Saturday Open Thread

Posted on August 22, 2015 by rikyrah

Good Morning. Enjoy this weekend with family and friends.

This entry was posted in Open Thread, Politics and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

79 Responses to Saturday Open Thread

  2. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    we’ve had these ever since slave days.

    who do you think reported on Nat Turner?

    https://twitter.com/gabelacques/status/634497215789187072

    Reply
  3. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    there is a reason that stories like this are spilling out

    …………………

    Israel Came Close to Attacking Iran, Ex-Defense Minister Says

    By JODI RUDOREN

    AUG. 21, 2015

    JERUSALEM — A former Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, revealed new details to his biographers about how close Israel came to strikingIran’s military facilities in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and why it did not despite his and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire to do so, according to interview excerpts aired on Israeli television Friday night.

    Mr. Barak, who also previously served as Israel’s prime minister, said that he and Mr. Netanyahu were ready to attack Iran each year but that in 2010, the military chief of staff said Israel lacked the “operational capability”; in 2011, two key ministers waffled at the last minute; and in 2012, the timing did not work out because of a joint United States-Israel military exercise and visit by the American defense secretary. He noted that the two ministers who balked in 2011, Moshe Yaalon and Yuval Steinitz, “are the most militant about attacking Iran” today.

    The interview excerpts were aired by Israel’s Channel 2, which stressed that Mr. Barak had sought to prevent them from being broadcast, but that they had been approved by Israel’s military censor. Reached late Friday by telephone, Mr. Barak confirmed that the recordings were authentic but said he had provided the information on background to the authors, Ilan Kfir and Danny Dor, whose book, “Barak: The Wars of My Life,” came out this week in Hebrew.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/22/world/middleeast/israel-came-close-to-attacking-iran-ex-defense-minister-says.html?_r=1

    Reply
  4. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    my eyes are rolling hard

    …………………..

    August 21, 2015, 04:38 pm

    Clinton team on alert for undercover sting

    By Bradford Richardson

    Hillary Clinton’s campaign is on high alert for a possible undercover sting, after several women reportedly tried to bait volunteers into breaking federal election law, according to Time.

    One woman apparently asked how she could funnel additional donations to the campaign after she had already given the legal maximum.

    Another tried to give interns and volunteers cash under the table.

    In a third incident, a woman who identified herself as Canadian approached a Clinton official to inquire about falsifying her address in order to make a campaign donation.

    Officials also mentioned a volunteer who asked if she had to register voters who did not support Clinton.

    Clinton officials identified one of the women as Laura Loomer, who filmed a video earlier this year that appears to show a college official backing a charity to support the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/251696-clinton-team-on-alert-for-undercover-sting

    Reply
  5. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    This CLOWN, right here

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    uh huh

    uh huh

    ………………………………..

    Dresden riots: Protesters in Germany attack refugee buses shouting ‘foreigners out’

    Up to 1,000 protesters have clashed with police in eastern Germany in riots reportedly sparked by the arrival of 250 migrants.

    Police said protesters shouting “foreigners out” and carrying banners against the “asylum flood” threw bottles and stones at busloads of asylum seekers arriving in Heidenau, near Dresden.

    At least 31 officers were hurt in violent scuffles as police used tear gas to disperse crowds.

    Peaceful demonstrations began after news spread that the town was welcoming a large number of refugees who are set to be housed in an empty building.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dresden-riots-protesters-in-germany-attack-refugee-buses-shouting-foreigners-out-10467287.html

    Reply
  7. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    a gif for 3 Chics!

    you-dont-know-me-like-that

    Reply
  9. eliihass says:
    August 22, 2015 at 5:21 pm

    Oh God..

    Now we have Charles Barkeley singing the praises of John Kasich…

    Reply
  10. eliihass says:
    August 22, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    CNN is not even pretending any longer about blurring the lines between the vile racist from the fringes, and legitimate, objective, sane analysis.

