Americans for Koch's Prosperity, et cetera. : Defending Democratic Principles

Showing posts with label Defending Democratic Principles. Show all posts

Sunday, December 1, 2019

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

The Roger Stone Collection - November 15, 2019

I’ve been watching that amoral Roger Stone damage American politics all my life. With his love of dirty tricks and hurting people, his prideful contempt for humanity and civility, ethics, dignity, honor, respect, empathy and then the self-worship and his own gluttony - he epitomizes the "Ugly American" as much as Trump does. Winning is all that mattered.

Future of humanity?

Stone's response, Who the fuk cares!? I got mine and fuk you and yours! Too much is never going to be enough for me and it doesn't matter how much carnage I leave in my wake.

He had a hell of run. Roger Stone was tough enough, bullying enough, that Democrats wilted time after time, time after time, and today in many ways our political mess is Roger Stone's legacy as much as anyone’s.

The Republican’s selective acceptance and their normalization of such criminality makes me more fearful for our short term future than ever before. I think Democrats in general simply have no conception of the 'war footing' going on in their god-fearing minds. But, I digress, here I wanted to share a selection of articles to introduce the uninitiated to why Roger Stone is a big deal.

Roger Stone found guilty on all 7 counts | ABC News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpk9-pibcEE

ABC News | Nov 15, 2019

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

Roger Stone’s New York intrigues

By Zach Williams November 15, 2019

https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/personality/personality/roger-stone-new-york-arrest.html

The ‘malevolent Forrest Gump’ has never strayed far from his home state.

1960 – Fake news in school …

1972 – Nixon’s reelection campaign …

1980 – John Anderson campaign …

1999 – Trump’s aborted Reform Party campaign …

2000 – The Florida Recount …

2002 – Billionaire Tom Golisano gubernatorial run …

2004 – Al Sharpton campaign …

2007 – The New York state Senate …

2010 – The Kristin Davis for governor campaign …

2015 – Trump campaign …

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.

Adam Schiff Responds to Trump's Senate Sycophants

I often share my disappointment with the limp Democratic Party and how easily they wither in the face of GOP's ruthless macho bullying. Still, once in awhile I get impressed and realize there is some hope left. Now if only these few courageous politicians can start getting more of We The People to better support them by actively getting behind these individuals and letting our representatives know we expect them to follow through on their efforts.

Act as if our democracy depends on it, because it does! A healthy democracy requires an informed and engaged electorate!

Yeah, yeah, an imperfect democracy is better than this ME FIRST theocracy the oligarch owned GOP is pushing our country towards.

https://www.house.gov/representatives

https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff fired back at Republicans on his committee, including disgraced former chair Devin Nunes, calling for his resignation during a hearing about Russia interference in the 2016 election. Lawrence: "You're going to want to see every word of the controlled, targeted, and building anger of the honorable Adam Schiff.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qKd9fDLku8
MSNBC | Published on Mar 28, 2019

2:42 Honorable Adam Schiff Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee:

“My colleagues may think it's okay that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president as part of what was described as the Russian government's effort to help the Trump campaign. You might think that's okay. (transcript continues)

Dan Rather explains how Trump can get his Wall.

It speaks for itself and its worth sharing with your pals on the faith-shackled side.

For more from Dan:

https://www.newsandguts.com

Friday, November 23, 2018

President Kennedy, reminiscing on a loss that gets greater with every year.

No November 22nd has gone by without me thinking about President Kennedy and his untimely death with it's profound impact on the future direction of American and world politics. Not that he was a saint, but he was a capable intelligent Mensch, a beloved leader of men, someone who cared and loved learning and loved people. After rereading a little piece I wrote five years ago I got to thinking about how the world has continued to change for the worse these past five years.

Considering today's increasing anguish over the existential future of American civility, and since yesterday was the fifty-fifth anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's profoundly tragic assassination, I'm reposting it. My little way of honoring his memory.

Fifty years and still mourning our loss.

NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Reflecting on November 22nd, 1963 and the assassination of our President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the loss of a nation… and of the world.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Up until I was eight years old, life was a scattered recollection of emerging awareness of the world around me. Then, while climbing the stairs to the second floor of John J. Audubon Elementary school in Chicago, Illinois - I overheard an older guy descending the stairs telling his friend: "Did you hear? The President's been shot!"

The news meant something big, then and there. That feeling was reinforced within the minute it took to complete my trek to the classroom. The somber teacher, the being sent home early, the stunned walk home through a hushed neighborhood. Then the look of my mother and the tears she could not hide when we got home.

The following day we drove to my grandparents and spent the subsequent days in a vigil around their TV (since we still didn't have one) trying to absorb what had happened until our President was laid to rest. It's the earliest period of my young life where I remember a sequence of many days. A metaphorical brutal slap in the face letting me know that the outside world does make a difference to my own little world.

Frightening Normalization of Trump Values.

This morning after reading a Durango Herald editorial, “The Times called an audible and fumbled” (9/6/2018) a couple comments caught my attention.

“People need to get a grip. The world isn't falling apart because of Trump…”

——-

“The Herald needs to note and call attention to the fact that there are some massive attempts by the larger liberal news media to unseat the democratically-elected president of the United States. Why is the Herald, which used to pretend to be objective, a part of that movement?…”

The whole thing got me to thinking about the Normalization of Trump-think and Republican’s causal allegiance with Trump’s most destructive values.

I compiled a list. After posting it I decided to do some web surfing to find supporting details for my various observations. Since the Durango Herald probably wouldn’t appreciate me posting all these links over there, I’m going to post my annotated comment over here:

_________________________________________________

Seems to me the most horrifying thing going on is all this casual thoughtless normalization of Trump-think:

A man who's political bones were made, peddling an absolutely malicious toxic lie - namely, President Obama’s supposedly missing birth certification, with the screamed implication that Obama was an illegitimate president to be held in contempt. (https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/09/politics/donald-trump-birther/index.html)

A man who’s entire political career is based on deriding and demonizing his enemies, real and imagined. (https://www.thenation.com/article/this-political-theorist-predicted-the-rise-of-trumpism-his-name-was-hunter-s-thompson/)

The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s “Nonoverlapping Magisteria.”

I’m in the process of mailing out copies of this to various Democratic Party representatives (plus scientists and science communicators, under different introductions) and want to share it at this blog. Perhaps it'll resonate with someone out there.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

May I ask for a moment of your time please.

The Situation:

The disconnected-from-physical-reality GOP attacks on climate science have reached horrifying levels with the Trump Administration. Yet science loving rationalists, pluralists, progressives, liberals, Democrats still haven’t developed effective messaging for directly confronting the most childish of Republican arguments and trains of ill-logic. Why? Mainly because rationalists rather sidestep their willful ignorance. This acquiescence to GOP's nonsense has been a fatal error for our national dialogue and general state of understanding.

Arguing with contrarians should not be seen as an exercise in futility, since those are teaching opportunity for explaining the simple logical geophysical reasoning that puts the lie to disingenuous “skeptical" arguments for onlookers from our own side. Folks who probably don’t understand the science and would gain much from a simple lesson.

Even on this fateful US election eve, little effort seems to be getting expended to help geographically dispersed individual activists, of diverse talents, network with like-minded for sharing information, developing ideas, cross-breeding and strategizing. Such efforts would facilitate a better appreciation for what we are all about, while encouraging a sense of community and pro-active cooperation.

Why try to reach out to Democratic Party representatives and candidates:

Because only through elected Democratic Party representatives do We The People have a chance of successfully turning back this ruthless attack on rationality and on our way of government and public discourse. An attack that’s been supercharged under the Trump Administration’s Me First reign.

