peggysue2
peggysue2's JournalChild Actors Worthy of an Oscar
Yes, you knew it was coming and someone would go there. In this case, it is Ann Coulter charging that the images of caged immigrants, children specifically, are populated by child actors weeping, appearing stressed out and traumatized on cue for the cameras.
A ploy, an act. They are reading from a liberal script, Coulter claims, and she begs that the Trumpster not fall for it. This article was published at Breitbart. I refuse to provide a link to a racist rag.
Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), has said there simply is no policy to separate parents from their children.
If you can’t justify abusive policy dictums, just deny they exist.
She will not, she stated, apologize for enforcing the law. That would be the law that does not require abusing, terrorizing children.
Evil elf Jeff Sessions reiterated these comments in New Orleans where he accepted an Award for Awfulness from the Sheriff’s Association.
Then there’s the Border Patrol who feels ‘uncomfortable’ with the use of the word ‘cages.’ Although the term may be accurate, the spokesman said, the people are not being treated like animals.
That’s reassuring.
However, we already have our first substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse by a US deputy. A 4-year old child repeatedly molested while the child’s mother was threatened with deportation if she alerted anyone.
But, but . . . The Law.
Yes, the Rule of Law exists and must be protected. But when the Rule of Law is perverted, twisted in order to justify harm and abuse, the perversion must be called out. In this case, the law as written does not require ripping apart families or traumatizing children. The defenders of a wicked policy are simply . . . lying to cover their own asses and muddy the waters.
The Trumpster insists crime has increased by 30% when, in fact, crime is at a 20-30 year low. Oh btw, immigrants are far less likely to commit crime in country than native born citizens.
I probably don’t have to tell you that using the Law to justify all manner of horror was effectively utilized by the Nazis to imprison, work to death and execute undesirables by the millions.
We are approaching an Event Horizon. The danger is all too real.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/border-patrol-very-uncomfortable-with-word-cages
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/18/deputy-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-girl-4-threatening-to-have-mother-deported-if-she-spoke-up/?utm_term=.ddcf04a63a79
https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/crime-2017-updated-analysis
http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2017/aug/03/antonio-villaraigosa/mostly-true-undocumented-immigrants-less-likely-co/
The Powerful Effect of a Single Image
The current policy of separating families simply isn't playing well. Politically speaking for the Trumpsters.
They never considered the moral aspect of the policy and no matter how many enablers insist that they are honest--Huckabee Sanders--or that they have a conscience and are Catholic--Kelly Ann Conway--or that the Law of the Land is blessed and sanctioned by God--grinning Jeff Sessions--they are losing badly in the humane/decency department.
Why?
Because this is the brain fart of good ole Stevie Miller, aka Baby Goebbels. From what I've read he suggested and convinced the Trumpster that ripping kids from their parents' arms was the way to go, could serve as credible leverage in the immigration wars.
Gotta hand it to MIller. When he's wrong, he's really, really wrong.
What the policy has produced is the soon-to-be iconic image of a young child in laceless red sneakers, her face twisted in fear and anguish. It's the sort of photo that gets stamped on the brain like that famous photo of the naked child in Vietnam (Napalm Girl) or the fireman carrying a dead child from the rubble of Oklahoma City. It's the sort of image that lasts.
Oops.
The only upside to this indecent policy move? The political fallout could very well end Miller's tenure, so that he can go back to where he came from (under a rock?) and be the neighborhood crank.
As for the ongoing, majority opposition--the letters, the marches, the phone calls? The efforts are exposing the rot, the blackened heart at the center of the Trumpster Administration. Like vampires, these people hate sunlight; the exposure is an instant killer, particularly with a boss who will never admit a wrong. Listening this afternoon to GOP members trying to justify the decision, talk around it, etc was . . . painful. Makes you wonder how adult men and women can become so divorced from rational, moral thinking.
So, speaking up for these kids and their parents serve two purposes: doing the right, humane thing, following through with basic American values and thrusting a sword into the heart of the walking dead.
There's been much speculation that a porn star might tip the scale, open a hornet's nest on all things Trumpster connected. Who would have predicted that it might be a small, frightened child, separated from her family, doing what frightened children do--crying openly, her face twisted with anguish.
And those little red sneakers!
And a little child shall lead them.
Art of the Steal, Art of the Moron
Rick Wilson, Never-Trumper Extraordinaire, has another piece up, a thank you to The Donald for all he’s done to ensure world peace. Did you know that there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea because . . .
Little Kim promised while dreaming of future condos and mini Trump Towers.
So, we’re good. As are our Asian allies who are waiting for the flowers to drop from the sky.