    They’ve had on quintessential racists Neal Bortz and Pat Buchanan on most of their shows all day to opine on everything from Joe Biden running, to the ‘honest’ frustrations of Americans as represented in Trump’s support..

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    uh huh

    uh huh

    ………………………………….

    On Martha’s Vineyard, black elites ponder the past year

    As Obama vacations on the island, an upper-class gathering grapples with a year of unrest.By Sarah Wheaton

    8/22/15 8:02 AM EDT

    EDGARTOWN, Mass. – For America’s black elite, this year’s seasonal sojourn to Martha’s Vineyard turned into a soul-searching retreat.

    The shooting of a young, unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo., last year did little to disrupt the annual idyll of upper-class blacks on this island 1,200 miles away. Photos showed President Barack Obama dancing at a soiree for political power couple Vernon and Ann Jordan as Ferguson burned. The next afternoon he delivered an anodyne statement urging calm without mentioning race.

    Obama returned this year for his sixth summer in office on Martha’s Vineyard, the island off the Massachusetts coast that has been a vacation destination for upwardly mobile African Americans for more than a century. But this year, many of the black doctors, lawyers, executives, professors and politicians who gather here to enjoy the sunshine, surf and cultural events are grappling with the realization that there may not be quite as much to celebrate as they once hoped.

    Yes, the country has been led by a black president for nearly seven years. But images from body cameras and smart phones that have splashed police killings of unarmed black men across televisions and the Internet over the past year have forced the black elite to recognize — along with the rest of America — that their highest tide has left some boats sinking faster than ever.

    “Middle-class African-Americans, the upper echelon, need to be cognizant of that,” said Linda D. Gaines, a regular summer resident of Martha’s Vineyard. “We cannot go back to our comfortable abodes and forget the struggle even though we don’t live next-door to less fortunate communities.”

    The strides African Americans have taken in the American political establishment are on full display here each year. While Martha’s Vineyard has played host to black leaders for generations – Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X vacationed here – the top figures no longer lead protests. They lead the government.

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/marthas-vineyard-black-elite-discussion-racial-tension-121628.html#ixzz3jZrwg2zs

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      August 22, 2015 at 5:03 pm

      Another ‘thought’ piece on the musings of the affluent Vineyard black community…

      We’ve now gone from Toure’s 2009 New York magazine hit piece where he gleefully poured all of his disdain for black women onto the newly minted first black First Lady courtesy of anonymously sourced quotes from the ‘Only Ones’ incensed that Mrs Obama not only wouldn’t acknowledge them or invite them to tea, but as her first order of business in D.C, chose instead to prioritize and reach out to disadvantaged school kids in D.C’s poor neighborhoods:

      “…Obama is more a man of the people . . . . He doesn’t seem to identify with affluent black people. His wife definitely doesn’t; she is basically a ghetto girl. That’s what she says — I’m just being sociological. She grew up in the same place Jennifer Hudson did. She hasn’t reached out to the social community of Washington, and people are waiting to see what they’ll do about that….”

      And this now from today’s article:

      “…Obama and his friends at Alchemy reflect the success of the “politics of respectability” practiced by the older civil rights generation, Harley said. They went to elite universities, got prestigious jobs, built stable families (not uncommonly marrying into white ones) and eventually ascended to the traditional seats of political power…”

      Reply
  16. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    Remember the media tried the damnest in 2008, 2010, and 2012 to BLACKOUT PBO’s campaign appearances.

    WHY? The 10s of THOUSANDS of supporters would totally DESTROY their NARRATIVES, about his unpopularity.