Why do this:

I live out in the Colorado hinterlands so that’s why I’m asking for your help to network with others interested in more effectively defending science in the face of the GOP’s malicious juvenile illogic and internet brainwashing through uncontested astro-turfing efforts.

I’m hoping the following might connect with someone on your offices’ environmental, science, global warming team. If you see any value in the following please do share, with others who may understand what I’m trying to say with these essays and blog posts. Any feedback, encouragement, networking, or support would be much appreciated.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s

“Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

“… missing was a much more fundamental division crying out for recognition. Specifically,

the magisteria of Physical Reality vs the magisteria of our Human Mindscape. …”

Selected blog posts, addendum to Missing Key to Gould's 'Nonoverlapping Magisteria' essay.

I need help to network with others who understand what I’m trying to say with these essays and blog posts.

Any feedback, encouragement, networking, or support would be much appreciated.

Peter Miesler aka citizenschallenge @ gmail.com

P.O.Box 56, Durango, Colorado 81302

Regarding - Stephen Gould, who with Niles Eldredge, introduced the world to evolutionary Punctuated Equilibrium in 1972:

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674024441 ~ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/5/l_035_01.html

Exploring the Map v Territory Problem - via the Brown Ocean Effect and Dr. Trenberth

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2017/12/exploring-map-territory-problem.html

Colorado Floods - statistical certainty vs geophysical realities - 2013

http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2013/10/colorado-floods-statistical-certainty.html

2018, now what? Considering the Republican Dialogue Problem in 14 VERSES.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-pruitt-now-what.html

CO2 Science - Blue team: "Pruitt, it's certain as certain gets! It's the physics! Don't you know?

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/01/pruitt-agw-certain-as-certain-gets.html

CO2 Science - Pruitt, proof is in the pudding! Impossible Modern Marvels

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/01/pruitt-proof-isin-modernmarvels.html

(Sd7) Abuse of Our Free Speech Rights (LandscapesAndCycles - Jim Steele) (FCFP)

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/08/abuse-free-speech-rights-steele.html

(Sd3) Mr.GOP don't buy Jim Steele's Fraud - LandscapesAndCycles

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/mrgop-dont-buy-jim-steele-fraud.html

(Sd1) Revisiting Jim Steele's LandscapesAndCycles Fraud -

An index of past research - Steele debate #1

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/revisiting-steele-landscapesandcycles.html

Fruits of Ignoring Deliberate Deception

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/06/fruits-of-ignoring-deliberate-deception.html

I am an Earth Centrist.

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/i-am-earth-centrist.html

Earth Centrist ponders, polite or honest?

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/earth-centrist-ponders-polite-or-honest.html

Saying No To Reality (Four Corners Free Press)
https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2018/07/explaining-geologic-column-to-psalm1tree.html

______________________________________________________________________

Exploring the Map v Territory Problem - via the Brown Ocean Effect and Dr. Trenberth

https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot.com/2017/12/exploring-map-territory-problem.html

“… During the Q&A I had a chance to ask Dr.Trenberth, (58:00 video 3/3)

“I’d like to bring it back to Hurricane Harvey, can you explain what the Brown Ocean Effect is and how it impacts landfall hurricanes such as Harvey?”

Dr. Trenberth responded, “What, what is this?” and stopped. He caught me by surprise, after a couple beats I collected my thoughts and responded,

“The ‘Brown Ocean Effect is about land surface areas getting so saturated with hot water that when a hurricane comes over the land it starts sucking up the heat and moisture.”

I was startled at Dr. Trenberth’s halting response. Rather than reviewing what’s been written in the literature, he went back to the a,b,c’s of hurricanes. Thing is, none of that was being questioned. It was this ominous new environmental factor that I wanted to learn more about, but that Dr. Trenberth seemed to not want to talk about.

His 450 word two part response thankfully ended with:

“So that's presumably the brown ocean effect that if you've dumped a whole lot of water on the land there is a capability for some moisture to reevaporate back into the atmosphere to help refuel the storm if you like.”

