Message Forum - GENERAL

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/putin-considering-not-running-trump-for-reelection

MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Faced with “deeply discouraging” 2020 polls, Vladimir Putin is “seriously considering” not running Donald J. Trump for reëlection, according to Kremlin sources.

The Russian President had been holding out hope that Trump could somehow stop his precipitous slide in popularity, but a recent roundup of polls showing Joe Biden crushing him in several battleground states made Putin realize that “his guy is a lost cause,” one source said.

“Putin has been talking about not running Trump for reëlection for months now, but it looks like he’s finally ready to pull the rip cord,” the source added.

According to Kremlin insiders, Putin is actively mulling a number of possible Republican replacements for Trump, including Representative Devin Nunes, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Senator Rand Paul, but he does not relish the idea of making the switch.

“You have to understand, Putin has spent years training Trump to be so obedient,” the source said. “It’s going to be hard breaking in a new one.”

07/02/20 03:02 PM

#12292

Not everything is rosy

07/02/20 03:12 PM

#12293

Yes, cases are spiraling out of control. As fear of sickness increases, people don't want to go places like restaurants and malls to stimulate the economy. Oh Jack I laughed when I saw that Putin might not run Trump. His other possible choices seem dismal too.. Moscow Mitch seems like the logical front runner. Love joanie

07/02/20 04:09 PM

#12294

https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/trumps-statements-about-the-coronavirus

Jan. 22: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

Jan. 30: “We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five — and those people are all recuperating successfully."

Feb. 10: “Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though."

Feb. 23: “We have it very much under control in this country.”

Feb. 24: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA."

Feb. 26: "We’re going very substantially down, not up.”

Feb. 29: “everything is under control."

March 7: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, we’ve done a great job with it.”

March 10: “And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.” — Trump after meeting with Republican senators.

A day later, on March 11, the WHO declared the global outbreak a pandemic.

These are just some, not all, of Trump's analyses before the pandemic was official. But remember, he knew it was a pandemic "long before it was called a pandemic."

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07/02/20 05:34 PM

#12295

Beautiful photo, Jack! Do you know what the pretty pink flowers are up at the top? And are those little islands or rocks/tree stumps attached to the shore?

07/02/20 06:07 PM

#12296

I'm not a good flower identifier, Helen, and I didn't get any closer than the picture suggests. I think they are the same as these, from a different paddle a week or so ago:

They also come in a white variant:

And an in-between pink!

Those are very large tree stumps, jutting up from a shallow lake bottom. This is one of many lakes created by damming, often by putting formal, engineered dams in where beaver dams had once been. Some of the places I paddle are so shallow they could be walked almost entirely across! But others are very deep (50-70 feet) gouged out by glaciers during the last ice age. Two very different ecosystems.

Another, smaller stump:

07/02/20 07:17 PM

#12297

Thanks, Jack! They are mountain laurel. I couldn't tell until you sent the close-up.

07/03/20 09:31 AM

#12298

https://www.gocomics.com/tomtoles/2020/07/03

Today's Tom Toles cartoon is really good...Love, Joanie

07/03/20 12:37 PM

#12299

Stephen Hatchett

Man you take good pics Jack. Always an upper for the day.

Good stock to invest in might be ZOOM. We'll be using it for a while.

Saw a pic of a good window sign the other day. Said

-------ATTENTION---------
If you or a loved one has been
refused entry to a private business
for not wearing a mask, and you
would like to explore legal options to
protect your constitutional rights, our
law firm is happy to explain just how
fucking stupid you are.

07/03/20 06:04 PM

#12300

Glen Hirose

Pineapple Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe - BettyCrocker.com

and a cup of Kona Coffee...

07/03/20 06:29 PM

#12301

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-july-4-mt-rushmore_n_5eff493cc5b612083c5b946e

Trump is going to Mt. Fushmore to have a political rally and Fourth of July event WITHOUT social distancing. The governer there has said they won't have social distancing. Also there is a big danger that the fireworks can start fires and impact the environment. Also, there are native tribes in that area that are very upset as this was their land and we broke a treaty with them to take over their land, Love, Joanie here is an article about this.

on a lighter note...the dessert and coffee look so good Glen.Love, Joanie

07/04/20 03:01 AM

#12302

Stay safe and well, everyone! And wear a mask PLEASE!

