Why do no republicans ever feel ashamed about anything ever? I still brutalize myself internally on the regular for mispronouncing a word in grade school and being corrected by the teacher in front of a girl I had a crush on and these motherfuckers lie, get caught, and just smile and repeat it. It’s fucking maddening to watch:
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the president’s claim that weaker-than-expected jobs reports were “rigged,” but failed to produce any evidence to support Trump’s claim.
“What we need is a fresh set of eyes over the BLS,” Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a monthly jobs report that included weaker-than-expected numbers for July, plus major downward revisions of May and June’s numbers.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, the president said the jobs numbers were “rigged” and that he’d asked his team to fire BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer.
“We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate,” Trump wrote.
In another Truth Social post, the president added, “In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.”
On Sunday, Hassett cast similar doubt on the accuracy of the jobs numbers, pointing to past revisions that were made to jobs reports after then-President Joe Biden stopped running for re-election last year.
These are the most awful people on the planet.
It’s a beautiful day, but the tractor wouldn’t start and Gerald is out of town, so no mowing, and my pool and gym are undergoing the annual summer clean, so I was completely out of excuses and thus continued my own personal Good Will drive for fat men. I am now up to three contractor bags filled with clothes that no longer fit me, and they are things that other big guys will appreciate- several old terry cloth bathrobes, some overalls, some colored thermals from duluth trading, a bunch of khaki pants, a bunch of cargo shorts, and so on.
I am also just being absolutely ruthless in throwing out/donating shit that I have not used in years and I am THIS CLOSE to donating all the boxes of books in my basement that I have kept dry and clean for decades but never unboxed in two moves to the library. I have also resolved that I am now putting on ebay all my old silk shirts from the late 90’s, all my old video game boxes with cd’s and dvd’s, and I will not quit until I have winnowed the six boxes of electronic cables and devices and hard drives down to one. I can do this.
The only thing I am really afraid I am going to carry around until I die is my old Adcom Amp and Preamp from 1990 that still works like a damned dream, but really doesn’t have that much of a function or home. I don’t have any stereo quality speakers or the money to invest in them, so it is kind of a waste, but that setup was such a huge portion of my musical development for decades that I can not part with it. Obviously my vinyl stays.
Oh- and I found a 30 year old pair of Tevas in one of my army duffle bags with all the old TA-50 I personally bought for parades and inspections and all that bullshit. They still fit and I have worn them all day! Found my basic training boots, too, and they still have a touch of a shine, which is no surprise.
While people are starved to death, there is no end in sight and you could probably say the same thing in fifty years:
For months, the Israeli government had focused on negotiating a two-phased deal for a 60-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of some hostages, leaving discussions about a permanent end to the war for a later stage.
With the talks now at an impasse, American and Israeli officials appear to be sharply changing their tone by signaling that they will push for a comprehensive deal. But Israel and Hamas remain far apart, and analysts said this new approach would also face steep challenges.
The shift, at least in rhetoric, comes as the Israeli government faces rising domestic pressure to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Israel believes that about 20 are still alive and that the bodies of 30 others remain in the enclave. Videos released over the weekend showed two living captives looking emaciated and frail, shocking many Israelis and sparking fear among the hostages’ families.
The Israeli government has also come under mounting international criticism over the mass hunger that has spread through Gaza’s population of about two million people after Israel imposed strict restrictions in recent months on the entry of aid.
Israel has continued launching military strikes on Gaza, even as it has facilitated the entry of more aid into Gaza in recent days. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that Israeli artillery had hit its offices in Khan Younis, killing one of the aid group’s staffers and injuring others. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
It’s to Netanyahu’s benefit that there are no honest or rational actors at all in this peace process, and he’s fine with this going on forever. He gets to stay in power and avoid jail and he gets to spend his time doing his favorite thing- killing Palestinians with American money and weapons. Trump’s already forgotten he was mad at Bibi the other day and is currently raging at… Charlamagne tha God.
