Open Thread | Never Forget: This Is A SMASH & GRAB AdministrationšŸ˜ šŸ˜ 

Just so weā€™re clear:
EVERYTHING ever done by the GOP and this Administration is nothing but a SCAM.
This is nothing but a SMASH AND GRAB Administration.
Everything they do is garbage.
There is absolutely, positively nothing that they do that benefits those with the least in this society.

So, as long as you go in understanding that, reading this article shouldnā€™t shock you. The thing about this group is that they donā€™t even pretend. The old GOP would have a few actual REAL projects that would be under the umbrella of what they pretend that the program is supposed to be about. They donā€™t even go through the pretense before getting to the SMASH AND GRAB.

From the ; NYTimes:

THE BONANZA
Symbol of ā€™80s Greed Stands to Profit From Trump Tax Break for Poor Areas

By Eric Lipton and Jesse Drucker
ā€¢ Oct. 26, 2019
o

RENO, Nev. ā€” In the 1980s, Michael Milken embodied Wall Street greed. A swashbuckling financier, he was charged with playing a central role in a vast insider-trading scheme and was sent to prison for violating federal securities and tax laws. He was an inspiration for the Gordon Gekko character in the film ā€œWall Street.ā€
Mr. Milken has spent the intervening decades trying to rehabilitate his reputation through an influential nonprofit think tank, the Milken Institute, devoted to initiatives ā€œthat advance prosperity.ā€
These days, the Milken Institute is a leading proponent of a new federal tax break that was intended to coax wealthy investors to plow money into distressed communities known as ā€œopportunity zones.ā€ The instituteā€™s leaders have helped push senior officials in the Trump administration to make the tax incentive more generous, even though it is under fire for being slanted toward the wealthy.
Mr. Milken, it turns out, is in a position to personally gain from some of the changes that his institute has urged the Trump administration to enact. In one case, the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, directly intervened in a way that benefited Mr. Milken, his longtime friend.

Ā 

Ā 
It is a vivid illustration of the power that Mr. Milken, who was barred from the securities industry and fined $600 million as part of his 1990 felony conviction, has amassed in President Trumpā€™s Washington. In addition to the favorable tax-policy changes, some of Mr. Trumpā€™s closest advisers ā€” including Mr. Mnuchin, Jared Kushner and Rudolph W. Giuliani ā€” have lobbied the president to pardon Mr. Milken for his crimes, or supported that effort, according to people familiar with the effort.
While the Milken Instituteā€™s advocacy of opportunity zones is public, Mr. Milkenā€™s financial stake in the outcome is not.

ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦..
One of those developments, inside an industrial park, is a nearly 700-acre site in which Mr. Milken is a major investor. Last year, after pressure from Mr. Milkenā€™s business partner and other landowners, the Treasury Department ignored its own guidelines on how to select opportunity zones and made the area eligible for the tax break, according to people involved in the discussions and records reviewed by The Times.
The unusual decision was made at the personal instruction of Mr. Mnuchin, according to internal Treasury Department emails. It came shortly after he had spent time with Mr. Milken at an event his institute hosted.

But, of course. Thieves around other thieves, finding their way to the public trough, all the while would be the first ones decrying ā€˜ the takersā€™, aka, the least of us in society. IF ONLY, ā€˜ the takersā€™ knew how to scam and defraud like this bunch of the 1%.

Like I saidā€¦
There is nothing beneficial for the least of these from this Administration. Dubya would at least pretend, and put in a plausible figleaf of deniability throughā€™ compassionate conservatismā€™. This bunch is nothing but SMASH AND GRAB. Whenever you hear anything about any program, follow the money to see who is trying to do what SCAM. The answer is ALWAYS there.

Nothing but a bunch of scamming thieves.

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

132 Responses to Open Thread | Never Forget: This Is A SMASH & GRAB AdministrationšŸ˜ šŸ˜ 

  1. rikyrah says:

    Kavanaugh 2.0
    Those mean other lawyers..how dare they not have a high opinion of me. Don’t they know it’s my birthright to be a judge?
    Lips so pursed.