BTW, Wilson’s piece was written in response to all the MAGA folks distressed by his lack of gratitude to the Great Man’s accomplishments. Thus, the proper response and gushing compliments. Here’s a sample:
Thank you, Mr. President, for reminding us that Kim Jong Un is talented. I couldn’t agree more. He’s talented at killing his uncles, half-brothers, cousins, and countrymen with poison, anti-aircraft guns, chemical weapons, and flamethrowers. He’s talented at starving his people, systematically reducing their life expectancy, health, and even height because of the chronic malnutrition his evil policies entail. He’s talented like his father and grandfather before him at rooking Western leaders. They’re talented at proposing deals they never had the slightest intention of keeping.
Enjoy!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-negotiating-style-is-pure-art-of-the-moron?source=twitter&via=desktop
Leni Riefenstahl Lives!!
Did you realize that Leni Riefenstahl--Hitler's favorite film maker--had been reincarnated for the Trumpster/Kim Jong un Summit? Because what could be better for a scam/photo-op negotiation than a film to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy and even make Dennis Rodman weep with joy?
Prepare to be amazed:
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/6/12/17452876/trump-kim-jong-un-meeting-north-korea-video
It’s worth noting that when journalists first glimpsed this clip they thought it was North Korean propaganda. But no. This is pure Trumpian, taking notes and lessons from the Master Propagandists of the past.
Oh Leni! We hardly knew ye.
Diversity is A Bunch of Crap, so says NJ Congressional candidate Seth Grossman
I’ve had the pleasure of watching a lot of good news come out of New Jersey, my native state, since Chris Christie left the building. This headline is the opposite of good.
Grossman, running in South Jersey, has doubled down on his earlier statements about diversity, equating it with:
an excuse by Democrats, communists, and socialists, basically, to say that we’re not all created equal; that some people, if somebody is lesser qualified, they will get a job anyway, or they’ll get into college anyway, because of the tribe that they’re with, what group, what box they fit into.
And he dearly yearns for the days when women did not work outside the home, when a single salary could support the family. You know those BIG families because the bare foot and pregnant era was just so-o-o good for women. Just conjure up the ghost of my dead mother; she’ll tell you all about the Happy Days of the 1950s, how blissful and satisfied she was.
And really when are African Americans going to get with the program, realize all those dirty Mexicans are gobbling up jobs?? Hop on the immigration gravy train, today!
Americana! Nostalgia. Rewritten history. Gotta love it.
I for one hope that Seth Grossman continues to double down, hug the Trumpster’s knees and spout this garage to the heavens.
And while he’s doing that I encourage my Democratic brothers and sisters to rally around Jeff Van Drew, Mr Grossman’s opponent. Then Democrats will take back the South Jersey district from the Neanderthals who simply cannot accept the concept of extinction.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/elections/seth-grossman-jeff-van-drew-new-jersey-congressional-election-primary-20180611.html
Germany Had Its Own Malignant Narcissist at the Helm and His Name Wasn't Hitler
Not sure if this article at the New Yorker, an historical touchstone, has made the rounds at DU. However, the parallels of the non-leadership and narcissistic antics of Kaiser Wilhelm and Babyfingers Trumpster is remarkable, sobering.
The Kaiser ruled Germany from 1888-1918. He was finally forced to abdicate and lived out his life in the Netherlands but not before causing considerable havoc and outrage on the world stage. His petulant and inconsistent ravings are very reminiscent, as is his fondness for all things military and aversion to any and all criticism.
This paragraph caught my eye for its gobsmacking familiarity:
In fact, Wilhelm didn’t accomplish very much. The general staff of the German Army agreed that the Kaiser couldn’t “lead three soldiers over a gutter.” He had neither the attention span nor the ability. “Distractions, whether they are little games with his army or navy, travelling or hunting—are everything to him,” a disillusioned former mentor wrote. “He reads very little apart from newspaper cuttings, hardly writes anything himself apart from marginalia on reports and considers those talks best which are quickly over and done with.” The Kaiser’s entourage compiled press cuttings for him, mostly about himself, which he read as obsessively as Trump watches television. A critical story would send him into paroxysms of fury.
Can’t say this information provides any great comfort. Wilhelm’s tenure includes the Great Slaughter, aka WWI. But we have certainly been here before. Sadly, on multiple occasions.
Interesting piece and a clear warning. The good news is that the Trumpster is not a monarch, despite his on-going delusions.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/what-happens-when-a-bad-tempered-distractible-doofus-runs-an-empire
The Smear That Killed the Reset
An excellent article at WAPO this morning by Michael McFaul, our former ambassador to Russia. The piece offers a short history/insight of the how and why of our current situation with Putin and the sharp rise of a sophisticated Russian propaganda machine which is now attempting to subvert all things Western.
