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Joan Ruggles (Young)

When the NFL commissioner says, “Everything went as planned. We were just thrilled, truly grateful for southern hospitality ” in an article on sex trafficking, you hope he wasn't implying THAT kind of southern hospitality.

Beautiful photos Jack.

Very touching story about the migrant letter-writing campaign.

Jack Mallory

Thanks, Joan. I did like the story about the San Diego community's support for the encarcerated refugees. It's good to be reminded that many/most Americans have the humanity to feel for those looking for a safe haven here.

I did want to acknowledge the President's State of the Union address. The red-baiting made me feel young again--took me back to the good old days, when commie/socialist/pinko were the terms used to attack those just trying to make the world a little better. It was also a good reminder of Trump's McCarthy connection, through his long-time mentor Roy Cohn. 

More from last night's ice storm:

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And Paul Krugman is reading MY forum posts! If you want to get the MSM to pay attention, folks, post to the forum!

Trump Versus the Socialist Menace  
https://nyti.ms/2DYYREg?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Jack Mallory

And if these had been little blonde, blue-eyed Norwegian kids with white parents who looked like Republicans . . . 

Dont tell me racism isn’t involved in policy-making.

https://www.newsweek.com/matt-whitaker-track-children-separated-parents-1324835?utm_campaign=NewsweekFacebookSF&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Hi, Jerry! In response to your assertion that the GOP doesn’t seem to demand removal of their representatives (I assume you were thinking of Kavanaugh?) vs. the Dems demanding (a la Fairfax?) the removal, resignation of such accusees: I can’t speak for anyone but for myself: whether leaning Right or Left, I am for due process (where corroborated evidence is gathered) to decide whether people are tossed out of office or impeached.  It is the only way to deal with cases, & particularly those highly political in nature. (Note that the now-powerful Dems do not talk about demanding Kavanaugh’s due process (as they once did). Why? It’s been shown to be politically imprudent for the Democrats).  As for other current observations: Dem. Robert Byrd rose to political stardom as a highly esteemed US Senator after having been an active Klansman (perhaps a Grand Wizard!) in his younger years, so I personally think old photos of people in Black face (which, btw, include Shirley Temple & Bing Crosby, & those from all walks of life), should indicate nothing more than a change of times for the better. We’ve come a long way, & those photos are strong evidence as such. Much more disturbing news about Northam is his calm assertion & acceptance of the taking of the life of a living, breathing full grown newborn.  I can only hope that there are many more Blacks (albethey Dems, Virginians, or otherwise) who struggle with THAT revelation, a helluva lot more than past decisions about what to don for a costume party. Do we assume that if one comes dressed as Hitler, said person is a Nazi? I once carried a catsup covered knife, dressed as a Halloween Lizzie Borden. Does that transfer to my being a murderess? And, if so, where does it end? 

Jack Mallory

I think it's a safe bet that anyone who comes to a costume party dressed as Adolf Hitler is one sick bastard, regardless of their politics. And Trump vehemently denies he ever did that, anyway. Says he was in an Adenoid Hynkel costume. 

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Interesting and significant (politically, not statistically) polling on opinions on the VA governor: https://apple.news/AVsHOInlLTziDPDhwuT4oLg

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Nori, if you are for due process, does it bother you that Dr. Christine Blasey Ford didn't get due process regarding her accusations that Kavanaugh committed sexual assault regarding herself?? The FBI were told that they could not investigate the people that Dr. Ford listed who could have backed up her story like her therapist, her husband and others....The one key witness in the room during the alleged assault was not even subpoened. Does this bother you since you stated you are for due process? Love, Joanie

Jack Mallory

https://slate.com/technology/2019/02/late-term-abortion-support-group-lessons-trust-myself-women.html?via=homepage_section_features

A long, detailed, and heartbreaking story. Anyone who describes choices like the author's as “butchering full term babies” should read it, at least to show the human decency of trying to empathize with her. 

“I wish people who react in outrage to late-term abortion, who question how it’s allowed or why it’s necessary, would pause and listen to some of the answers those of us who have had late-term abortions have provided. We do not owe it to anyone to tell our stories, but many of us have offered them up all the same. We tell them to honor our babies and to try to smooth the path for all the families to come. We expose ourselves to your scrutiny and judgment for the same reason we released our babies from suffering: Because our pain is eclipsed only by our love.”

Deborah Pellington (O'Hara)

Nori, Northam never said he would “execute” a newborn!!! That is ridiculous! In a hypothetical case, he said the baby would be resuscitated if the parents and doctors agreed that it would be the best thing to do. In other words, the baby was not born viable without extreme means of keeping it alive. 

