lorton, Virginia, because it is where suffragists were jailed after they chained themselves to the White House fence during demonstrations in support of suffrage. And it will include not one, but *three* statues of suffragists. My wife is a donor and a good friend is one of the people behind the project.
Check it out (and donate if you’d like): Turning Point Suffragists Memorial
laura
So the shitberg has been and continues to use the office for his campaign including the bigly beautiful rose garden for the “acceptance” wordbargle. And he’s been fundraising since his inauguration and charged the government for forced use of his properties both domestic and international at grossly inflated prices and doesnt provide a breakdown of the costs – just lots of $9,999.00 sans details and there’s how many past rallies that have never been reimbursed for costs. We the people are paying for his political campaign.
I remain convinced he’s long been a broke ass joke without 2 cents to rub together. So where’d all the money go?
Also, that statute he wants to build to celebrate womens acheivement – I’m pretty sure it would be a plaster gold painted Ivanka in high heels bikini and jack hammer from back in the day. If you’ve seen it, that one. If you haven’t seen, you’ve been warned.
MattF
@dmsilev: Hmm. Seriously, do you think that Bill Gates knows how a transistor works?
Major Major Major Major
@WereBear: he also made the traditional trump mistake of saying the quiet part out loud, so we have it on record that he’s doing it to stop voters. I don’t know the standard *this* action is reviewed under, but the same mistake doomed the first Muslim ban, the DACA rescinding, the citizenship question…
Roger Moore
@John Revolta:
I’m sure it will be a tasteful nude. Where Trump is the one who gets to decide what classifies as tasteful, of course.
Amir Khalid
Right now I’m listening to Prince Jared evade Christiane Amanpour’s questions about his father-in-law’s apparent endorsement of that ghastly Newsweek story about Kamala Harris. God, how I yearn to punch him inna face.
MattF
@Roger Moore: Gilded, I suppose… But no, I’m not going there.
Roger Moore
@Major Major Major Major:
I hope you see the problem with this approach. You even helpfully put it in scare quotes to emphasize it.
mrmoshpotato
” Be best at all the besting every best day. Thank you.”
laura
@Amir Khalid: I’ll hold your place in line whilst you travel. So what did you do with the excess guitar stands?
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Major Major Major Major:
I think the big question is whether the courts will work fast enough in time. And then Trump could announce a vaccine, perhaps in October, whether it’s actually safe or not.
Then again, I know the head of the NIH has vowed to call out any such false attempt.
I read an article that every vaccine candidate in the US has been mass producing doses and Fauci has said that he expects a vaccine to be available in early 202, if not widely available. That’s a far cry from the 12-18 months he said back in March and April
Ken
Ah, that’s your problem. The professional in you suppresses the words that naturally come to mind.
John S.
@PPCLI
The Trumpublican party is much easier to say.
trollhattan
@RepubAnon:
Trump’s lizard brain: “I’m-a pretend this statue is a flag.”
Ken
@mrmoshpotato: You forgot “Try something different.”
prostratedragon
@Amir Khalid: And you’re in the enviable position of being able to disregard him if you choose.
MomSense
@Major Major Major Major:
I don’t know that it matters because even if we stop the continued sabotage it will take longer than we have to put it all back together. I was putting my GOTV hat on and trying to figure out what the workarounds are. Rides to the polls will be tough. Volunteers who would request absentee ballots and/or drop them off will have to be carefully vetted. Some states don’t send out the absentee ballots until pretty late and if they don’t arrive in the mail on time then those people will have to vote provisional – if they can get to the polls.
It’s a fucking mess.
Amir Khalid
@laura:
Re the guitar stands, I haven’t figured it out yet.
John Revolta
@JPL: Apparently being embarassed by being the only one of the 100 most populous cities not to have a mask mandate, Omaha finally passed one this week. It has a few exceptions of course:
All righty then!
Luciamia
Melania? Oh. Yeah, she can really energize a room!
John S.
