The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    librewolf's picture

    Do Not Mix: Chemical Plants and Natural Disasters

    The consequences of Hurricane Harvey go on and on. Even under the "best" of circumstances the flooding caused by the days of torrential rain would be hazardous as the toxic fluids from automobiles, gas stations, businesses, and household chemicals mix with flooded sewers and sewage treatment facilities. In other words, flooding around any modern town or city is going to result in a toxic stew. However, this region of Texas is far more than a modern city (or collection of cities). It is the petrochemical capital of the United States, as well as having significant numbers of chemical production facilities.

    Richard Day's picture

    AMAZING GRACE

    We find ourselves with the single most repugnant personage as President of the United States of America.

    And yet, there are other things to worry about. hahahah

    I spend too too many hours viewing these new YOUTUBE sites? Or Ipod espressos?

    librewolf's picture

    Joe Arpaio, Trump's Kind of Lawman, Pardoned

    Joe Arpaio is Trump's kind of lawman: cruel to the point of sadism, racist, makes his own law, and self righteous to a fault. Unfortunately, I am not embellishing the truth. After decades of effort by civil rights organizations and many citizens of Maricopa County and beyond. Arpaio had been ordered by the court (in 2011) to stop racially profiling people assumed to be Latino, stopping them, and turning them over to immigration authorities (ICE). Many of those stopped were citizens or legal residents, and many were not Hispanic; however, all that was required was that a patrolman, or a deputized citizen (and there were lots of those) believe you were Hispanic. Arpaio flagrantly ignored this order and continued his practice of harassment and illegal detention. So he was brought back to federal court and U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton found him in criminal contempt of court.

    Trump Hates Harvey

    Hurricane Harvey may be "the worst disaster in Texas history". Recovery may last for years due to the trillions of gallons of water that need to drain or be pumped out of Houston, the 4th largest city in America.

    Democratic Opportunity

    The Democrats have a great chance to win back many of the working class Midwesterners who were pivotal in last year’s election even if some Trump voters are deplorable racists who cannot be reached through rational argument. A study by professors from the University of Minnesota and Boston University concludes that Hillary Clinton’s narrow loss may be attributed to her relative hawkishness. For example, Trump came out in opposition to the Iraq War far earlier than Clinton grudgingly admitted it was a mistake. Likewise, analyses from such disparate and credible sources as Scientific American, CNN, and Fortune Magazine see Trump’s opposition to free trade as an important factor in his victory.

    CVille Dem's picture

    The Most Appropriate Thing to do During the "President's" Screed

    I remarked that when he turns his head he looked like Liberacci.  My cat had a better idea:  She spent the whole time licking her ass.

    Is Trump a Racist?

    I've seen a lot of discussion on this question this week. The right has been making the claim that Trump is correct when he pointed out that there was violence on both sides. The left that one cannot make a moral equivalency between those who protest for white supremacy and those who counter protest. I have just one small point to make on the question.

    Trump claimed at his last news conference on the issue that he watched all the videos of the Charlottesville protests, better than you all did, he told the reporters. He claimed the protests on Friday night were peaceful and about the statues.

    Keep the monuments

    but provide the full story.

    Their existence is in effect a message the honoree was a brilliant performer. What's missing is that it was on behalf of an evil cause.

    Leave them.Just add  the rest of the story.For example

                  General Robert E. Lee

       Who struggled to keep millions in misery

            

     

     

     

     

        

    Moral Leadership

    This 2008 documentary, "A Ripple of Hope", tells a moving story about the night of Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968. Robert F. Kennedy, then campaigning for the presidency, was scheduled to appear in a black area of Indianapolis. With rioting in cities throughout the country he was strongly advised to cancel his campaign appearance. He declined to do so and made the sort of speech that we desperately could use about now. Here is part of that not long speech:

    What Trump did during his summer vacation: crashing and burning via "Fake News." For the record, Aug. 15, 2017

    Looked at the front pages tonight, too much bad Trump news for the "In The News" section, and not just on the Charlottesville story. Not including op-ed, only Editorial Board

    Richard Day's picture

    VOX POPULI

    Dwight David Eisenhower had to deal with the racial unrest in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

    There is context here.

    There are tomes discussing this context; these tomes abound.

    This previous Supreme  Commander of the ETO and of course the principal director of the Allied DDay Invasion subsequently became the Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in WWII. 

    Ike ended up President of The United States of America.

    This great man from Texas had never been a champion of Civil Rights. He once rued the day that he had appointed Earl Warren as Chief Justice of our Supreme Court.

    But Ike had to 'step up to the plate' when Little Rock exploded whilst 'Negro Children' were attempting to enter school.

    What GOP senators said about Charlottesville

    Given Trump's unwillingness to clearly condemn the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, it is interesting to see which GOP senators felt inclined to distance themselves from their Nazi wing. Below I follow the statements collated by Ari Plachta of Haaretz. Updates and corrections are most welcome in the comments.