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    from TOD

    EricFive
    August 22, 2015 at 12:45 pm
    The rise in the polls of Trump and the effect it is having on the GOP clown car’s seating order is bigger than political parties. It is bigger than Dem or Republican or Socialist labels. It speaks to how receptive the white general public is to the doctrine of white supremacy. It is important to keep in mind that although the GOP exploits the doctrine for its benefit, the doctrine of white supremacy is bigger than the GOP. I often refer to it as America’s real religion, and I am not kidding. It is a fundamental foundation upon which this country was created and it defines how a whole lot of people view the world and their place in it. Indoctrination often starts at birth and is reinforced by a complicit media and educational system. Refutation of the doctrine is met with ever rising levels of anger and anxiety by its adherents. Trump is tapping into this anger and anxiety.

    http://theobamadiary.com/2015/08/22/west-wing-week-a-look-ahead/#comment-1387379

    Reply
  19. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4_UiUrRcbg

    And the comments are just as sick and stupid. It’s the other guys fault, These racist pigs are saying it’s a plant by Soros, etc. SMGDH

    Reply
  22. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    So a brother stops a terrorist attack on a train in Paris. Meanwhile Trump INSTIGATING HATE AND RACISM in Alabama.

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    the post and the comments are hilarious. give you a stomach cramp funny

    https://twitter.com/VerySmartBros/status/634786976147730432

    Reply
  25. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    August 22, 2015 at 11:25 am

    John Lee Hooker was born on this day in 1917.

    https://youtu.be/hn_PF4L470w&rel=0

    Reply
  26. Ametia says:
    August 22, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Twenty Thousand Considered Disappointing Turnout for Racist Event in Alabama

    Racist event planners say that a crowd that size would rank the event as one of the smaller racist rallies in Alabama this year

    MOBILE (The Borowitz Report)—A rally featuring a racist speaker Friday night in Mobile attracted a crowd of just twenty thousand people, widely considered a disappointing turnout for a racist event in Alabama.

    According to racist event planners in the state, a crowd of twenty thousand would rank the event as one of the smaller racist rallies in Alabama this year.

    Organizers of the rally were quick to defend the size of the turnout. “There is always a lot of competition for the racist audience in Alabama,” an aide to the speaker said. “There were other racists speaking at other venues in the state Friday night. Plus, a lot of racists now prefer to stay at home and stream racist content on the Internet. Given all the options available to racists, I think twenty thousand is a solid number.”

    Harland Dorrinson, a longtime racist event planner in Alabama, disagreed, claiming that the size of the crowd was more reminiscent of non-racist events in the state. “You go around spewing hatred every chance you get, and then you only draw twenty thousand in Alabama?” he said. “The people who organized this event need to sit down and figure out what went wrong.”

    http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/twenty-thousand-considered-disappointing-turnout-for-racist-event-in-alabama

    Reply
  27. Liza says:
    August 22, 2015 at 10:00 am

    FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015
    Sen. Bernie Sanders: From Greece to Puerto Rico, the Financial Rules Are Rigged to Favor the 1%

    http://www.democracynow.org/2015/8/21/sen_bernie_sanders_from_greece_to

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      August 22, 2015 at 10:08 am

      This is good especially for anyone who hasn’t been following what is happening in Greece. It is becoming quite horrific with Germany in the lead, calling for more austerity and privatization of publicly held resources.

      Why in the blazing hell would western Europeans allow Germany to rise to dominance AGAIN on that continent even if what we are talking about here is financial dominance? I predict there will be hell to pay and it is already happening in Greece.

      Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 9:14 am

    for those of who concerned about Trump and what he’s unleashing:

    and when I say this is who the GOP is… I mean it.

    Ronald Reagan, born and raised in the Midwest. Was Governor of California.

    So, why the phuck did he announce his candidacy in PHILADELPHIA, MISSISSIPPI?

    See – dogwhistle.

    Black folks knew what was up with him from that one action.

    But, the MSM continues to try and cover about why he did that.
    Because, of the dogwhistle, they can pretend.