I couldn’t eat red beans and rice for a third dinner (I made a big pot the other day), so I thawed out two links of italian sausage, grabbed some canned tomatoes, anchovy paste, and stuff from the pantry, made a mirepoix and browned the sausage, sliced it in thin slices and made a red sauce, boiled some rigatoni, and topped it all with some basil from the garden and microplaned some parm on it. 10/10 would do again and it cost under 10 bucks.
Actually will do it again because I think I am just going to bake the leftovers and jar the rest of the sauce for the rest of the week. Off to watch some Spooks. Very fun show. Love the out of date technology.
Medium Cool – Adult Beverages, Like Rings On a Tree
WaterGirl
test
Baud
Why would Republicans feel shame? Shame is a social construct. That’s why animals don’t feel shame. What part of our society would cause Republicans to feel shame? Our society rewards Republican shamelessness.
Scout211
RIP Loni Anderson
New Deal democrat
FWIW, I have yet to find a single economic or finance commentator outside of the White House who has supported T—-p’s firing of the BLS Commissioner. Not even GOP Senators have been willing to defend it, and conservative economists have either gone silent or criticized it as well.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Scout211:
WKRP was one of the best comedies of it’s time and has held up remarkably well.
B1naryS3rf
Invest in some good speakers, Cole.
There are plenty that may be insulted by the most pretentious rich audiophiles but deliver solid and long lasting value for no more than $1,000, especially if you’re only going stereo and not multichannel. You deserve it and so does your music if you already have the other components. My old bookshelves are still kicking ass decades later and even with inflation wouldn’t cost more than that figure.
Unfortunately I don’t know the market well enough to make recommendations but reviews and searches should get you plenty of possibilities. Even used ones can sometimes actually be better and cheaper than new.
PsiFighter37
11 more days to go, and then I get to leave this godforsaken mess of a country for 15 days with the family. It will be nice to tune out the absolute dumpster fire this country has become, along with tuning out work (it is mandatory leave). Spend time with the family in new places to visit and have a good time before coming back around Labor Day.
robtrim
Netanyahu has won the battle in Gaza and lost the war in the middle east. Canada, France and the UK are ready to throw their weigh behind a Palestinian State. Other nations will follow. Eventually, his government will collapse or be voted out. Genocide is not a winning strategy.
Baud
@Scout211:
Oh man. RIP.
Dlwchico
I have like 9 of those IKEA Billy bookshelves filled with books.
I have dragging some of these books around for 40+ years and I love them.
Unfortunately I am in hospice due to ALS so I need to get rid of them and it’s surprising how sad that part of all this
I suspect it’s because getting rid of the books means my brain has to accept that I really am dying.
Lapassionara
@Scout211: oh, man, that news sucks.
SiubhanDuinne
@Scout211:
Jesus, really?
Shalimar
Looked at Spooks on wikipedia. Looks interesting, but then I looked at the character list. The list of characters who die is massively longer than the very short list of characters who survived to the end. Do not get attached to anyone on this show.
SiubhanDuinne
@Dlwchico:
Oh, fuck. I am so goddamn sorry. And as one who own many thousands of physical books, i totally get the sadness in letting them go. Holding you tightly in my book-addled brain.
Jackie
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
narya
I’m gonna donate books to prisons when I get my act together (or, at least, the ones they’ll take). And my old employer sends unsellable clothes to salvage and they get a few bucks for that, so that’s where worn-out stuff goes.
Shalimar
@Dlwchico: My mom was a collector/hoarder and didn’t get rid of any of her own stuff before she died. It was a massive nightmare trying to respectfully find people who would want some of her stuff without just giving it all to a charity. It’s sad you have to pass on everything you care about, but better than leaving it as a burden to someone else.
Edit: I know exactly how you feel about the books. I have gotten rid of all of my excess stuff before various moves and gotten down from 15000+ books to around 4000 left and I cannot give up the last of them regardless of how hard it is to lug them from place to place.
narya
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
gene108
I’m a bit surprised the statisticians at BLS are coming under attack this quickly. I thought it’d take a few more months before Trump started firing people who reported numbers that Trump doesn’t like.