    …………………

    Federal judge nominee breaks down in tears as American Bar Association reveals his fellow lawyers say he is lazy, arrogant, entitled, close-minded – and claim he is unwilling to promise to be fair to the LGBTQ community
    One of President Trump’s judicial nominees started weeping in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday
    Lawrence VanDyke, up for a spot on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, was reacting to a particularly harsh letter from the American Bar Association

    Reviewers called VanDyke ‘arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge of the day-today practice including procedural rules’

    By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 19:45 EDT, 30 October 2019 | UPDATED: 08:26 EDT, 31 October 2019

  2. rikyrah says:

    BREAKING: The first big vote on impeachment proceedings against President Trump passes in the House, opening the door to public hearings https://t.co/yUd7vxtNZh pic.twitter.com/wyVCbNSIMH

    ā€” CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 31, 2019

  3. rikyrah says:

    Intel Cmte. member: There’s a ā€˜parade of patriotsā€™ testifying to impeachment inquiry

    Rep. Raja Krisnamoorthi praised the career civil servants who have come before the impeachment committees to describe the Trump admin’s issues with Ukraine. He says the latest individuals to testify made statements that were ā€œcompletely consistentā€ with the narratives of others. Lawrence Oā€™Donnell also discusses with Jill Wine-Banks and Evelyn Farkas.

  4. rikyrah says:

    Trumpā€™s Shameless Plan to Disqualify Every Impeachment Witness

    Heā€™s arguing that Congress canā€™t talk to anyone who heard directly from him, and canā€™t trust anyone else.

    David R. Lurie
    Updated 10.31.19 9:23AM ET / Published 10.31.19 5:35AM ET

    Donald Trump asserts that testimony by witnesses who learned about his scheme to shake down Ukraine from other presidential advisers should be disregarded as ā€œhearsay.ā€ Trump also asserts that John Bolton and other White House officials who were in the room with him are constitutionally ā€œimmuneā€ from congressional subpoenas.

    By Donald Trumpā€™s standard, the only account our representatives can both trust and hear would be that of Donald Trump, who insists his call with his Ukrainian counterpart was ā€œperfect.ā€

    Itā€™s a claim that will be tested Thursday afternoon when a federal court holds a hearing on Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kuppermanā€™s lawsuit seeking a ruling on whether he must comply with a congressional subpoena following ā€œthe assertion of immunity from congressional process made by the president.ā€ Charles Cooper, Kuppermanā€™s lawyer, is a former Reagan administration official who also represents John Bolton. Also on Thursday, an argument will be held in a separate proceeding brought by Congress to compel former White House Counsel Don McGahnā€™s testimony in the face of an earlier White House claim of immunity.

  5. rikyrah says:

    Cuccinelli open about Trump admin cruelty to ill immigrant kids

    Rachel Maddow reports on acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, being open in his answers to Congress about the cruelty of the policy he implemented, threatening extremely ill immigrant kids and their families with deportation.

    Sick immigrant kids left in limbo by cruel Trump policy flip

    Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, member of the House Oversight Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about the Trump administration’s erratic treatment of medical deferments for sick immigrants that has left families uncertain if they’ll face sudden, potentially life threatening deportation.

  6. rikyrah says:

    ABA on Trump judge pick: arrogant, lazy, not committed to truth

    Rachel Maddow looks at the exceptionally condemnatory assessment by the American Bar Association of Donald Trump federal court judgeship nominee Lawrence J.C. VanDyke, and the related drama at his Senate confirmation hearing.
    Oct. 30, 2019

  7. rikyrah says:

    Top Trump Russian official quits ahead of impeachment testimony

    Rachel Maddow reports on the latest developments in the Donald Trump impeachment inquiry and the line-up of diplomats and officials giving corroborating and increasingly damning testimony, and points to a pattern of Trump officials, like Tim Morrison, the top Russian official on Trump’s NSC, who quit their posts ahead of testifying to House impeachment committees.