I believe his reluctance can be understood by considering his ending sentence to part one:

“You know having a big dumping of water over land didn't hurt but I don't know just how much it helped either. That's the sort of thing that we can sort out a bit more with experiments with models at some later point.”

The true cartographer, until he can map it with his models and empirically define its details, nothing is more than a suggestion. Is this something to complain about? NO!

What is true patriotism? By Galen Larson, (FCFP)

I found this a very refreshing read, as my exuberant font adjustments make plain. I've had similar thoughts many times, jotted down notes, but never written about it. So I'm happy to share Galen's thoughtful opinions regarding taxes and patriotism. The musings of 9 decades worth of genuine all-American patriotism. I thank Gail and Galen for permission to reprint the following.

------------------------------------------------------------------

What is true patriotism?

By Galen Larson

© Four Corners Free Press

This is the month when Americans really show their patriotism, right? Lots of loud, bright fireworks, flags waving in the sun, red, white and blue frosted cakes – all to remind us what a great country we have.

We go to Fourth of July sales at the markets and furniture stores. We set off illegal fireworks surreptitiously in our back yards. We wear Stars and Stripes T-shirts and blue jeans.

I get tears in my eyes myself when I see Old Glory displayed and proudly saluted as it passes by in a parade.

But all that is symbolism and ceremony. It isn’t true patriotism. That takes work and, yes, sacrifice.

First off, I submit that one of the most patriotic things one can do is proudly pay the taxes we owe. Why? Because when we pay our taxes, we are saying to those that gave their all, “We will continue to support this great nation.”

GOP and Trump's Attacks on USA's Democratic Principles and Institutions - a bibliography

Democracy Under Trump: What Is Being Lost?

It's been a while since I've posted, partly because I'm now quite busy and preoccupied with jobs, but also because I'm in a funk of disappointment. What's the point of stealing the time and putting in the effort, when there's nobody out there?

Along with that, the malicious recall effort against Gwen Lachelt fell short, but was given two extra weeks to make up the difference, which they managed to do. That they so easily gained over 2000 signatures in those extra two weeks reflects the Democratic Party's continued inability to invigorate their voters, or to effectively confront the deluge of deliberate and ruthless, amoral deception that was the hallmark of the so-called Save La Plata County's anti-democratic con-job.

While on the national scene Democrats remain as timid and tongue tied as ever, all very depressing. Trump's bullies, the alt-right and evangelicals and oligarchs are relentlessly inflicting brutal damage on our democratic principles and ways of government. I guess I'm old fashioned, I believe patriotism demands action when our nation is in danger, and even if my actions are futile, they're better than rolling over and pretending our democracy isn't in the middle of a fierce existential crisis and that we stand on the cusp of losing our democracy to ruthless special interests. A situation demanding all hands on deck, if there's to be any hope of turning back the tide!

This post is dedicated to sharing a bibliography of articles that discuss different aspects of trump's attack on our democracy. This is the sort of background knowledge we need to learn about and to share with others. Raising awareness and encouraging involvement is our only hope. Following this list I've gone on to include key quotes from the articles as an introduction and hopefully encouragement for you to follow the links to the complete articles. It is by no means a complete, but its a start.

May 27, 2018 - By Lauren Strayer, Democracy Fund

Our special projects to defend democracy: Democracy Fund

May 22, 2018 - By Travis Gettys, Raw Story

Foreign Policy Expert: GOP Helping Trump Attack Democratic Principles to 'Save The President’s Skin'

May 16, 2018 - By Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer

Why Trump’s Assault on Democracy Doesn’t Bother the Radical Left

April 25, 2018 - Jay Rosen, New York Book Review

Why Trump Is Winning and the Press Is Losing | by Jay Rosen | NYR ...

April 13, 2018 - Evan McMullin, The Atlantic

An Attack on the Rule of Law

April 4, 2018 - by Darrell M. West and Jack Karsten, Brookings Institution

Views of American democracy based on internet search data