@laura: OMG you’re talking about that Harpers Bazaar cover, aren’t you?
mrmoshpotato
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: “Excuse me. Excuse me. I’ve been more luxurious and tremendous bigly at women – even the nasty women who treat me very unfairly – than anyone in human history. Believe me.”
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Gotta admit, he’s been a boon to peeing Яussian hookers
prostratedragon
@Luciamia: Help me!
Major Major Major Major
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I think “12-18 months” was the safe thing to say, but “we will probably have something 60% effective by the end of the year, but not ten billion doses” is what most epidemiologists I follow are saying out loud. And, at the end of the day, it means the same thing.
60% efficacy times US vaccination rates does not equal herd immunity, sadly.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Melania once had acting job as Bride of Frankenstein in an AFLAC commercial. It’s always projection or confession with these people.
Luciamia
Re: that latest tweet. I think anything in the news now will trigger the same thing. A news story about wombats and Trump will be tweeting, “I’ve done more for wombats than any president…”
mrmoshpotato
@Ken: She’s not going to try something different. RNC platform from 2016… Hell, she’ll probably plagiarize the same Michelle Obama speech again.
Mike in NC
Which porn star will Fat Bastard pick to pose for this statue?
pat
LGM has a post about how to vote early, or get your absentee ballot into the polling station.
There are alternatives to shoving it in the mailbox and keeping your fingers crossed.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:
I saw that commerical on YouTube once. It was weird. Also got to saw Trump and Ivana doing a Dominoes commerical, pretending to be rich social elites
Major Major Major Major
@MomSense: that’s a huge difference though. Now we have time to think about it and get our best (available) workarounds in place.
JMG
@MomSense: I am going to early vote in person. If you go to the polling place when it just opens, there are few people and social distancing should be quite possible. Mass. has a two week early voting period. That should be something to discuss with potential voters.
prostratedragon
Cover photo from Sep/Oct 2007 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Accompanying article “Queen of Diamonds.”
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
Kamala’s a mensch.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Major Major Major Major:
That’s very true
Ruckus
@Ben Cisco:
If you are going to say it, you have to embellish properly.
What a fucking asshole!
You can embellish even more, that’s just the minimum.
John Revolta
@prostratedragon: Is that the shot they used? ‘Cause her expression is pure “I don’t want to be here!”
evodevo
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Well, at MY little PO that won’t happen…but, then, if we don’t get brought in on the morning truck, we can’t deliver it…and we have no control over what happens at the distribution ctr…so….
Though I really doubt that it will happen in Ky – Moscow Mitch has too much at stake, and a LOT of his MAGAt voters are rural, so screwing with their mail would not be a winning move.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Trump’s a lazy idiot, most of his staff is scamming him.
Ruckus
@PeakVT:
Once again I reiterate, given the ability of shitforbrains, and everyone surrounding him, and the gross incompetence and/or gross thievery they all exhibit, embellishment is required.
laura
@John S.: I had to double check – yep, not a bikini, but really gives off the aura of voting rights for wimmins/daddy wants to do me.
@Amir Khalid: I sure hope you can find some young musicians who would be fortunate to receive them.
Mary G
He’ll be fired in 3,2,1…
SiubhanDuinne
IIRC, Michelle’s speaking at/to the DNC on Monday night. That leaves two full weeks for Melania’s speechwriters to plagiarise lavishly.
Omnes Omnibus
@Major Major Major Major: Yes, they are evil, but they are also dumb. Fucking everything up in October would have been devastating. Fucking everything up now means people adjust.
Ruckus
@WaterGirl:
He’d have to come up a lot of steps to be just stupid.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Roger Moore:
Ivanka Ascending A Staircase
lamh36
This dude deserved to be FIRED! SMH…folks losing their bag when all they had to do was shut up…LOL. He wanted to joke enjoy with his racist friends and got reported!
GOOD!
Omnes Omnibus
@Amir Khalid: Buy more guitars. Destiny is calling, and it’s not a collect call from the strip club this time.