Also, it’s been pretty clear that Trump’s was going to do this. Fire people who report information that makes him look bad. Nothing can contradict the party line. Not employment surveys, not scientific facts, and especially not existing laws.
Scout211
@Dlwchico:
Wow. I’m so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you and your loved ones. I hope you find a good home for all of your treasured books.
May you feel peace and love. ❤️
(((((Dlwchico)))))
zhena gogolia
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
NutmegAgain
I totally get the cleaning out/cleaning up. My kid & her fella are coming from Germany in a few days, to stay 3 weeks (ahh those European vacations! They’ll each have 3 more weeks +). But somehow my routine cleaning and tidying for the visit has turned into eviscerating all the closets and any other storage nook. I mean, they won’t give a damn, but I do. Orion, my most previous dog was a slobber champion. Meaning that I keep finding bits & bobs of Newfy spit all over, including the ceilings, which are low in my place. I’m just that close to starting to label things so that in the end nobody will have to wonder, “what the hell is this and why does she have it?”. I ended up taking all the considerable overflow from my folks after my mother died about 20 years ago. Can’t believe I am still sorting through papers & photos. My parents’ stuff, and even some boxes from my grandfather (1883-1979. that’s 96 years.) In so many ways after my grandmother died relatively early in the mid-50s, emotionally my grandfather increasingly retreated into his life as a young man: university student, met his wife (in the chemistry lab, in 1906), all the lovely summer afternoons, and the costume parties, and beautiful young women in Gibson girl upswept hair and floaty dresses with teeny tiny waists. This is all before WWI, and they married and moved to the US in 1910. Have to laugh, if I recollected this period in my life, it would be late ’70s and early ’80s, ugly, no hideous clothing and really not tranquil memories of the time before.
Gin & Tonic
I have two grandkids for a week, alone since my dear wife is in Yurp on a project, and I’m happy to report that despite tablets and Nintendos and shit, both of them really love to read – like old-fashioned ink-on-paper books – and grandson has discovered chess, and both like cards (you know, like *cards.*) So my objectives are a) not to be embarrassed at chess and b) teach them to play hearts. Will probably also teach them backgammon. But bottom line, the kids are alright. At least these kids.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
Re the books: My theory is that because we recreate a book’s content in our mind when we read, they feel like part of us. We are who we are because of our experiences, and what we read is part of those experiences.
JCJ
@Scout211: I remember having a poster of her on the wall. Loved her character on WKRP. The way she controlled things in the station, smacking down Herb, she was the only sensible person working there
Jackie
Holy COW! I hope, hope, HOPE someone brings this article to FFOTUS’s attention!
The entire article is delicious reading… and Vance has to be shitting his pants! BAHAHAHAAA!
Can a president fire his traitorous VP?
(I know the answer, but we all know following/obeying the Constitution is not a high priority with FFOTUS AND his Six Supremes will probably aid and abet, if asked)
Aimai
@Dlwchico: wish I were there to give you some support. This is the hardest time for you. I will be thinking of you.
Jackie
@Gin & Tonic: Awww! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
daize
@Dlwchico: Oh, I am so sorry. Thinking of you and those who love you. Wishing you kindness and peace.
TheOtherHank
i just got back from a week in Iceland (1 or more OTR posts soon to come). The trip was great, we spent most of our time in the lower left quadrant of the island. Saw puffins, many waterfalls, soaked in a hot spring that isn’t the Blue Lagoon, climbed a small cinder cone, you know the regular stuff one does.
The trip home, though, was a nightmare. Got on the plane at Keflavik, sat for 2 and half hours, then got told to get off the plane. 15 minutes later told to get back on the plane sat for a bit longer and flew to Newark (survived the landing, so I guess ATC was working properly). Missed our 6 PM connecting flight to SFO, got rescheduled for the next morning at 6 AM. Went to a not terribly nearby hotel slept for a few hours got up, waited for the cab we had ordered to arrive. It was late, the airport was crowded, ended up literally running to the gate, flew to Chicago, changed planes and made it back to SFO.