    Trump doesn’t talk in dogwhistles.
    So, those mealy mouthed muthaphuckas who try and hide behind reasons why they’d vote GOP, are just gonna have to embrace the hate fully, and show who they are. Folks might embrace the hate fully, but isn’t it better to know – no hold barred- who your enemy is and what they represent – than to allow them to pretend that they are something other than they are not?

    Plus, the non-pretending is good for our side too….just tell folks LOOK AT THEM. ..and tell me why you don’t have time to vote. Dogwhistles let the lazy on our side off too. How many times do folks post here that they know someone who just doesn’t believe that the GOP believes this, because ‘ that’s crazy’.

    Donald Trump eliminates that excuse from our side. And, the rest of the pack, in order to try and keep up with them, can’t do so in Frank Luntz-approved dogwhistles.

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      August 22, 2015 at 9:44 am

      Tell it. Trump is Palin 2008, on Amped up STEROIDS

      Any one who rolls up on me and talks that shit about Trump & Gop not believing his words & actions, tells me everything I need to know. The fact that these fools don’t CALL OUT THE RACISM… GTFOH

      Reply
      • eliihass says:
        August 22, 2015 at 5:20 pm

        All Trump does with each appearance is validate just how white privilege affords an unimpressive, juvenile, entitled, silly, loud-mouth, over-indulged, mediocre white man unfettered access to undeserved wealth, access and influence…

        Reply
    • Ametia says:
      August 22, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      ALL.OF.THIS

      Especially the MEDIOCRITY…

      Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 9:09 am

    oh well…

    As Rauner rips Democratic ‘dictatorship,’ Senate Dems override his veto

    Republican Bruce Rauner spent his first Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday blaming the “Chicago machine” and Democrats who control the legislature for running a “dictatorship” that he contends has caused state government’s ills, including a lengthy budget impasse that shows no signs of resolution.

    Hours later, Senate Democrats handed Rauner a major setback by voting to overturn the governor’s veto of a measure that would require arbitration instead of a lockout or strike if talks on a new contract with unionized state workers reaches an impasse.

    Rauner lobbied extensively against an override, calling the bill the “worst” he had ever seen. He promised not to lock out workers, who have been without a contract since July 1, and said the bill stripped his administration of negotiating power and would force higher taxes.

    The first-year governor even tried to get in the head of Senate President John Cullerton before the vote, suggesting that if the veteran Democratic leader overrode him, he was merely under “the thumb” of House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. That’s a perennial sore spot for Cullerton, who long served in the House under Madigan before heading over to the Senate to begin his rise through the ranks.

    Cullerton got 38 votes — including one Republican — two more than he needed for the override. The vote demonstrated Senate Democratic distrust of Rauner and his frequent anti-union rhetoric as he pushes his agenda.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-governors-day-state-fair-met-0820-20150819-story.html

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 22, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Rauner is an idiot. He’s the one who is trying to be the dictator because he wants dems to rollover and let him do anything he wants to do. Good on the part of the dems for refusing to permit him to destroy the unions. He’s a rich guy who doesn’t need union representation, but others in the state do. I hope the dems keep handing him defeats, every d*mn time. Let him keep talking. Sooner or later, he’s going to talk himself into serving only one term in office.

      Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 9:05 am

    uh huh

    uh huh

    …………….

    Aaron Schock’s attorneys trying to keep documents from feds

    In a bid to keep some documents out of the hands of federal prosecutors, attorneys for Aaron Schock said in a court filing Friday that the former lawmaker has a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination with respect to any records from his congressional offices.

    Their argument comes amid an intense legal battle over what records Schock, who quit Congress on March 31, must turn over.Ex-Rep. Aaron Schock spends heavily for legal help

    On Thursday, the top federal prosecutor in the case asked U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough in Springfield to consider holding Schock in contempt of court for failing to produce documents.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass wrote in a court filing Thursday that “No court has recognized that a public official … has a constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment to avoid the compelled production of publicly-funded, non-private, public or official records within his official … office.”