JPL
@Mary G: The pres might blame him if he thinks this is hurting him, and he’ll be fired. Of course, the next one will be worse.
Roger Moore
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
I’m pretty sure it was a Pizza Hut commercial. They did one for Pizza Hut’s stuffed crust pizza shortly after their divorce. I can’t understand how Trump could show his face in New York after flacking for that crap masquerading as pizza.
Omnes Omnibus
@prostratedragon: Why does that exist?
prostratedragon
@John Revolta: That was it. And my first thought was to wonder whose idea it was.
lamh36
Not if Jaimie Harrison beats Lindsey.
Anyone know how it’s REALLY going on the ground in SC?
Roger Moore
@Omnes Omnibus:
As proof bad taste runs in the family.
Roger Moore
@lamh36:
It would also depend a lot on who Gavin Newsom appoints to replace her. Several of the names mentioned as a replacement have been black women.
prostratedragon
@Omnes Omnibus: That is one of the existential questions for American culture.
Omnes Omnibus
@Roger Moore: I suppose. I’ve seen more tasteful Snap-on Tools calendar photos.
Omnes Omnibus
@prostratedragon: That is the way I saw it, but the former James Bond had a good point. Sometimes, Occam’s Razor is the way to go.
Feathers
@Mary G: Honestly, one of the USAGs just needs to go in and start arresting supervisors at post offices who are doing things like destroying multi-million dollar mail sorters and ordering mail to not be delivered. I’m fine with folks being arrested and charges dropped against whoever flips on their higher ups.
Biden and Harris really should let postal workers know that there will be prosecutions for interfering with mail delivery and to bring any instances where this is happening to their local USAG office.
Can any state attorney generals bring charges?
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: Well said!
WaterGirl
@Hoodie: I actually giggled when I read that, out loud.
The last two sentences are perfect.
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: The next thing we will hear – as soon as the lawsuits start for interfering with mail delivery – is “I was just kidding”.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
You know what would be cool to honor the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, you orange bastard? How about putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?
Omnes Omnibus
@Feathers: Just no. The solution to lawlessness isn’t more lawlessness.
Another Scott
I would suspect nothing less from President* Nesuahcnum. (He’s got Reverse Munchausen disease.)
It would be news if he told the truth about much of anything (e.g. his statement about him preventing the USPS getting funding because of some imaginary demand from Democrats for federal vote by mail). Even when he tells the truth about something, the 2nd part of the statement is a bunch of lies.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Major Major Major Major: I have been thanking any random deity I can think of for that timing, which lets it percolate through the public consciousness, even the deplorables. So glad they’re incompetent as well as evil.
It’s hard to believe they’d blow up the post office, along with people’s medications, checks, birthday cards, online orders of Trump steaks, etc, just to screw with the ballots. So it takes time to absorb the fact that yes, they would think that’s a re-election strategy and that they’re capable of thinking that way.
If they’d waited, it would have barely gotten to the stage of people asking each other, “are you having trouble getting stuff mailed?”
Kent
@Major Major Major Major:
Texas only allows absentee vote by mail for senior citizens. And they have restrictive laws about when ballots must be received by elections offices.
Would be some poetic justice if Trump’s USPS fuckery tipped the election to Biden in Texas because a shitload of mail-in ballots from MAGA senior citizens don’t get received in time due to Trump’s sabotage. Biden wins a narrow election day victory in Texas and there are truck loads of mail-in ballots from MAGA seniors that don’t get counted because Texas has absurdly restrictive elections laws.
I mean, I want all votes to be counted. But if we are going to have fuckery and voter suppression, I’d love to see it backfire.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
“Nice beaver!”
lamh36
Still not much a fan of Manchin, but not surprised about his defense of the USPS. I suspect the Chump admin attack on the USPS might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back….
I expect to see a lot more pols doing this during the break. I saw someone say Maxine Waters might be doing something like this this weekend.
Kent
@Omnes Omnibus: It’s not lawlessness if you arrest and prosecute law breakers. It’s lawlessness if they get away with it.