But, as I said, Iceland is great, if very expensive.
WaterGirl
@robtrim:
Let it be so.
WaterGirl
@Dlwchico: I am so very sorry to hear about this.
Wapiti
@NutmegAgain: I’m working though the last bits of my dad’s estate. There were maybe 20 boxes of family memory stuff. My sister and I winnowed through it in six or eight sessions. We set up in my garage on folding chairs, with bins in front of us labeled shred and recycle, and boxes with each sibling’s name, and a box for the family to look through together. The winnowing process is easier with a buddy, so you can do a quick sanity check.
It’s pretty clear my parents had analysis paralysis when their respective parents passed away. They kept it all. (But it’s really easy to get through a box of cancelled checks of my grandmother who passed in ’95)
different-church-lady
Sociopaths are like that.
Aussie Sheila
@robtrim:
Even the Australian government, whose disgraceful non response to the war crime that is Gaza has been a scandal, is moving towards recognition of a Palestinian state.
The ALP base has been unrelenting on this issue (among other social and political actors of course), and ALP politicians, state and federal joined a very large demonstration and march yesterday in Sydney, which the media reported as 90,000, but which I believe reached nearly 200,000, calling for an end to the atrocities and recognition of Palestine.
I have been incandescent on this issue internally, and I’m not the only one, to say the least. It’s been the worst, slowest response to a humanitarian disaster on its watch of any ALP government.
Simply shameful.
And it stops now, or there will be consequences for any endorsed MP who doesn’t shape up.
While it’s not the most important politically ethical issue here, electorates with a sizeable Muslim population are now rightly, under threat , from political parties and actors who have been much more active on this issue.
An avoidable clusterfuck at every point.
Jeffro
has anyone else seen this article about “the mothership” and how money that Dems donated across the country went up in smoke last cycle?
would explain A LOT
bluefoot
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry. ALS sucks. Sending you good thoughts. About books, I think they become a part of you so letting them go is hard.
Suzanne
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry. I am not a collector of anything, except my books. I, and all of us here, are wishing you the best.
SW
Get yourself a pair of Elac debuts for under $300 and you will be amazed how good your Adcom stuff sounds.
Lehrjet
John keep the Adcoms. Still use mine on the daily. A good set of bookshelf speakers. KEF if your budget can take it. Klipsch makes a decent pair for around 500 600. Also check out Focal. Add a streamer and you’re good to go!
Aussie Sheila
@Dlwchico:
I apologise for missing your post earlier.
I am very sorry you are facing this health crisis. All the best to you and your family.
Dlwchico
Thanks all.
I have a lot of support from friends, a place to live and doing ok financially.
Most importantly is my wife who has been my caregiver and she is a superstar. Without her I would be gone already.
JoyceH
One thing that bothers me about the firing of the BLS person is that it’s another instance of Trump “suspicious-fying” a perfectly normal thing to make it seem shady and justify his assertion that a fact is not a fact. These revisions to the employment numbers have always happened and should continue to happen to make the data as accurate as possible. But I imagine that will now be a thing of the past.
The most detrimental example, though, is Trump’s claim that there’s something suspicious about votes continuing to be counted after Election Day. That’s gone on for our entire history and sometimes the election turns on votes counted in the days after the election. But if Trump had his way, votes not counted by midnight on Election Day just wouldn’t count. Not only making for an inaccurate vote count, but also making the outcome easier to fiddle, with election officials deciding which voting areas to count first.
Jager
@Baud:
Our German Shepherd must be a libtard, he gets really ashamed when farts in front of us.
Citizen_X
@Dlwchico: I am sorry to hear that.
