Temporarily disconnected, this Saturday post published Monday.
News blues…
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| Law enforcement officers gather in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 29, as fires burn after a night of unrest. (c) David Joles/Star Tribune/AP Click to enlarge. |
Following outraged protesters burning a Minneapolis police station, five hundred Minnesota National Guardsmen were deployed to St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding communities.
Subsequently, protests exploded around the country.
With his usual (lack of) leadership, inimitable Trump Tweeted,
"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"The orange-head knows how to, well, inflame.
Protests are symptoms of social dis-ease - and protesters don’t respond kindly to politics-as-usual treatment.
Unfortunately, the Democrats running Joe Biden for president present a band-aid, not holistic healing nor the long overdue amputation of gangrenous organs in the US-body politic.
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© Center for Responsive Politics
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From Grim Reaper to Moscow Mitch. Sparked by the various revelations into Russian interference in the U.S. 2016 election, Mitch blocked a proposal that would have required candidates, staffers, and family members to alert federal authorities if offered aid by foreign governments.
Thank you, TV host Joe Scarborough for “Moscow Mitch.”
From Moscow Mitch to Midnight Mitch. During Trump’s impeachment, McConnell restricted impeachment managers to 24 hours over two days. Given the 1 p.m. start time, that meant arguments would continue into the early morning hours - when no one would be watching.
Thank you, ace reporter Carl Bernstein for “Midnight Mitch.”
From Midnight Mitch to Rich Mitch. “After 35 years, Kentuckians are still waiting for the kinds of opportunities Rich Mitch has worked so hard to give himself.” (58 seconds)
Thank you, The Lincoln Project for “Rich Mitch.”
“Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures”
If the current moment represented business-as-usual national politics, Republican-centric The Lincoln Project, would not aim devastatingly negative ads at Republican political leaders, corrupt or not. Nor would they promote a Democrat for president.
Corporate/financial-capital-beholden Democrat Joe Biden is about as middle-of-the-road as politicians come…which is why The Lincoln Project promotes him.
Joe may as well be Republican for all the desperately needed political change his presidency will bring.
Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear that democracy as We, the People know it will not survive another four years of Donald J Trump.
It may not survive another four weeks.
Whether voted out of office or hauled from the White House wrapped in a straight-jacket, Trump must go.
“Actions or affiliations that would seem extreme during normal times are appropriate during times of adversity.”
To the extent that I appreciate The Lincoln Project’s sense of humor, dedication to principle, and growing list of succinct ads, I declare myself an “Honorary” (Lincoln Project) Republican.
Background of “Honorary.” Before 1994, foreign dignitaries who planned to visit South Africa, but didn’t meet apartheid’s stringent “sniff test” – color, race, political ideology, etc. - were temporarily classified “Honorary.” This “sanitized” the visitor from the white South African government’s political molestation for the duration of the visit.
Visitors such as US Ambassador to the UN Andrew Young during the Carter administration, soul musician Percy Sledge (1970), chanteuse Shirley Bassey (1985) legally crossed South Africa’s border and, briefly, thrilled South Africans.
As an “Honorary” (Lincoln Project) Republican I’m inside the tent Lyndon Johnson referred to back in October 1971 when he spoke of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover: “It's probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.”
Whackjobbery, never ending…
Conspiracy theories thrive on right-wing radio.Much of the media coverage of right-wing pundits tends to focus on Fox News hosts … who can count on Trump watching their shows and are able to serve as informal advisers. But conservative talk radio is an immensely important part of the pro-Trump media ecosystem. Nationally syndicated shows [and] a sprawling network of local hosts, function as a means of reaching the Republican base and gauging its feelings.
“One of the big roles of conservative media in the past 20 to 30 years has been doing the mediation between Republican office holders and the conservative base,” said Nicole Hemmer, author of “Messengers of the Right” and a research scholar at Columbia University.
When Republican voters have felt confusion or frustration with Trump’s reactions to the coronavirus pandemic, hosts have stepped in to reassure listeners and mend those rifts while validating their audience’s grievances.
…an array of conservative talk radio stars … reach[ing] tens of millions of listeners every week… have spent the pandemic downplaying the crisis, promoting conspiracy theories and sycophantically praising Trump. These hosts have created an alternate reality that exists largely outside the scrutiny of fact-checkers and mainstream press coverage, spreading unchallenged misinformation that threatens public health.
Scanning through top conservative radio hosts’ recent coronavirus coverage reveals a staggering number of falsehoods and facile arguments…[touting] an unproven coronavirus treatment as a miracle cure….[railing] against social distancing measures and [defending] armed lockdown protests.
“The Only Good Democrat Is A Dead Democrat”
[Recently], the president quote-tweeted a video shared by Cowboys for Trump. In the video, the group’s founder, Couy Griffin, is speaking in front of a New Mexico church, encouraging his audience to violate stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.In response, President Donald Trump tweeted a note of thanks.
“I’ve come to a conclusion where the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat,” says Griffin, going on to add that he doesn’t mean that in a “physical sense,” but in a “political sense.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
The invasive canna plant is disinclined to separate from fertile KZN soil.After dumping two wheelbarrows-full of canna stems and leaves, I tackled the roots and tubers. These tend to clump. Clumping requires intervention with heavy tools such as pickaxe and garden fork. Pickaxe and garden fork require strength and fortitude… of which I have a limited supply.
Before giving up for today, I removed five clumps of canna – each the surface area of an extra-large pizza and the depth of a millstone.
Fourteen more clumps to tackle.
My reward for back-stressing work? Relaxing in a hot bath as I imagine that section of garden with semi-shade indigenous plants….
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