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: “Thank you. I just had it stuffed.”
Fair Economist
@Feathers:
The USAGs have been appointed by and work for Trump. These ones won’t.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kent: You are the expert.
Ken
@SiubhanDuinne @Omnes Omnibus: Weird coincidence – or are you also watching The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad on BBCA?
gwangung
@Omnes Omnibus: I dunno…arrests by local authorities on local laws seems the opposite of lawlessness…
prostratedragon
@Omnes Omnibus: Yeah, that was my practical answer too.
Omnes Omnibus
@gwangung: What law is being broken?
Jay
@Roger Moore:
can you make an outdoor statue out of botox, silicone and orange concealer?
SiubhanDuinne
@Ken: No, but I bet I’m going to before the weekend is much oldEr. Is BBCA a subscription streaming service? (N/M, I’m just going to look it up on the electronic google machine.) Haven’t watched any of the Naked Guns or Police Squads since forever, and they sound like exactly what I’m in the mood for.
Danielx
@JPL:
I think she was talking about the USPS IG getting fired.
Ken
@SiubhanDuinne: BBCA is a cable channel. I’m one of those people; besides, it’s free with my internet package.
Like most cable channels, the name doesn’t have anything to do with the content, which is mostly American movies and Star Trek reruns. My local PBS station shows more British material.
NotMax
@Jim, Foolish Literalist
:)
NotMax
@Ken
No kidding, there was an ad on MSNBC the other day for a new streaming service dedicated to nothing but programs about royalty and members thereof.
Cacti
For any Trump-bot acquaintances on the interwebs who start on about Kamala Harris/Willie Brown, I happily point out that the current First Lady fucked her way to citizenship for herself and her immediate family.
In those exact words.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
it was posted upthread. It’s a Federal Offense to interfere with the mail.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1701
Feathers
@Omnes Omnibus: 18 U.S. Code § 1703. Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers
Looks like this should more than cover a good deal of what we see going on. Is there something I’m not seeing or understanding?
Uncle Cosmo
Which is totally understandable when you compare him with your generic Democratic US Senator. If he were one of my Senators in MD I’d be tearing my hair out. But Jeezus H. Keerist on a Harley, if you look at his voting record he has been a surprisingly solid Democrat & a damn sight better than we had any right to expect from a benighted place like West By doG Virginia.
NotMax
Adam, should you be about, a cogent take on this from you would be greatly appreciated.
U.S. seizes Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela, moves cargo to Texas port
Sab
@lamh36: He said in apology that the meme did not reflect his views and he regrets being ” insensitive.” How on earth could anyone post that without it being pretty close to their views.
germy
I knew that Trini Lopez died, but I didn’t know he died of covid.
germy
@NotMax:
Are we pirates now?
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: @Feathers: Okay, let’s say you are a postal worker and your boss comes in one day and tells you that there are some policy changes and that the sorting machines are being moved to a new location. By following these new policies and helping to take down the sorting machines, are you improperly interfering with the mail?
ETA: How long until Jay makes a war crimes parallel? I say less than five minutes.
lamh36
@Uncle Cosmo: I am aware of his record…still don’t like him much.
But that’s ok, he’s not my rep…
On that front, I can’t say much, since I’m in Louisiana, so the Senators are Republicans.
Chyron HR
@Omnes Omnibus:
Okay, let’s say you are a postal worker and your boss comes in one day after the President has openly announced that he’s shutting down the US mail so that people won’t be able to vote against him in the upcoming election…
Uncle Cosmo
@Fair Economist: Can I presume that by “USAGs” yinz are referring to the US Attorneys for the various states, who are Federal officeholders appointed by POTUS, as opposed to state “Attorneys-General,” who are state officials usually elected by citizens of the state in question…? There’s only one US Attorney General, who is appointed by POTUS and confirmed by the Senate and sits in the Cabinet.