  8. rikyrah says:

    Trump W.H. blocked condemnation of Russian aggression: diplomat

    Rachel Maddow highlights reporting on a piece of impeachment inquiry testimony from diplomat Christopher Anderson in which he reveals some backstory on the Trump administration’s failure to condemn Russian aggression toward Ukrainian ships in 2018.

  9. rikyrah says:

    It’s true. Missy looks great.

    All We Want This Halloween Is to Age Like Missy Elliott

    Maiysha Kai
    Yesterday 9:30AM

    Yeah, yeah…we know thereā€™s no such thing as Halloween wishes (or the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown), but if we could cash in all the fun-sized candy for one wish this spooky holiday, itā€™d be to age as effortlessly as Missy Elliott seems to be doing (or Gabrielle Union, but we digress).

    The legendary rapper and Songwriting Hall of Famer delighted fans on Monday when she posted a recreation of her 1997 debut album cover in honor of Halloween, stunning even herself with how ā€œSupa Dupa Flyā€ she still looks, 22 years after the fact.

    https://theglowup.theroot.com/all-we-want-this-halloween-is-to-age-like-missy-elliott-1839438224

  10. rikyrah says:

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

    Giuliani basically tweeted a confession of Trumpā€™s crime and deleted it minutes later. pic.twitter.com/rrGRsYMEyZā€” Denis McDowell (@mcdowell_is) October 31, 2019
    https://twitter.com/mcdowell_is/status/1189725717820530689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  11. rikyrah says:

    Lynn V (@lynnv378) Tweeted:
    I still say Kamala Harris needs to go ahead & accept that PAC money. Stop limiting herself. Play the cards that have been dealt. Don’t handicap yourself. When you win, then work on changing the laws…… https://twitter.com/lynnv378/status/1189710528354107393?s=17

  12. rikyrah says:

    Kendally Brown (@kendallybrown) Tweeted:
    Meghan McCain is what happens when a privileged rich kid never has to work a shitty job in customer or food service a day in their life.

    I have never seen someone so pissed about such a cushy job in my life. #TheView https://twitter.com/kendallybrown/status/1189580388810797058?s=17

  13. rikyrah says:

    Drew Comments (@sjs856) Tweeted:
    Itā€™s amazing how much free white press the black woman gets when it looks like something less than ideal happens, but when sheā€™s rolling out new policy or getting a new endorsement they nowhere to be foundšŸ˜’ https://twitter.com/sjs856/status/1189666383958700032?s=17

  14. rikyrah says:

    šŸ˜’šŸ˜’šŸ˜’

    Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) Tweeted:
    “It’s outrageous that Democrats are setting up a process that won’t allow Republicans to derail a legitimate impeachment inquiry with tactics that are saturated in bottomless bad faith,” say Republicans and conservatives, demonstrating still more bottomless bad faith. https://twitter.com/ThePlumLineGS/status/1189862699200647168?s=17

  15. rikyrah says:

    Just so we are clear, this is the ultimate in White Privilege: to claim that someone is too stupid to.do the crime, but,he should still remain in the position of President. There are Black folks, who have been proven to be mentally incapacitated, who are in jail currently, and some have even been executed. So…get the ENTIRE Phuck Outta Here šŸ˜  šŸ˜  with this bullshyt šŸ˜  šŸ˜ .

    https://twitter.com/OhNoSheTwitnt/status/1189566363662086144

  16. rikyrah says:

    Heather šŸŒŠšŸ“¢ #Khive2020 (@GundyGirl) Tweeted:
    Bidenā€˜s campaign announced they may need a super PAC, Bernieā€™s campaign announced theyā€™re falling behind financially and now Kamalaā€˜s campaign has announced they are re-organizing due to money yet the only one the media is bashing is Kamala. https://twitter.com/GundyGirl/status/1189672623107530752?s=17