Jack Mallory

Debbie, those who choose to refer to a woman's choice to terminate her pregnancy in horrific circumstances as "butchering" her baby won't hesitate to refer to the same act as an execution. They're not making mistakes in the words they're using, they're deliberately choosing words that condemn and vilify.

Glen Hirose

   What do these 2 have in common?

   ...Well nothing really except you have to be playing some damn good hockey to have an aircraft carrier named after you.

    February "Dish of the month" 

    Hot sausage biscuits & gravy.

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Joanie, if you recall it was Dianne Feinstein’s choice to wait until the 11th hour to bring Blasey-Ford’s testimony to the forefront & then use it to try to keep a conservative off the SCOTUS. But, more pertinent was the fact that Judge K’s unfortunate behavior was not a crime. Lt. Governor Fairfax has been accused of two serious crimes of rape. Due process can be brought by entering articles of impeachment. OR he can be voted out in the next election. If none of these VA. bad boys refuse to step down, then electing them out is the natural step to getting rid of them. 

As for the killing of a newborn, full term baby: I was under the impression that that indeed IS murder. Furthermore, if a pregnant woman is murdered, her fetus is protected (under law) & is deemed a second homicide. 

Those who get squeamish about terms such as “slaughter” being used to describe abortion (partial, late or otherwise), might want to gather their strength & see online what the truth about abortion really looks like. And THEN see if the terminology fits what’s going on. Last I checked, lopping off limbs & pulling them from the womb looks a lot like slaughter & murder to me. Maybe you can check it out & tell me where those terms don’t apply. 

As far as costume parties: I had no idea that there was a rule that only sickos dressed up as bad folk. Let me get this straight: dressing up to look like somebody (i.e., Diana Ross or any famous black person, a Geisha, any war-painted American Indian in full headdress, a hula dancer, a matador, a confederate soldier, Marilyn Monroe or any perceived dumb blonde, Gandhi, The Pope, & anyone with a Hitler mustache is a no-no. Do I have that right?  Only Disney characters? It’s so confusing & SO STUPID!! Glad to see that close to 70% of VA. Blacks are against Northam stepping down. It would seem they “get it” better than  Virginia’s White Dems who are engulfed in identity politics & auditioning for the PC police. 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Nori, you often throw out other counter claims when we bring up a point. I was saying that Dr. Ford did not get due process because there was not a real investigation by the FBI of her alleged claims. Whether it qualified as crime or not, if true and I think Dr. Ford was very believeable, it was horrific and should have been a disqualifier for Kavanaugh to be a candidate. There are lots of conservative potential judges without that kind of background. You then throw out the idea that its all politics and that the only reason Feinstein was helping Ford was to get rid of Kavanaugh. I believe her when she said she didn't want to out her because at first Dr. Ford didn't want to be outed. I think Feinstein is a person of integrity and if the Democratic party is just out to find dirt against Republicans, they would not have been coming out strongly AGAINST Northam and Fairfax. I personally agree with the people who have come forward on both sides to say they should both resign. Fairfax's situation became more troubling when a second witness came forward. Yes, the Democrats were alarmed that Kavanaugh was the choice as he is out of the mainstream of most Americans on abortion and he should not have been the Justice pushed through by McConnell...Merrick Garland was the one that should be sitting on the court and the party that is responsible for this was the Republican party under Mitch McConnell who will do anything to push through Judges that fit his ideology. I mean I know you have strong views that are suited by Kavanaugh on the court, but Obama was President when a vacancy became open and McConnell said that he would keep the spot open for 4 years if Hillary had gotten in. Love, Joanie

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

As for late term abortions, they are rare Nori and there are situations where its found out that the fetus will be born without a brain or some other tragic situation so I don't think its fair to judge all women who have to choose this painful decision with their family, doctor or clergy. Love, Joanie

Jack Mallory

Nora, sometimes all those brutal and grotesque things you describe are not only socially permissible but admirable. Soldiers carry them out, tax payers fund it. We judge that, under some circumstances, the end justifies the means. That’s the kind of decision the mother in the article I posted describes. 

These brutal and grotesque results occur not only among enemy combatants but among civilians as well—adults and children, babies born and unborn. Our society, and tax payers like you and I, cause or permit  these things to happen through our actions and inactions. But it's not as if we judge the deaths of innocents as always and completely unacceptable.

Jerry Morgan

Sorry Nora murder of a pregnant mother does not automatically include the charge for the death of the fetus.  Check out the Carly Scott murder case on Maui.  It is not a universal crime to kill a fetus.  This woman's baby was 5 months old.  https://www.inquisitr.com/1949793/carly-scott-murder-man-charged-with-stabbing-pregnant-ex-20-times-in-stomach-but-was-she-the-target/

You may find that repugnant however the law doesn't. My opinion they probably should have turned the boy friend over to her family for an hour but the courts decided otherwis. 

