Matt Kiser - Impeachment Watch - WhatTheFuckJustHappenedToday.com

I'm always amazed at how the days and weeks speed by, between having to spend time getting caught up on pre-winter and now early-winter chores (we do live in the country and our little cabin is heated by wood) so there's work that needs to be done.   Plus the 500 mile trip down to spend a week with family and our young grandson.  Too much going on.  Enough time to get caught up on news, vent by starting yet more potential projects, while not enough to concentrate on getting any of them finished.  Now it's time to get back to it.

The following is a collection of links to resources provided by Matt and friends over at the blog, What The Fuck Just Happened Today, which has been tracking and compiling Trump news since day one, so that We The People have a record to learn from, to use and retain for future reference.  And me?, it simply seems like a patriotic duty to share and hopefully help spread this information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impeachment Watch: Day 4.0 (and Day 3.0)

https://talk.whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/t/impeachment-watch-day-4-0/5338

Matt Kiser

WTF Community Leader

1/ The U.S. ambassador to the European Union testified that he and senior administration officials “followed the president’s orders” to work with Rudy Giuliani to pressure Ukraine into announcing investigations into Joe Biden and the discredited conspiracy theory that the country helped Democrats in the 2016 election. Gordon Sondland testified that he, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and special envoy Kurt Volker coordinated with Giuliani at the “at the express direction of the president of the United States” to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations. 

Sondland said he directly communicated the “quid pro quo” arrangement to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sondland also provided House impeachment investigators with emails and texts showing that acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Perry, and others were all aware that Trump conditioned a White House meeting for Zelensky on his willingness to launch investigations. “They knew what we were doing and why,” Sondland said. “Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.” 

(New York Times / Washington Post / Politico 1 / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNN

• Quotables: Gordon Sondland.
• “Again, everyone was in the loop.”
• “Was there a quid pro quo? … YES.”
• “… we knew these investigations were important to the president.”
• “… we followed the president’s orders.”
• “I followed the directions of the president.”
• ANALYSIS: 4 things we learned from Gordon Sondland
• ANALYSIS: 5 takeaways from Gordon Sondland’s testimony
• READ: Gordon Sondland’s opening statement
• Live blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NBC News / CNN

2/ Sondland testified that he told Pence before his Sept. 1 meeting with Zelensky that he “had concerns that the delay in aid had become tied to the issue of investigations.”

(CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

Trump Impeachment Hearings (Day2) - Marie Yovanovitch

During today's Impeachment Hearing, Day Two, it was nuts listening to Jordan and Stefanik's dialogue, what's with all that melodramatic dripping contempt for our democratic government and it's rules?   

So now the GOP tells us it's a "performance" to expect the rule of law to be respected and obeyed?  It's "performance" that we're appalled at witnessing our President playing political extortion with an ally's self-defense needs.  What is going on here?  Actually, I do know, the GOP questioners are playing to their bubble and steadfastly ignoring the reality of the facts. 

What about simple FAIR PLAY.  What about Honest Constructive Debate?  Where both sides are bound by an expectation to be truthful?

Doesn't a sane government require a standard of honesty that applies to all sides?  But all I hear from the GOP is malicious slanderous innuendo, fabricated conspiracy theories, misdirection, and wasting time with ridiculous side stories, oh an the bullying - all justified because of their most grotesque partisan blindspots.

I wish someone would ask the GOP what they think of the other half of this country who believe in science and constructive debates, debates where honesty is expected from all sides?  Where learning and improving is the goal.  What about us?  Where do we go from here?

Watch: Day 2 of public Trump impeachment hearings

Washington Post  |  November 15, 2019

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

Trump Impeachment Hearings (Day1) Bill Taylor, George Kent

Full video of Trump Impeachment Hearings (Day 1) | NBC News

The House Intelligence Committee holds its first public hearing in President Trump's impeachment inquiry. Witnesses include Bill Taylor, Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

I graduated high school in 1973.  By then I’d already had enough science classes to understand the fundamental facts of Anthropogenic Global Warming.  Not that it’s tough to do, since though the details get impossibly complex, the fundamentals are quite straightforward and accessible to any intelligent person engaged in a good-faith learning effort.  

In the decades since observed changes on Earth have proven the scientists correct in their concerns and their science.  (I’m happy to debate that point, if anyone wants to question it.)

In these decades I have watched Republican leaders get ever more unhinged from physical realities, facts and well understood scientific truths - as they strayed further and further into self-certain self-delusion.  Today we see where that has lead our GOP leaders.

Congressman Tipton What Happened to Honesty, Fair Play, US Constitution?

Open letter to Honorable US Congressman Tipton (of Colorado),

When did your Senator Lindsay evolve into a full fledged Fascist (foaming mouth and all)?  

What about Barr's testimony - I found Barr's manipulation of the truth, along with his smug stonewalling contemptible.  Did you?  

Furthermore, The special counsel Mueller's report clearly does not exonerate President Trump of criminal conduct!  The ability to be blind to all that I find terrifying and it promises of a truly horrific American future.

Lindsay actions are downright treasonous to the American government - but do you care?  

What happened to principles of Honesty, Fair Play, Assessing All The Evidence, not to mention our Democracy and the Constitution that set down its guidelines, along with long standing laws of our government?  