07/04/20 06:12 AM

#12303

Happy Indepence Day to all. Enjoy and appreciate. Remember that gaining, keeping, and living with independence and freedom is a tumultuous, disputatious process--often angry, even violent. From the Revolution through the ongoing struggles to extend those first limited rights to more and more of us, freedom requires the few to give up long-held privileges and advantages so that the many may hold them as well.

If you're part of the advantaged class and want to live peacefully with your privileges, find a nice single-party state with a powerful autocrat. Don't bother your head about things, live peacefully and let Il Duce decide.

For those of us who would rather have the turmoil and spread the freedom, again, Happy 4th of July!

07/04/20 07:34 AM

#12304

Yes, Happy 4th to everyone. I agree too..stay safe. Its a reminder that some are not yet free. Love, Joanie

07/04/20 08:36 AM

#12305

Mmmmm. Pineapple upside-down cake. My fave. But it must be crunchy.

Thought perhaps you guys, particularly Joanie who seems so disturbed by Trump's Mount Rushmore event, might like to enjoy another take on the festivities. These are some thoughts (snipped from Yahoo) from plain old American citizens:

07/04/20 08:46 AM

#12306

Excuse my repetition of some of those listed among the heroes above. Not sure what happened there.
Missing my fam & friends today as I know many of you must be, too. You're not alone! I revel in our infusion of voices & care for one another as we celebrate, albeit quietly, a happy birthday to our amazing, resilient land of the free!

07/04/20 11:04 AM

#12307

Glen Hirose

07/04/20 12:16 PM

#12308

O.M.G. Glen! With that spread Jane will surely become a bit more hefty! I think I am, just looking at it! What's more American than a lip-smacking family picnic? Bon appetit, my friend!
Another way to celebrate is to acknowledge the work & set the record straight on policy actions re Russia through 2019 by this adminstration. They may actually be a smattering of better reasons for Putin's (supposed) decision to "let Trump go".

07/04/20 03:37 PM

#12309

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000007192360/racial-inequality-was-tearing-the-us-apart-a-1968-report-warned-it-was-ignored-retro-report.html?referringSource=articleShare

More reflections on Independence Day.

Over 50 years ago the Kerner Commission told us why our cities were in flames--because our freedoms are unequally shared. We have been told the same things over the decades since, as our cities erupted again and again. And this year, it continues.

The President offers us a sculpture garden.

07/04/20 08:03 PM

#12310

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1279414665542381568

Biden's positive, unifying Fourth of July message. It's worth watching to see the images chosen to accompany his words.

"Our country was founded on an idea: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

We’ve never lived up to it. Jefferson himself didn’t. He held slaves. Women were excluded. But once proposed, it was an idea that couldn't be constrained. It survived the ravages of the Civil War, the dogs of Bull Connor, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and more than 200 years of systemic racism … and just weeks ago, the murder of George Floyd.

Through it all, these words have gnawed at our conscience and pulled us toward justice. American history is no fairy tale. It’s been a constant push-and-pull between two parts of our character: the idea that all men and women—all people—are created equal, and the racism that has torn us apart.

We have a chance now, to give the marginalized, the demonized, the isolated, the oppressed, a full share of the American dream. We have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country. We have a chance to live up to the words that founded this nation.

This Independence Day, let’s not just celebrate the words. Let’s celebrate that promise, and commit to work—the work we must do to fulfill that promise. We remain locked in the battle for the soul of this nation, but believe me—truly—it’s a battle we can and we will win, if we act together.

Happy Fourth."

07/04/20 09:35 PM

#12311

Yes, Jack, thank you for posting Biden's strong, moving, and clear message during this 4th of July Independence Day...his message is a reminder that we are not all free and that we have to work towards cleansing this nation of systemic racism and he is so right that this is a fight for the soul of this Nation...I am thankful that he is here to do this. thanks Jack. Love, Joanie

07/05/20 08:42 AM

#12312

Yes, Joanie, Joe Biden has been here for a LONG time but THIS time, will surely save us from all the evils that Trump has rained upon this nation which Jack points out daily is a bad, bad country of inequality. Do I have that right?

On a different note, this just in from a fellow classmate:

07/05/20 08:57 AM

#12313

https://www.startribune.com/analysis-trump-s-racial-division-is-starting-to-unnerve-the-gop/571630812/

This is a very good but sad article about the racism of Trump. Its hard to believe anyone who is in favor of racial justice would support this man. Here is the article. Love, Joanie

07/05/20 09:01 AM

#12314