Jack Mallory

Thanks, Jerry. More unsubstantiated and incorrect information from Nora—that's why I don't believe anything unless accompanied by evidence, with links. 

Here's some reliable info: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unborn_Victims_of_Violence_Act

I don’t think it takes “PC police” to understand the difference between coming to a costume party as Marilyn Monroe and coming as Adolf Hitler. It's unlikely that anyone at the party would have had family gassed by Marilyn.

Nora Skinker (Morton)

 Coming to a costume party looking like a famous person..whether it’s a movie or rock star, a saint or a criminal, should not be, in itself, grounds to lose one’s job. It is no different to me than an actor depicting Adolf Hitler in some Hollywood production. It is PRETEND (as my grandies already grasp!). Has Mel Brooks taught us nothing? But these issues will pop up willy nilly as long as identity & victim politics continue to take center stage. Like the Confederate flag has been shown to offend racial groups over the last few decades, so has the use of black-face. Neither are acceptably used today but when discovered to have been seen & used years ago, they should be treated as symbols of a relatively unenlightened time &, like relics in a museum, convey growth in our ever evolving culture. There should not be denial of our past lest we forget the lessons. There, I am in agreement with Condoleeza Rice who said as much when pressed about ridding our country of statues erected to Confederate soldiers. In Northam’s case, lying about one’s role is an altogether different story. Until politicians own up to their indiscretions forthrightly, they will continue to fail in their jobs anyway. 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Nori, according to your opinion of until politicians own up to their indiscretions, they fail at their job, Trump must be in that category and be failing at his job...thoughts? Love, Joanie

Jack Mallory

Joanie—It's tough when the President’s fervent supporters won’t give him credit for doing his job until he tweets, “Yeah, I balled that broad and my Pecker-buddy covered it up for me.” And that would just be the beginning . . .

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A tip of the hat to The Onion. 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Jack, its so hard to understand how Trump has supporters anymore but he does. I think its true that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and at least some supporters would still support him. Love, Joanie

Jack Mallory

Joanie, If he were to shoot a NYT reporter, or a "socialist" (I seriously doubt he knows what a real socialist is), or a woman who'd had a late-term abortion, his supporters would pay for the ammunition! I see there was another attack on a reporter at a Trump event today.

Jack Mallory

When I'm unable to understand how this lying, incompetent, and often criminal administration bamboozled even a minority of the voters, I remind myself that Trump not only had Putin's help, but Divine Interference.

https://www.newsweek.com/god-wanted-donald-trump-become-president-25-believe-according-new-poll-1331180

But having thought about this deeply at the gym, where I do all my deep thinking, I don’t understand why god and Putin are in cahoots on this. Any political theologians out there got any ideas?

Jack Mallory

Donald Trump on the use of executive action to deal with immigration issues: 

“Repubs must not allow Pres Obama to subvert the Constitution of the US for his own benefit & because he is unable to negotiate w/ Congress,”

“now he (Obama) has to use executive action, and this is a very, very dangerous thing that should be overridden easily by the Supreme Court . . . We’re looking now at a situation that should absolutely not pass muster in terms of constitutionality.” 

Mike Pence on the same:

“When I talk about the consent of the governed, that is where the American people work their will. If the president were to go through with this, he is acting outside the consent of the governed and is not providing leadership to solve this issue facing our country in the way the American people would expect a leader to do. Signing an executive order, giving a speech and barnstorming around the country is not leadership.

https://apple.news/APhEDKspbTyuoWh85t5PKJg

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The silver cloud in this is that should the courts approve of this by-passing of Congress perhaps a President wishing to take strong action on climate change could declare a real emergency about a real emergency.

Morgan Stanley, not a bunch of panicky, pinko college perfessers and Chinese hoaxers, sees an on-going, growing disaster with global and especially US impact on “sea-level rise, weather events, changes in agriculture and infectious disease.”

https://static.nytimes.com/email-content/WAR_10324.html?nlid=35824785

Trumps' playing to his base by creating a border emergency while ignoring an impending catastrophe may be his greatest failure as president. 

Robert Hall

Speaking of theological grounds for today's politics you might want to ask the driver of this (US built) Honda Jack.  Maybe he can enlighten us.

Jack Mallory

And this one of the pro-Trump ads the Russians placed on FB, perhaps inspired by campaign demographic data given them by Paul Manafort? I suspect the Russians were just having fun phishing for Trump votes. But Sarah Sanders really believes this shit. 

This from a year before the election. Slightly more subtle; a real American campaign artifact, I think.