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-aaron-schock-document-fight-met-20150821-story.html

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 22, 2015 at 2:16 pm

      His lawyers know they have to turn over evidence during the discovery phase. Schock must have a whole lot he’s hiding and is afraid that if the evidaence comes to light, he’ll look worse than he already does. I’m not a lawyer, but I”m well-read when it comes to knowing the law and the Constitution. I’ve never heard of using the 5th Amendment as a reason for not turning over material to the prosecution, so I think Schock’s lawyers are trying to either keep him out of prison, or if he’s convicted, reduce the number of years he’ll spend behind bars. He knows he was living high on the hog on our tax dollars and tried to cover it up. He should just fess up, avoid a trial and do his time in prison. Also, there’s no way a judge would listen to this type of nonsense coming from a regular citizen. They guy is not as privileged as he seems to think he is, and the judge should inform him of this.

      Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 9:02 am

    Ok, now we gotta worry about mutating lice?

    what da phuq???

    ………………………

    Some lice bugs have mutated to resist over-the-counter treatments

    When head lice, a pesky and persistent threat for schoolkids everywhere, recently showed up on Courtney Jager’s 9-year-old daughter’s scalp, the mother moved quickly to eradicate the bugs.

    But when drugstore shampoos, repeated washing of clothes and even “an electrocuting comb” weren’t enough to end the problem, Jager started to panic.

    “I did everything I was supposed to do. I bought everything I could find at the store,” she said. “I was so defeated. I know they’re not dangerous, but they’re horrific.”

    The Midlothian mom’s experience coincides with an itchy reality that doctors, researchers and lice eradicating business owners across the U.S. have identified in recent years — in some communities, lice bugs have mutated to be resistant to over-the-counter treatments. These so-called knock-down resistance or “super lice” mutations require antibiotics prescribed by doctors, they say.

    This week, a researcher from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville shared research that lice resistant to over-the-counter treatments have saturated 25 of 30 states tested, including Illinois. And early findings in ongoing studies show that in 48 states tested, only five states remain without the “super lice” strains, said Dr. Kyong Sup Yoon, assistant professor of biology.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-head-lice-drug-resistant-met-20150820-story.html

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:56 am

    Sure, Michael.

    whatever.

    …………………

    Jordan says ‘it was never about the money’ after $8.9M jury award

    A delighted Michael Jordan said “it was never about the money” Friday night after a federal jury ordered the owners of the defunct supermarket chain Dominick’s to pay him $8.9 million for using his identity without permission in an advertisement.

    Beaming outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse moments after the verdict was announced, the basketball legend added that he would give the award to charities in Chicago. “It was all just about protecting my name and my likeness,” he said.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-michael-jordan-dominicks-case-0822-biz-20150821-story.html

    Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:50 am

    uh huh

    uh huh

    Trump’s audacious Southern spectacle is part of his strategy

    By Robert Costa and David Weigel August 22 at 12:03 AM

    MOBILE, Ala. — It was the most audacious Donald Trump spectacle yet in a summer full of them, as the Republican presidential front-runner, in his Boeing 757, thundered over a football stadium here Friday night and gave a raucous speech to one of the largest crowds of the 2016 campaign.

    But Trump’s flashy performance was about more than showmanship. His visit to Alabama was coolly strategic, touching down in the heart of red America and an increasingly important early battleground in the Republican nominating contest.

    The Manhattan developer, who strode onstage to “Sweet Home Alabama,” is trying to show that his candidacy has broad and lasting appeal across every region of the country — especially here in the South, where Alabama and seven other states are holding a clustered voting blitz March 1.

    The scene Friday night put an exclamation point on an extraordinary run in which the flamboyant mogul has thoroughly disrupted the presidential campaign and kindled a national discussion about not just politics but American culture itself.

    “We have politicians that don’t have a clue,” said Trump, wearing a red hat on which was printed “Make America Great Again,” his slogan. “They’re all talk, no action. What’s happening to this country is disgraceful.”