As McFaul tells it, Putin paranoia was thick even in 2011:
I was not Mr. Reset but an agent provocateur: a revolutions specialist sent by Obama to orchestrate regime change. For the rest of my time in Russia as ambassador, I battled nearly every day to dispel that myth — and never really succeeded.
This was all about Putin's fading support in the then upcoming 2012 election:
The December 2011 parliamentary elections were the beginning of the end of the reset. Putin’s party, United Russia, performed much more poorly than expected, despite enjoying unlimited national television coverage, abundant financial resources, the backing of regional governments and a bump from ballot falsification. It won only 49.3 percent of the vote, a significant drop from the 64.3 percent it had garnered four years earlier.
Putin was spooked by the resistance and the US became, once again, the worthy object of all things bad in Russia. Every dictator needs a boogie man. And, of course, now Putin has the perfect solution, an agent of influence sitting in our White House.
The article is an interesting read but so is the comments section where you can find some expert trolling by one RobertHeikeler. Fascinating back and forth.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/05/11/feature/putin-needed-an-american-enemy-he-picked-me/?utm_term=.58469a406a2c
Another Trip on the Wayback Machine: Jade Helm Hysteria
As we attempt to get our heads around the ongoing Trumpster debacle, the 2016 electoral madness, Michael Hayden, former NSA & CIA Director, suggests taking a trip back to 2015 and revisit the military Jade Helm exercises in Texas. You might vaguely recall Governor Abbott acquiescing to the conspiracy nuts, ordering the State Guard to monitor the Federal military exercises because the ongoing disinformation campaign convinced—the more paranoid and unhinged—that a roundup of political dissidents was at hand. Texas statehood was at stake; a Federal coup was blowing in the wind. Be Afraid!
All under the command of President Obama. Of course.
How did this happen and why?
Hayden has pointedly said that Jade Helm was a test case for Russian bots and the alt-right media to disrupt, confuse and spread a conspiracy information virus into the body politic. It worked surprisingly well and encouraged the instigators to expand the technique to our electoral process.
If Hayden is correct, one of the flash points to what we’ve witnessed since—the Trumpster dumpster fire—started in Texas and was fanned, along with other elements, into the 4-alarm disaster we’re living in the moment.
See more at the Texas Tribune here:
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/03/hysteria-over-jade-helm-exercise-texas-was-fueled-russians-former-cia-/
Btw, the Wayback Machine is an interesting and instructive way to pinpoint what we missed in the lead-up to the Trumpster Train. Hopefully, we learn. Even if it is the Hard Way.
The Latest on Kelly Offers a Chilling Reminder: Trump Really is an Idiot
And not of the Idiot Savant variety. From the NBC article with the latest Kelly gossip is this:
"In one heated exchange between the two men before February's Winter Olympics in South Korea, Kelly strongly — and successfully — dissuaded Trump from ordering the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula, according to two officials."
If you recall, in late January and into February, people were really concerned about the opening of WWIII, spurred on by crazy rhetoric and the threat of a military invasion. And the Trumpster was A-okay with the dial-up including troop withdrawal until he was 'talked down' by Kelly (and I also read McMaster). This would have left South Korea and Japan--Our Allies--totally vulnerable and no doubt the victims of millions of casualties.
However when it comes to immigration, something Kelly considers himself an expert on, he was noted as saying the following:
"He (Trump) doesn't even understand what DACA is. He's an idiot," Kelly said in one meeting, according to two officials who were present. "We've got to save him from himself."
After the talks on a bipartisan deal fell apart, a collapse Kelly helped orchestrate with some conservative Republicans, he told aides in his office: "If it weren't for me the president was going to agree to some hasty deal," according to two officials who were present at the time
So, we have the self-appointed Savior of Humanity, saving The Donald from himself on immigration and the deal that Nancy Pelosi almost had The Trumpster agree to. Until he didn't.
If this is what saving looks like, God help us all because we now have Bolton and Pompeo whispering in the Trumpster's ear.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/kelly-thinks-he-s-saving-u-s-disaster-calls-trump-n868961
Vote like your lives depend on it. Because they do.
Time to Treat Trump as an Enemy of the State
Because that's what he is.
As a number of our journalists run to the defense of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a woman who lies every f**cking day for this Creature, they might tap into the interview at Salon where Reza Aslan lays down some very inconvenient truths about Donald Trump and his odious supporters.
Take a stand now or stand down forever.
Because this is the only issue that matters and underscores the importance of our upcoming elections in November and in 2020.
Everything else is a distraction.
https://www.salon.com/2018/04/30/fired-cnn-host-reza-aslan-its-time-to-treat-donald-trump-as-an-enemy-of-the-state/
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Name: PegGender: Female
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Member since: Sat Feb 6, 2016, 07:31 PM
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