PsiFighter37
I hope Biden’s team has a list of people ready to fire as soon as noon strikes. That motherfucker Louis DeJoy better be fucking on the firing line, and then on the prosecutorial watch list. Make that fucker wish he’d never taken the job.
John Revolta
@Cacti: In HER own words? Link maybe?
randy khan
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
As you note, there already are people saying they won’t give the okay to something that hasn’t passed through the whole process properly. I suspect that there is considerable discussion among the people who whatever agencies are in charge of approval in Western nations plus Japan and Korea (work with me here, just imagine it’s still 2016 for a second) to make sure that they are coordinated on vaccine approval or at least to make sure that nobody gets too far ahead of the actual science.
Omnes Omnibus
@Chyron HR: Okay, let’s start arresting ground level post office workers for doing as their boss directed. That won’t fuck up the mail. To the extent that there is a crime here, it is at the policy level and punishing low level people is pointless.
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
Same reaction I had yesterday upon learning of the mayor of Luray, VA, who posted on social media that Biden had selected “Aunt Jemima” as his running mate.
Are these fucking white-ass male troglodytes EVER going to learn?
Another Scott
@PsiFighter37: Biden can’t just fire people.
The USPS has a Board of Governors, etc., etc.
https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/
There are 5 vacancies on the BoG.
Cheers,
Scott.
debbie
I would be banned from Twitter and visited by the Secret Service if I had published the tweet of my initial thoughts after seeing this earlier this afternoon. Motherfucker.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Ruckus: So noted, good sir.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
@Chyron HR:
Chyron HR pretty much covers it,
What’s the saying,? Oh yeah, a decent Prosecutor can get a Grand Jury to convict a ham sandwich.
Prosecutions are used all the time in the US to quell dissent, target minorities, etc, even if they fail. The purpose is to tie people up in Court for years and burden them with financial costs, they may never recover.
Why not use the same process, and possibly “excessive reach” to protect, instead of destroy, let a judge and jury decide.
( no War Crimes were mentioned in this comment)
randy khan
@Mary G:
Word at LGM is that the Postal Service IG can be fired only by the Postal Service Board of Governors, for cause, and that it requires 7 votes, with only 7 people currently serving on the board. So Trump can’t just do it himself.
Mallard Filmore
From democraticunderground … better legal minds than ours are looking into this.
“Arizona AG asked by Arizona Sec. of State to investigate recent changes at USPS, possible crime”
https://democraticunderground.com/100213907171
https://mobile.twitter.com/SecretaryHobbs/status/1294315111738273792
SiubhanDuinne
@Sab:
Yup. This so-fucking-called “apology” is the very definition of bullshit.
debbie
Also, NPR reported today that blue mailboxes are being removed from street corners in Montana. This is appalling. How is this even allowable and not a violation of the Constitution?
germy
Omnes Omnibus
I would argue that is lawless behavior. And as I said at the beginning, more lawlessness is not the answer.
Geoduck
@PsiFighter37: Does the Postmaster serve exclusively at the whim of the president? The USPS has spend recent decades in a sort of bureaucratic twilight zone.
germy
Baud
@Sab:
Not defending the guy, but I can imagine people who get carried away with a joke and not thinking about how what’s “funny” about it is actually something that’s offensive.
patrick II
@MattF:
Yes, he does. He was one of three programmers who wrote the code for Altair Basic in assembler and binary code for early PC’S.
Geoduck
@debbie: The USPS spokesbeings are evidently claiming that they’re being relocated to higher-traffic areas, but that’s probably a lie.
debbie
@Geoduck:
According to the locals, that’s definitely bullshit.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
the way “investigations” ususally work is you interview suspects, witnesess and collect evidence. You “flip” the petty or coerced “criminals” with plea deals, witness protections until you get to the “Boss”.
USPS is a “union shop” with mostly ex-Military servicepersons as “essential workers” in a time of Covid. Pretty sure they will be more than willing to testify as to who the “Boss” and his “minions” are. They are already taking out ads pointing fingers.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: If they are taking out ads pointing fingers, why do you want to prosecute them?