  17. rikyrah says:

    šŸ¤ØšŸ¤ØšŸ¤Ø

    Candice Aiston (@CandiceAiston) Tweeted:
    Itā€™s fascinating to me that a bunch of white guy legacy media hires are calling Kamala Harrisā€™s campaign over after she strongly stood up against enabling white supremacy and misogyny. Itā€™s almost like these guys have a stake in the status quo on race and gender. https://twitter.com/CandiceAiston/status/1189674136701792258?s=17

  18. rikyrah says:

    Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) Tweeted:
    Rep. Gerry Connolly on Trump: “We should stop being euphemistic about ‘put pressure on.’ He extorted, by using military aid and the promise of a presidential visit, to get political dirt on a perspective opponent. That is illegal.” @MSNBC https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1189609299846352899?s=17

  19. rikyrah says:

    I commit to voting with the Democrat Base. (@Mandy_PureMI) Tweeted:
    Every way I slice it, this tax hike to cover M4A is going to cost me more than my house payment, including taxes and insurance.

    I’m a hard no on M4A.

    I strongly support universal coverage. Healthcare is a right. But we don’t have to bankrupt the people to get it done. https://twitter.com/Mandy_PureMI/status/1189473364362047489?s=17

  20. rikyrah says:

    šŸ¤ØšŸ¤ØšŸ¤Ø

    He just resigned. And, he testifies tomorrow.šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”

    Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) Tweeted:
    Tim Morrison, known as a ā€œconservative hawk,ā€ alerted National Security Council lawyers that the Trump administration wanted Ukraine to investigate a company tied to Hunter Biden. https://t.co/i0YhNsdUhN https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1189664047102386180?s=17

  21. rikyrah says:

    This is a good thread about the criminal Attorney General Barr.

    https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1189339329258283008

  22. rikyrah says:

    Vindman reveals how notorious Devin Nunes aide tricked the president over and over again on Ukraine
    Published October 30, 2019
    By Travis Gettys

    Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was sidelined from debriefing President Donald Trump about Ukraineā€™s future because an associate of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) had already claimed the role of White House expert on the foreign ally, which he actually knew very little about.

    Vindman testified before the House impeachment inquiry that longtime Nunes staffer Kashyap Patel had ā€œmisrepresentedā€ himself to the president to become more deeply involved in Ukraine policy, two sources told Politico.

    The sources said Vindman had attended the inauguration of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and was looking forward to explaining the newly elected leaderā€™s vision for his country, but was instructed ā€œat the last secondā€ not to attend the debriefing.

    Trumpā€™s advisers were worried his presence might confuse the president, who had been led to believe that Patel was the National Security Council expert on Ukraine, Vindman told lawmakers.

    https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/vindman-reveals-how-notorious-devin-nunes-aid-tricked-the-president-over-and-over-again-on-ukraine/

  23. rikyrah says:

    Anyone still watch The Flash?

    Barry and Joe completely gutted me last night. I was bawling like a baby. When Joe told Barry, ” I’m not ready”, I felt that to the bottom of my soul. What a superb scene between the actors. Just broke my heart. No parent wants to think of their child dying before them. And, when he asked Barry – ‘ What do you get?’ for being The Flash….man….just tears…

  24. rikyrah says:

    Sam Stein
    āœ”
    @samstein
    Trump going to Chicago to shit all over the city (saying it makes Afghanistan look safe by comparison) is a reminder of the asymmetry in our politics. A Dem president would get absolutely killed if he, say, went to Topeka and mocked education levels in the heartland.

  25. rikyrah says:

    Paul Krugman Verified account @paulkrugman

    The meh GDP numbers wonā€™t help Trump next year. But what should really scare him is his utter failure to boost manufacturing in swing states

    [ FRED graph of Wisconsin manufacturing employment falling off a cliff since ~ July 2018 ]

    8:43 AM ā€“ 30 Oct 2019

  26. rikyrah says:

    Dems unveil resolution on impeachment proceedings

    EJ Dionne tells Lawrence Oā€™Donnell why he thinks the new House impeachment inquiry resolution could prevent GOP “flame throwers” from making the proceedings into a “circus.” Julian Epstein, who played a key role on the House Judiciary Cmte. during the last impeachment investigation, joins.