Will you support the Democrats in Congress as they continue their fight to allow Mueller's evidence to be made public?  

Thank you for your time,

Peter Miesler

_________________________________________________

Some reading suggestions, thoughts for you to sleep on (besides the up coming election):

“Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive this president.”

Mr. James Comey,  former F.B.I. director.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/opinion/william-barr-testimony.html

Oh and regarding your climate science denial flimflam, here’s so more reading:

John Kerry v GOP’s Congressman Massie, A Study in Democratic Party Failure. April 9, 2019

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2019/04/study-democratic-failure-kerry-v-massie.html

The Happer files - This is what a Kangaroo Judge looks like.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-dr-william-happer-climate-files.html

Flashback, April 2018 stab at our dysfunctional dialogue, Colorado Democratic Assembly.

This is side two of the flier I handed out at the 2018 Colorado Democratic Assembly/Convention (side one).  I notice I've improved a bit in subsequent writings, but will leave this version as it was. (Oh and it looked nicer formatted in two columns, but its the substance that matters so hope this will do.)

A few thoughts regarding Climate Science and our dysfunctional public dialogue

I’ve spent a couple decades attempting to debate climate science contrarians.  This has given me insights into the faith-based mind in action and the games they employ to derail discussions. I’ve distilled my experiences into the following list of observations regarding our dysfunctional public dialogue.  It’s incomplete and improvable.  Still I hope it’s a useful effort, food for thought if nothing else. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncertainties vs. known Physical Certainties

Is it a disservice to constantly allow trivial uncertainties to become the focal point of the public discussion, to the exclusion of facing the known certainties.

In real life when we get overwhelmed and mired in increasingly complex problem, we stop.  Back off a little, get reoriented with the big picture and what we do know with reasonable certainty, then move forward again.  

I’m not saying ignore uncertainties!  But keep reminding all of the overriding fundamental certainties!   Thus putting those trivial pursuits into real world perspective.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map vs. Territory Problem

Scientists are Cartographers mapping out the geophysical realities of our planet, the Territory if you will.  They do the best they can with the data they have available.

Too often we assume that until our scientists can define all aspects with statistical certainty, we should assume it doesn’t exist.  That’s getting lost in the Map and forgetting we actually exist within the Territory and had better beware, (which incidentally, doesn’t care if we get it or not.) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sloppy usage of “Natural Variability”

Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Tribalism.

I simply want to say hello and let folks know I'm still around.  A bit battered but knowing I gave it a pretty good shot.  Could have been better, but not stranded within this party of one, it is what it is.  Nowadays, besides being crowded by work and obligations, I'm drained by the enduring general apathy, not just towards what I've written, worse towards our Democratic principles of pluralism, enlightened self-interest, and rational constructive dialogue over demagogic  hate mongering and fantasy thinking.  

Watching our inept Senators at the Kavanaugh's hearing knocked me off my pins (as Stephen Schneider would have said).  I can't fathom their failure to seize the moment - then October 25th.  Hello, this stuff has lasting consequences!  The election campaigns seemed like the same tired old shit, with the same tire money pitches and nothing to really motivate, even Obama seemed more promise than substance.  

For now, I'm going to take a stroll down memory lane and collect what, for me, were important efforts to enunciate my position, starting with side one of the pamphlet I passed out at the 2018 Colorado Democratic Assembly and Convention. 

==============================================

(Originally posted April 13, 2018)

I'm at my fourth Colorado Democratic Assembly and I've always been a pamphleteer.  Not the easiest for a private shy sort of guy.  So I've been rather passive, offering my pages and ready for dialogue but not stepping forward to engage people.  Time passes, we learn more with every day and this year I've promised myself to step it up a little and reach out to people to introduce the topic and establish an interest before offering my flier. 

Had a little practice during the short district assembly this evening.  At first looking at the 350+ District 3 delegates it seemed the crowd of the usual old folks, and not that many young faces.  But, then I started spotting them.  Not in the numbers I had hoped.  Then I heard a couple powerful speeches by young speakers.  Followed by a few good conversations,
as in 'yippy, they get it.'  I realized their small number way under-represented the energy and substance and power they possess.

It was fun.  I'm feeling a little better already and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  Here's side one, a lifetime's distillation.  I'll share side two tomorrow, now I'm going to bed, it's late and tomorrow will be a long busy day.

The Memes Courier

    Colorado Democratic Assembly -  April 13, 2018  

      

Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Tribalism.

The opposing sides: Children of the Intellectual Enlightenment vs Faith-based dogmatism spearheaded by the evangelical movement (driven by wannabe oligarchs).  Winning at the polls is only half our challenge when well over a third of our country fully supports this amoral president and his white supremest bullying and his attacks upon our government and democratic institutions.  

Beyond winning in the 2018 elections, we need to nurture a massive grassroots movement of informed and engaged voters who are willing to confront faith-based delusional thinking on an individual level, while also standing behind those we elect to make sure they get their jobs done.

Faith-based thinking demands a rejection of serious science along with hostility towards learning from down to Earth evidence.  This attitude is enabled and reinforced by a constant flow of contrived high pitched fear-mongering and paranoid machinations towards “the other” be it different people or ideas.

Why have we allowed their religion and God a free pass?