WaterGirl
@Sab:
He said in apology that the meme did not reflect his views and he regrets being
insensitiveFIRED.You spelled insensitive wrong. :-)
patrick II
I am not particularly sophisticated about political repercussions, but If I was Pelosi I would be thinking about a very short and to the point impeachment hearing for a man who self-acknowledges interfering with the election by disrupting the post office.
I am not sure that isn’t a reason Mitch sent everyone home so early.
Mallard Filmore
@patrick II:
The quality of his version of Basic was at or near the bottom of every version available. The crappy code put out by Microsoft is LEGENDARY.
I have no doubt that any circuit Gates designed would fry any device it gets integrated into.
VeniceRiley
@randy khan: Trump named the BoG. They didn’t even have a quorum of the BoG during Obama because Bernie Sanders blocked all Obama’s USPS BoG nominees.
Another Scott
@lamh36: Thanks for that.
Cheers,
Scott.
Baud
@VeniceRiley:
What? Why?
NotMax
@debbie
Not saying it isn’t a part of the ongoing mess, but there has been an ongoing process of removal of lesser used street mailboxes for some time, predating DeJoy.
Anecdotal: Mom in NY used to have 4 or 5 sidewalk mailboxes within easy walking distance. As of the beginning of the year there are now 2.
Gravenstone
@SiubhanDuinne: “Thanks. I just had it stuffed.”
Roger Moore
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yep. A good apology should contain the following parts:
If you don’t understand the what and why parts, you’re just mouthing some words because they’re expected of you. The same thing if you use the apology to try to justify yourself. Promises to do better and requests for forgiveness are acceptable but strictly optional.
PsiFighter37
@Baud: Because Bernie didn’t get all the post offices named after people he wanted? /s Seems as good a reason as any for a cranky asshole like him to do nothing.
patrick II
@Mallard Filmore:
The question I answered was “do you think that Bill Gates knows how a transistor works?”. Yes, he did.
But, beside that, there are those who disassembled his code who would disagree with your estimation: Could Bill Gates write code?
Another Scott
@laura: You made me look…
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/a207/ivanka-trump-diamonds-1007/
Yeah, she’s a great judge of character, intelligence, and accomplishments, also too.
(groucho-roll-eyes.gif)
Cheers,
Scott.
(“Though, to be fair, much of the quoting is just sentence fragments.”)
jl
@NotMax: why hasn’t someone sued the postmaster yet ? Large numbers of people are being harmed, someone must have standing. I use the mail, can I sue?
jl
@Another Scott: Jared is world class at accomplishing disasters.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
You might have missed the “Bernie” part.
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne:
But why USPS? I can see something like Trade Rep or an HHS official.
patrick II
@laura:
I was thinking that since he says that he has done more for women than anyone in history he would like that statue to be of him. He closes his eyes and imagines it would be high up on a pedestal like one of those Civil War traitors, and for similar reasons. (shamelessness of betrayal).
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
if the Judge or Jury convicts, then it’s not “lawless” behaviour,
it’s upholding https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1701.
Going “after” Postal Workers at the bottom or the workers removing the machinery, would be lawlessness.
Going after the Executives who ordered the ratfucking of the USPS to break it and destroy the mail, would be lawful.
but as we are well aware, complete lawlessness is tolerated and encouraged amongst certain MAGAericans and Trumpsuckers, and tolerated/embraced/celebrated amongst certain “lawmakers” and Dumph appointed Judges.
Sadly, it requires Ag’s, State and Federal, with some “gumption”, and the US Domestic Manufacture of “gumption” was outsourced to China and Bangladesh.
But you are right, much better to roll over, present your belly and let Dumph and his Quislings destroy the USPS forever.
And that’s what Americans will do. Some 40% because they adore Dumph, some 40% because “being uncivil” is the greatest crime. Only about 10% are willing to make “good trouble” across the board, another 10% are just focused on making “good trouble” on the issues they can manage, and are overwhelmed by all the Dumphism and Historic Injustices.