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-audacious-southern-spectacle-is-part-of-his-strategy/2015/08/21/31da2a88-4812-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop_b

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:47 am

    hmmph

    ……………….

    In the lull of summer, Clinton goes where the money is

    By Anne Gearan August 21 at 7:34 PM Hillary Rodham Clinton has a solution for the summer doldrums in big-money politics: Go where the rich people go.

    Specifically, where the rich liberals like to go.

    Clinton will be in Water Mill, N.Y., on Saturday at the home of New York philanthropists Arthur and Selma Rabin. She returns to the Hamptons next weekend for a dinner reception at the Southampton home of celebrity fashion designer Tory Burch.

    Last weekend, fundraising parties were held in her honor on the Massachusetts resort islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Democratic donors have also hosted fundraisers for her this summer in Park City, Utah, and Aspen, Colo., as well as a pair of events on Cape Cod.

    “I’m just hoping that people who are Hillary supporters are going to be behind her,” Arthur Rabin said in an interview. “I want to let her talk, explain to people her views and work with her to become the president.”

    Rabin said he preferred not to say much more, noting that Clinton’s hosts next weekend “are the big people,” as Democratic donors go. “I’m a small person.”

    The event he will host is similar to those Clinton has attended at least once or twice a week since entering the presidential race in April. They have helped her raise a record $46.7 million between April and the end of June.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-the-lull-of-summer-clinton-goes-where-the-money-is/2015/08/21/a9910ec0-4835-11e5-8e7d-9c033e6745d8_story.html

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:44 am

    Analysis

    Shaun King is no Rachel Dolezal: Look who’s calling him white

    Another activist is being accused of putting on blackface. But this time, the stakes are higher for the civil rights community.

    On Wednesday, Breitbart.com posted a report stating that Shaun King, a civil rights activist and prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement, “is white and has been lying about his ethnicity for years,” including using deceit to get an “Oprah scholarship” at the historically black Morehouse College. By early afternoon, Shaun King was a trending topic on Twitter.My private past and pain have been used as jokes and fodder to discredit me and the greater movement for justice in America.- Shaun King

    “He’s no Rachel Dolezal,” King’s wife wrote in a Facebook post, referencing the inevitable comparisons to the former head of the Spokane NAACP whose parents said she’s white though she identifies as black. King himself posted a further explanation on DailyKos.com on Thursday afternoon, asserting that he is biracial. King says that his biological father was black and that the white man listed on his birth certificate was not his actual father.

    At first glance, this may seem to be similar to the media uproar that surrounded Dolezal. But many of the same people who found Dolezal’s case the source of much entertainment are not laughing about King.

    The difference? Though Dolezal was relatively unknown outside of Seattle before her controversy, King is well known in activist circles, and many are invested in his work. Also, for many that follow King on social media, the source of the accusations is a cause for concern.

    Race continues to be a difficult topic for many Americans. On Wednesday, an article on Vox.com asked whether there was any way to “figure out whether King is black or biracial,” before answering its own question. “Unfortunately, no,” Vox writer German Lopez wrote, “because the entire concept of race is arbitrary to begin with.”

    Certainly, the question of racial identity can be a fraught and difficult one. And ultimately, as King’s wife wrote in her Facebook post, it is his story to tell.Rachel Dolezal says she’d like to write a book

    But, two questions remain: Even if Shaun King is white, who cares? And perhaps more important: Who is asking?

    http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-who-cares-if-shaun-king-is-white-20150820-story.html

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 22, 2015 at 2:33 pm

      I think what bothers the right-wing haters the most about Shaun King is that they don’t understand, if he IS white, how he could be so heavily invested in stopping cops from unnecessarily killing blacks in the streets of America. It puzzles them because they’re a tribal group that seems to think and believe that if one is white, s/he should not care what happens to his/her fellow citizens. It chaps my behind every time I think of the right-wing hypocrites who claim to be such big Christians who sit on their butts and watch cops kill blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, and some whites unnecessarily and don’t open their d*mn mouths. This behavior has led me to conclude that they’re Christians in name only.

      Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:38 am

    huh

    HUH?

    ……………………

    ‘Give me back my gun,’ train attacker pleads with Americans

    Paris (AFP) – A gunman tackled by young Americans on a train between Amsterdam and Paris pleaded with them to hand back his Kalashnikov after they overpowered him, one of the group said.

    Everything happened very fast,” Anthony Sadler, a student travelling with friends Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, both members of the US military, told France’s BFMTV.

    “I didn’t realise what was happening until I saw a guard run past. I looked back and saw a guy enter with a Kalashnikov. My friends and I got down and then I said ‘Let’s get him’,” said Skarlatos, a 22-year-old member of the National Guard in Oregon, who has recently returned from service in Afghanistan.

    “We didn’t know if the gun wasn’t working or anything like that. Spencer just ran anyway and if anyone had gotten shot, it would have been Spencer and we’re just very lucky that nobody got killed,” he added in quotes shown on the BBC.

    http://news.yahoo.com/back-gun-train-attacker-pleaded-americans-074842971.html

    Reply
  38. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:29 am

    … Trump is probably too dumb to realize it, or maybe he isn’t, but he doesn’t need to win anything to become the most dangerous person in America. He can do plenty of damage just by encouraging people to be as uninhibited in their stupidity as he is.

    Trump is striking a chord with people who are feeling the squeeze in a less secure world and want to blame someone – the government, immigrants, political correctness, “incompetents,” “dummies,” Megyn Kelly, whoever – for their problems.

    Karl Rove and his acolytes mined a lot of the same resentments to get Republicans elected over the years, but the difference is that Trump’s political style encourages people to do more to express their anger than just vote. The key to his success is a titillating message that those musty old rules about being polite and “saying the right thing” are for losers who lack the heart, courage and Trumpitude to just be who they are…

    People are tired of rules and tired of having to pay lip service to decorum. They want to stop having to watch what they say and think and just get “crazy,” as Thomas Friedman would put it.

    Trump’s campaign is giving people permission to do just that. It’s hard to say this word in conjunction with such a sexually unappealing person, but his message is a powerful aphrodisiac. Fuck everything, fuck everyone. Fuck immigrants and fuck their filthy lice-ridden kids. And fuck you if you don’t like me saying so.

    Those of us who think polls and primaries and debates are any match for that are pretty naive. America has been trending stupid for a long time. Now the stupid wants out of its cage, and Trump is urging it on. There are a lot of ways this can go wrong, no matter who wins in 2016.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trump-just-stopped-being-funny-20150821

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:18 am

    Trump’s people only half-filled a stadium. this is true. But, he got 20k people in Alabama to come see him. …that actually is the story.

    20k

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 22, 2015 at 2:40 pm

      Yeah, but my main man, PBO, draws crowds of 50, 60, 70+ thousand when he campaigns—something which has to stick in the craws of Trump and his right-wing buddies. To them, 20,000 is a big crowd, but to us dems, it’s just a small crowd. I looked at the pics from Trump’s speech in Mobile, and I didn’t see one brown face in them. There may have been a few, but most of the attendees were Caucasian. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a crowd like that because I’m used to a very diverse crowd when I attend political events.

      Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:13 am

    New Reuters Poll

    :WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Donald Trump is pulling away from the pack in the race for the party’s U.S. presidential nomination, widening his lead over his closest rivals in the past week, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday.

    ***
    Nearly 32 percent of Republicans surveyed online said they backed Trump, up from 24 percent a week earlier.

    Trump 32
    ¡Jeb! 16
    Carson 8

    Reply
  45. rikyrah says:
    August 22, 2015 at 8:09 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Off to swim and run errands.

    Reply

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