  27. rikyrah says:

    ‘I can’t make people not afraid of black people’: Michelle Obama addresses epidemic of racism and says the best she can do is ‘show up every day as a good human to pick away the scab’

    The former first lady spoke at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago on Tuesday
    When her family – and other black families – moved to the city’s South Side, the white families moved out, she said
    The added that ‘artificial things’ like the color of a person’s skin and texture of their hair ‘can divide countries’
    The 55-year-old compared that experience to the what immigrant families in America now face daily
    Moving into the White House ‘gave America and the world the opportunity to see the truth of who we are as black people’, she said
    By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

    PUBLISHED: 20:03 EDT, 29 October 2019 | UPDATED: 01:11 EDT, 30 October 2019

  28. rikyrah says:

    Impeachment witness says transcript of Trump-Zelenskiy call was not complete

    Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman told the impeachment investigating committees that the White House transcript of a July call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president omitted crucial words and phrases, and that his attempts to restore them failed. Lawrence Oā€™Donnell discusses with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Ned Price, and Evan McMullin.

  29. rikyrah says:

    Brennan: W.H. handling of Trump’s Ukraine call ‘an aberration’

    John Brennan, former CIA director, talks with Rachel Maddow about reports that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified to House impeachment committees that the record of Donald Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president omitted crucial words and phrases.

  30. rikyrah says:

    Vindman: Trump-Ukraine call record omitted Biden-related mentions

    Rachel Maddow shares breaking news from the New York Times that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified to House impeachment committees that corrections he sought to make to the record of Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were not made. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, joins with analysis.

  31. rikyrah says:

    Trump backers aim to smear war hero amid more damaging testimony

    Rachel Maddow describes the impressive accomplishments of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified before the House impeachment committees today as a first-person witness to Donald Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president. True to form, Trump allies in Congress and the media have tried to blunt news of Vindman’s testimony with baseless smears.

  32. rikyrah says:

    Georgia could soon cancel roughly 315,000 voter registrations in the state, the secretary of state’s office has confirmed, ahead of the 2020 election. https://t.co/BJkt8NcXYKā€” Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 30, 2019

  33. Liza says:

    The arrogance is beyond comprehension…
    https://twitter.com/CIAspygirl/status/1189313731316109313

  34. Liza says:

    Hmmm. And Austin is supposed to be the liberal city in Texas (probably because the University of Texas is there.) This is just stupid.
    https://twitter.com/TrueFactsStated/status/1189533439525113856

    • Liza says:

      Here’s something to think about…

      If Trump walks away from all this with no real consequences, the presidency is up for grabs. For generations, maybe forever. Or for a long damn time, let’s put it that way.

      Ivanka Trump thinks she can be president one day.

  35. rikyrah says:

    šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”

    Veronica McDonaldšŸ—£ (@Purify_toast17) Tweeted:
    Elizabeth Warren: When Iā€™m POTUS, EYE will show the moral clarity & backbone other Democrats (whisper: Obama) havenā€™t shown!

    Us: Did you show moral clarity & backbone when Reagan & Bush were calling black People welfare queens & Willie Horton?