Chyron HR
@Baud:
He was protecting the noble white working man from Obama’s depredations.
Bill Arnold
@MattF:
When the Trump Crime Family and their de-souled[2] Republican henchmen finally realize the Kamala Harris is[1] a Law and Order Democrat, they will be losing sleep and peeing their beds.
[1] arguably, mkay? Balanced by the narrative that an Anarchist, who is also in the Senate just because she doesn’t believe in government.
[2] Trump eats their souls. Republican henchperson souls taste like rubber chicken. (Really!) Not sure why he eats them.
Viva BrisVegas
@patrick II: That’s a long, long way from designing a microchip.
Bill Gates great skill was convincing IBM he was working in their interest.
TS (the original)
@germy:
Sure looks that way to me – one of those hell-hole countries. Trump adding to the disastrous international situation that President Biden will have to resolve.
Bill Arnold
@Major Major Major Major:
Not weird at all. It was very badly timed. They’re losing what abilities they had; desperation.
patrick II
What they are doing at the Post office is unambiguously illegal.
18 U.S. Code § 595. Interference by administrative employees of Federal, State, or Territorial Governments
JPL
@Bill Arnold: Even the Secretary of State of Arizona is suing them. Not a good impression at all.
jl
@Baud: The Street has article from 2016. Some Dems held bog hostage to get usps more funding, postal bank.Didn’t work. I’m posting over phone, don’t know to do link.
Another Scott
@Omnes Omnibus:
So, there’s that.
FWIW.
;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Baud
@jl:
I don’t get the strategy, even if the goals are admirable. Oh well, we’re paying for it now.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Jay:
I don’t know how it works in Canada, but in this country a grand jury indicts, which I believe, while IANAL, is a very different thing from a conviction.
Baud
debbie
@NotMax:
Well, sure, but this was in Montana.
I still pay bills by mail and use the corner mailbox to send them. I’ve figured out the typical length of time till the checks clear, so I’ve been able to time it so the bills arrive just before the due dates. I think I will need a new strategy…like sending checks as soon as the bills arrive. Bummer.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Bernie and the Post Office, with links at the link
debbie
@Major Major Major Major:
Maybe he acted now in an act of compassion. //
debbie
@MattF:
How long can that “Trojan horse” last? Most of his supporters won’t think it means what it means.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Another Scott:
/shudder/
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
If only Bernie were in a position of some influence where he could do something directly to protect the USPS.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: so many windows un-looked out from upon….
NotMax
@patrick II
Old proverb:
There is no law written for fools (if it is written, it is not read; if it is read, it is not understood; if it is understood, then in wrong way).
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
strawman, du jour.
as I have made plainly clear, I have no interest in prosecuting USPS workers, just the “Bosses” aiding and abetting the deliberate destruction of the USPS.
Nice try though, you should start daydrinking later in the day.
I know.
It’s tough.
Covid
Orange Shitgibbon.
How many hundred thousand dead? Between hiding the numbers and over 1,000 per day, it’s hard to keep track.
From Global Leader in 2015 to “shithole Country” in a year is a pretty fucking hard fall.
Still, keep climbing back, one step at a time.
Yeah, I know, it’s exhausting, but keep trying.
Much better than giving up.
If you want to “quit”, sorry but you are fucked. Nobody’s taking in Americans, as asylum seekers because of Covid. Probably not until 2024, but given your Covidiots, the Flu Klux Klan and stienish Antivaxers, maybe never.
gwangung
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again.
And strikes hardest on the arrogant and the self assured.
Uncle Cosmo
@NotMax: When I moved into my home 32+ years ago, there was a mailbox on the corner, 2 doors down from me. Sometime within the first decade it was removed. I have no idea where the nearest mailbox is now – certainly not within sight.