Aussie Sheila
@Dlwchico:
You are blessed to have a loving caregiver. Apart from life itself, it’s the most important thing in life.
kalakal
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
Re the books, I share your feelings. I so hate parting with books, I left about 10,000 behind in England
Kayla Rudbek
@Dlwchico: very sorry to hear this. Let your family members know too (I inherited some books from my grandmother which I really appreciate and I will try to make sure they stay in the family)
rikyrah
You never know how you will touch another life. damn TikTok. got me 😭😭😭😭😭 https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8k988oR/
rikyrah
@Scout211:
RIP 🙏🏽 😞
So mad that the music publishing issues prevented it from being as well known in re-runs as it should be. WKRP was a fantastic show.
rikyrah
@Dlwchico:
So sorry 🙏🏽🙏🏽😞😞😞
Sister Golden Bear
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry.
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: Happy birthday!
mrmoshpotato
That sounds good. Especially with the rigatoni which is great at holding on to sauces.
Scout211
@Omnes Omnibus: Where ya been? You have many birthday greetings two threads down.
Happy Birthday to you!
Elizabelle
@Dlwchico: Wishing you peace and comfort.
That is a lot of good books read.
Omnes Omnibus
@Scout211: I’ve been busy.
laura
@Dlwchico: I’m joining the chorus in hoping that you can find new eyes for your library and I’m wishing you the very best in your day to day with family, friends and all that you can experience each and every next day.
ruckus
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
WKRP was far more realistic and honest than many shows. And it was necessary because so much of life back then had – I call it guard rails but it was more like electrified fence around it, to keep out “undesirables.” As I was born in the first half of the last century, and TV was new and evolving and WKRP was one of the shows that helped it evolve into a somewhat more realistic vision of daily life.
ruckus
@B1naryS3rf:
Cerwin Vega makes very good speakers. Mine are a fair number of years old and they still sound extremely good. Not the cheapest but very solid. I’ve had my set for over 30 years and they still sound great. They do take up a bit of room but are really worth it.
Jackie
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@rikyrah:
One of the most amazing things during first run was that during one episode, Dr Johnny Fever played ‘Dogs’ of off Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’.
Hell, back then, even the FM stations that lived and died by PF didn’t play anything of off ‘Animals’.
Another Scott
@Dlwchico: I’m so sorry. :-(
Agreed that books are a powerful joy; one of the best things about being human.
Thanks for telling us. Peace and comfort to you, your wife, and everyone working with you.
Best wishes,
Scott.
kalakal
@Jackie: Easy peasy, his apointee to take over the BLS will be able to come up with figures showing a 1500% decrease in drug prices once they’ve applied rigerous Trumpian math to the employment figures. Should only take an afternoon.
kalakal
@Omnes Omnibus: I hear you’ve become older, old chap. Happy birthday
WTFGhost
never mind – my talky thing no “I am groot,” so, “I am groot.”
(Hm? No, I’m not a Groot, so it’s not capitalized for me silly!)
dnfree
@Jeffro: That’s as bad or worse than all the fake right-wing mailing lists I had to get my dad off after he died in 2014. I thought Democrats were better than that. Makes me sick, but thanks for sharing.
I get those obnoxious emails even from my otherwise good representative, Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Omnes Omnibus:
Probably a dead thread, but Happy Birthday!
ascap_scab
Why do no republicans ever feel ashamed about anything ever?
Simple. EVERY elected Republican is a human blood drinking, shape-shifting, lizard alien from another planet.
You know it’s true.
B1naryS3rf
@ruckus: indeed. I inherited some full size C-V’s from my father RIP and I’m sure they still sound great. They’re not installed currently but some day perhaps.
ruckus
@B1naryS3rf:
Had to buy a better amp after the speakers. Between the amp and the speakers I could piss off my neighbors any time, if the need arose. But I’ve lived here going on 10 years and have never found a rational reason/need.
John Cole
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: It’s my favorite Floyd album.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@John Cole:
Watch this then:
youtube.com/watch?v=QOBRSkPi-TM
Paul in KY
@Dlwchico: Very sorry to hear this. My prayers for you and your family.
Paul in KY
@Dlwchico: A great wife is a true blessing! Mine sure is.