    Elizabeth Warren: https://twitter.com/Purify_toast17/status/1189293500514349056?s=17

  36. rikyrah says:

    Susan Glasser (@sbg1) Tweeted:
    Forget the smear campaign against Lt.Col. Vindman. Read his testimony about Trumpā€™s shadow foreign policy with Ukraine. Itā€™s specific, powerful, damning, and firsthand. https://t.co/wbjCkPRnTJ https://twitter.com/sbg1/status/1189159378299113473?s=17

  37. rikyrah says:

    The Hill (@thehill) Tweeted:
    JUST IN: House Intel Democrat says Sondland appears to have committed perjury in impeachment testimony https://t.co/fsuBdExETB https://t.co/Ankkr3vpq9 https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1189174316409262081?s=17

  38. rikyrah says:

    The ENTIRE PHUCK??!?šŸ˜ šŸ˜ šŸ˜ šŸ˜ 

    https://twitter.com/maddow/status/1189278243402276864

  39. rikyrah says:

    Parnas associations range from Russian mob to Trump legal team

    Rachel Maddow looks at the criminal and questionable associations of Lev Parnas even before he was arrested this month, and wonders at the peculiar relationship Parnas has with Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Dmytro Firtash, an oligarch linked to Russian organized crime.

    • majiir says:

      I don’t know why some ministers, reverends, priests, congregants seem to think one can’t have a relationship with God without their special blessing. These folks need to stop trying to take God’s job away from Him.

  40. rikyrah says:

    Nancy Pelosi ā€Verified account @SpeakerPelosi

    Itā€™s been more than a month and Republicans in Washington still wonā€™t answer the simple question: is it appropriate for a president to pressure a foreign country to undermine our elections?

    Every national security expert knows the answer. #TruthExposed

    9:06 AM ā€“ 28 Oct 2019

  41. rikyrah says:

    Nooooo…you think?
    Who actually believed it was suicide?
    Come on, now.

    ‘In 50 years I’ve not seen such injuries in a suicidal hanging’: Jeffrey Epstein’s body bore signs of homicide by strangulation NOT suicide, claims pathologist who has examined 20,000 bodies and worked on OJ Simpson and Phil Spector cases

    Former New York City medical examiner Dr Michael Baden said that Epstein’s death was more consistent with homicidal strangulation than by suicide
    The forensic pioneer was hired by Jeffrey Epstein’s brother to look at the case and has been working in the industry for more than five decades
    Baden described how the 66-year-old financier had two fractures on the left and right sides of his larynx, around the Adam’s apple
    Epstein also had a fracture on the left hyoid bone that is above the Adam’s apple
    Baden – who has worked on cases involving OJ Simpson, President John F Kennedy and Phil Spector – said that the three fractures were ‘rare’
    The 85-year-old forensic pioneer added: ‘I’ve not seen in 50 years where that occurred in a suicidal hanging case’
    Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional facility on August 10
    By MATTHEW WRIGHT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 08:35 EDT, 30 October 2019 | UPDATED: 09:29 EDT, 30 October 2019

  42. rikyrah says:

    Veronica McDonaldšŸ—£ (@Purify_toast17) Tweeted:
    Slaveowners mad today. Mad because these young black boys will now get to reap some of the money thatā€™s been made out of their likenesses. https://twitter.com/Purify_toast17/status/1189314947102236678?s=17

  43. rikyrah says:

    Marcus H. Johnson (@marcushjohnson) Tweeted:
    Of course the context for all of this is their contention that class matters more than race in America, which is completely ahistorical + goes against all the data. They say this because they are cool w the racial status quo, just upset their elite parents are wealthier than them https://twitter.com/marcushjohnson/status/1189239837049667585?s=17

  44. rikyrah says:

    WellšŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”šŸ¤”

    Why Won’t Tulsi Go Away? (@JFakhredin) Tweeted:
    Funny how the people mad at Obama over incremental change want Black folks to be satisfied with incremental change on race relations.

    When it comes to their shit we need to be radical and push for purity.

    When it comes to racism, we need to be happy we won’t have Trump.. https://twitter.com/JFakhredin/status/1189304274582429696?s=17

  45. rikyrah says:

    It’s October 30th, it’s snowing, and I have my Winter boots onšŸ˜¢šŸ˜¢šŸ˜ šŸ˜ 

  46. rikyrah says:

    Good Morning, Everyone šŸ˜„šŸ˜„šŸ˜„

Leave a Reply