Jay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
we don’t have Grand Juries in Canada.
we also don’t have elected Judges or Prosecutors.
they are all Civil Service, sheilded for the most part from politics.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Uncle Cosmo: twenty-odd years ago, living in suburbia, I had a bill to pay and a dog to walk, after forty-five minutes I found a mail box, in the drive up lane of a local bank, with the extended drop slot to preserve anyone from the strain of getting out of their car
TS (the original)
@randy khan:
And when has such a rule stopped trump in the past 3 years?
Uncle Cosmo
Not having any idea “how it works” in the USA has never deterred The Knucklehead Of The Frozen North from lecturing us in No Uncertain Terms about exactly what we ought to be doing about our nation – even (especially!) if (as usual) it has no relation whatsofuckingever to what can legally (let alone feasibly) be done.
Geminid
If trump likes statues so much, maybe someone can mock up a golden calf with trump’s head on it, carry it outside his rallies.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: At some point you just go into free association. It’s almost fascinating.
Omnes Omnibus
@Another Scott: I don’t doubt that Dejoy and some upper level people are violating the law. My objection was and is to arresting supervisors in post offices who have nothing to do with setting policy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The pressure is getting to them. Let there be hope. I can’t find it now, but Cong Bill Pascrell (sp?) is asking the NJ AG to look into this too.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
despite economic shifts, and Con attempts at ratfucking, our Postal Service is still doing fine.
and despite an inappropriate “opening” we are still managing Covid.
How y’all doing with Covid and Trumpism?
Working out well for you?
The evictions and forclosures are gonna make 2008 look like childs play.
Gonna be about 100% to 450% greater upwards transfer of wealth in the US than 2008.
should be fun.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
strawman.
nobody has suggested arresting and charging Supervisors “just following orderz!!!!”
FlyingToaster
A few late notes:
They’re removing both BlueBoxes (mail collection boxes) in the Hub (Greater Boston) and also relay boxes (the green boxes where your mailcarrier’s bags are stored). Supposedly they’re being replaced with “more secure” boxes, which have yet to appear.
I subscribe to the the USPS “Informed Delivery” service. Yesterday, I was supposed to have received 10 pieces of mail, whereas I actually received bupkis. So I logged in this afternoon and noted that I hadn’t received any of the 10 pieces. I drove out to fetch Friday night dinner, and weirdly, there were NO postal trucks at the local PO (usually they start returning around 5:30). At 6:55, I hear the BANG! of my porch mailbox. All of yesterday’s mail, plus the 4 pieces for today, were there. I logged back in and unchecked the “I didn’t receive this mailpiece” for yesterday’s mail.
Now, I can walk the 4 blocks to the polling place for the primary, Sept. 1. For the General, I think I’ll early vote down at Town Hall (0.7 miles from Chez Toaster). I am not angry with the postal carriers at all; however, Mr. DeJoy is welcome to bend down and kiss my shiny metal ass.
James E Powell
@MattF:
They’ll start calling her The Black Hillary. Just you wait and see.
They have to attack Kamala Harris because, as it turns out, even people who are not fans of Joe Biden believe he is a basically decent person with a good heart.
James E Powell
@Omnes Omnibus:
Sound advice, Omnes.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jay: Weird. It was literally said in this comment. And it took you a while but you got to the war crimes argument by allusion.
Villago Delenda Est
@Viva BrisVegas: Two words: social engineering.
J R in WV
@Omnes Omnibus:
I don’t think a employee doing work as directed by their manager would be guilty. The manager, on the other hand, should go away for 5 years for every piece of mail delayed by those management decisions. But that’s just a redneck from W Va talking about destroying an important piece of government infrastructure.
Jay
@Omnes Omnibus:
nice try Mr Strawman Maybe go Walrus?
jl
@Baud: I agree. Sad stupid show to destroy usps bog when obs strategy isn’t working. Read that Warren is Sen working behind scenes to shake up shit on this.
Jay
@J R in WV:
yurp. by count in this thread, not seconded, but at least 5 down on the list.
Ruckus
@Another Scott:
It’s always an accident when shitforbrains tells the truth. If he was smarter he might be a better lier. But he’s not smarter or a good lier.