    Called the attack "domestic terrorism":

    Second Thoughts on "Three Myths"

    I started this as a comment on Dr. Cleveland's brilliant piece but it goes in a sufficiently different direction that I decided it would be hijacking "Three Myths ".

    This will be taken as an affront by many of  but my reaction to the unfairness of a "legacy" taking the spot at ,say , Tulane that should have gone to a deserving minority  is like JFK's famous remark in a different context: "Life isn't fair".

    Without question everyone should have an education.

    Richard Day's picture

    FANTASIES OF THE FACISTS?

    Halloween (1978) theatrical poster.jpg

    Okay, so I am minding my own business and I find this gem?

     

     

    And on the 7th day...

    Unemployment % 

    1929   3.2        2007    5.0       sub prime band was playing *

    1930   8.7        2008    7.3       Paulsen kneels before Nancy Pelosi

    1931 15.9        2009     9.9      GM, Chrysler,AIG and the world, saved

    1932 23.6        2010     9.3      Obamacare passed in "Reconciliation"

    1933 24.9        2011     8.5    

     1934 21.7       2012     7.9

    1935 20.1       2013     6.7

    1936 16.9       2014     5.6

    1937 14.3      2015      5.0

    1938  19.0     2016      4.7

    Richard Day's picture

    I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

    Sam Shepard Stealth crop.jpg

    I was just viewing some rerun of NCIS-LA and I saw Miguel Ferrer. He was a major character in this long running drama.

    Miguel died recently.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Ferrer

    He was a son of one of my favorite actors of all time.

    McCain was a hero. Again

    The Republican attempt to kill Obamacare was instead killed by John McCain last night.

    Shortly before midnight McConnell presented the latest of his many attempts to replace Obamacare. The exact details don't matter because the intention was to pass a bill, any bill, in order to create a vehicle with which to set the stage for a House/Senate conference. With Collins and Murkowski standing firm McConnell needed all the other Republicans.

    Richard Day's picture

    SCARAMOUCHE

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaramouche

     

    I was taken aback (think of the effrontery, ha!) by this new White House Spokesman?

    Of course this guy is another Goldman/Sachs piece of crap. hahahha

    Oh and with nice greasy hair (I guess Charley Sheen sets the mode for this class of idiots?)

    librewolf's picture

    Voting on Trumpcare Today - Speak Out!

    Today Mitch McConnell is calling a vote on 'healthcare', though no one knows what they are going to be voting on. It is critical that we flood Washington with phone calls, emails, tweets, and if you are close enough, your bodies. Call your Senator's local offices, and stop by those home offices if you can. We MUST let them know in no uncertain terms that there are hundreds of millions of us who do NOT want this shredding of the Affordable Care Act, nor the massive transfer of wealth from those receiving Medicaid to the top of the economic structure.

    This site will give you links to both phone and email access to all of our senators:
    https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/senators_cfm

    PLEASE CONTACT THEM!

    jollyroger's picture

    On n'me fait pas foutre!

    You will no doubt have heard that France's top general has rsigned in protest against Macron's cuts to the military budget.

     

    That, of course, is not the big story.  

     

    His exit line "I will not be fucked!" sets the standard for subordinates refusing to cave before what they deem bullying (ed note: I'm with Macron on the substance, but, soit.).

     

    Richard Day's picture

    COMBINATIONS AND PERMUTATIONS

    Over the week-end, a White Australian Emigrant female was killed by the police.

    This nice lady had called 911 because she was concerned about events happening outside of her home.

    And this lady went outside to converse with someone in a car a few minutes later.

    She evidently was discussing something with the driver of a car.

    A squad car showed up.

    And one of the cops shot her dead at the scene.

    Trumpcare: Killed by Right Wing of GOP

    Senator Moran, (R-Kansas) "Freedom - this could lead to single payer" "keep the government out of health care" "need innovative solutions".

    Richard Day's picture

    MEANDERINGS

    Sun white.jpg

    I had the opportunity to see my son three times in 15 days time?   The first visit had to be at the end of June

    On the second meeting, on July 2nd? he produced his pixies and we all went to the park.

    Do you realize that a five year old and a two year old can feel sorry for you?

    We had a great time.

    Anyway, I called my son a few days ago to discuss nonsense.

    He put me off; he said he would call me back in an hour.

    The first letter in

    the July 9 Times begins, sadly, …..”.Bret Stephens...starts off promisingly…...He cites…... Kenneth Arrow about how insurance discourages people from shopping around”

    Why “Sadly” ?

    Because this  demonstrates that  Stephens - the relatively  new  Times opeder  recruit, presumably intended   to bolster its insufficiently conservative bull pen-  got away with a shoddy journalistic trick.   

    jollyroger's picture

    Trump dogged by dementia charges, ducks any unscripted scrutiny

    Trump's unchallenged superiority during the campaigns, primary and general, was his sensitivity to the visual production values and the optics of his personal presentation. (ed note: odious as we humans found it, his voters thought differently.)

     

    Of late, between a cascade of disorientation episodes cruelly video'ed by a vicious press

     

     

     

     

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