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crickets
crickets's Journal
crickets's Journal
November 11, 2019
As usual, there's no excuse for the way Trump has treated veterans. None.
Great post. This point should be raised again and again.
https://twitter.com/tomperriello/status/1193728462512644097Good journalist should ask every Republican in Congress this question on Veterans Day:
“If a US President admitted to stealing $2million in pledges made to Veterans’ charities, would you support or oppose impeachment for that crime?”
“If a US President admitted to stealing $2million in pledges made to Veterans’ charities, would you support or oppose impeachment for that crime?”
As usual, there's no excuse for the way Trump has treated veterans. None.
November 11, 2019
We have a president undercutting our country's safety for his own personal power and financial gain. National security scandal is just a nice way of saying treason.
Cannot be underlined enough:
25/ So I'm *begging* NatSec experts, legal experts, and those who've done as much research on Trump's business dealings/foreign policy development as I have to *do all you can* to let America know this is a NATIONAL SECURITY SCANDAL, not an oopsie involving "dirt" on Biden.
We have a president undercutting our country's safety for his own personal power and financial gain. National security scandal is just a nice way of saying treason.
November 10, 2019
Throw in a little Calvinism, and/or a dash of Puritanism, and presto: you have people who feel morally entitled to their wealth and look down on those less fortunate as deserving their fate. Yech.
How Wealth Reduces Compassion
As riches grow, empathy for others seems to declineBut why would wealth and status decrease our feelings of compassion for others? After all, it seems more likely that having few resources would lead to selfishness. Piff and his colleagues suspect that the answer may have something to do with how wealth and abundance give us a sense of freedom and independence from others. The less we have to rely on others, the less we may care about their feelings. This leads us towards being more self-focused. Another reason has to do with our attitudes towards greed. Like Gordon Gekko, upper-class people may be more likely to endorse the idea that “greed is good.” Piff and his colleagues found that wealthier people are more likely to agree with statements that greed is justified, beneficial, and morally defensible. These attitudes ended up predicting participants’ likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior.
Given the growing income inequality in the United States, the relationship between wealth and compassion has important implications. Those who hold most of the power in this country, political and otherwise, tend to come from privileged backgrounds. If social class influences how much we care about others, then the most powerful among us may be the least likely to make decisions that help the needy and the poor. They may also be the most likely to engage in unethical behavior.
Given the growing income inequality in the United States, the relationship between wealth and compassion has important implications. Those who hold most of the power in this country, political and otherwise, tend to come from privileged backgrounds. If social class influences how much we care about others, then the most powerful among us may be the least likely to make decisions that help the needy and the poor. They may also be the most likely to engage in unethical behavior.
Throw in a little Calvinism, and/or a dash of Puritanism, and presto: you have people who feel morally entitled to their wealth and look down on those less fortunate as deserving their fate. Yech.
November 10, 2019
The propaganda brainwashing is reversible, to a degree, but it requires removing the influence that caused the transformation. Fox News isn't going anywhere for now, and Zuckerberg likes Facebook the way it is.
There's at least one member of my family who has undergone this type of character and personality change (mostly thanks to Bill O.) and at this point it looks like it's probably going to be permanent. It's sad and frustrating to see a good person turn into somebody you don't even recognize any more. Our family cannot touch political discussions. It just rips us all to shreds if we don't ignore the stinky elephant in the room, and I put up with it because the children (now grown) are wonderful, having children of their own, and I love them and don't want to miss seeing them. It just makes me feel like something has been stolen from all of us. It's awful.
It's a real phenomenon
The Brainwashing of My DadAs Jen Senko tries to understand the transformation of her father from a nonpolitical Democrat to an angry Republican fanatic, she uncovers the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under President Richard Nixon for a media takeover by the Republicans, the 1971 Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion (especially the media, universities, and courts), the 1987 dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine under President Ronald Reagan, and the signing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act under President Bill Clinton. The documentary aims to show how the media and the nation changed, which leads to questions about who owns the airwaves, what rights listeners and watchers have, and what responsibility the government has to keep the airwaves fair, accurate, and accountable.
The propaganda brainwashing is reversible, to a degree, but it requires removing the influence that caused the transformation. Fox News isn't going anywhere for now, and Zuckerberg likes Facebook the way it is.
There's at least one member of my family who has undergone this type of character and personality change (mostly thanks to Bill O.) and at this point it looks like it's probably going to be permanent. It's sad and frustrating to see a good person turn into somebody you don't even recognize any more. Our family cannot touch political discussions. It just rips us all to shreds if we don't ignore the stinky elephant in the room, and I put up with it because the children (now grown) are wonderful, having children of their own, and I love them and don't want to miss seeing them. It just makes me feel like something has been stolen from all of us. It's awful.
November 10, 2019
There is no honor in some people, period.
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
He doesn't come up with horrible ways to screw people over all by himself.
Kicking WWII vets to the curb. Really?
“The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program was created to support those who bravely defended the United States during the war. There is no honor in ending it.”
There is no honor in some people, period.
November 9, 2019
That was tough to watch, but powerful and really well done.
This story is out there. It's unreal to me that the reaction is so muted, that there as been little to no real repercussion to Jordan's blatant refusal to protect the athletes and students who were in his charge.
We're not even talking about a scenario involving partying that got out of hand. This is about a doctor who used a position of authority abuse his patients, his potentially underaged patients.
Where is the outrage from the family values crowd? Where is the outrage from the ''think of the children!" crowd?
[edited to reword a section that may have been unintentionally insulting, and not really part of the point]
November 9, 2019
Never mind the military service personnel
who will have to do without some of the funds set aside for equipment maintenance and training, for base repairs needed after recent storms, for housing and school improvements for their families.
Never mind.
Donny needs his tinkertoy fence. 
November 9, 2019
I'm glad Hill's lawyer made a point of keeping that in the record.
Being publicly targeted isn't funny, it's dangerous. If these idiots show their psychopathy openly, make them own it.
November 9, 2019
As much as I admire Yavonovitch, her testimony is muted by comparison.
Yavonovitch's professionalism is to be admired, no doubt. But Fiona Hill's testimony is by far the more devastating because she pulls no punches. Hill is not even trying to put a polite sheen on what went on or how she feels about it. She has got to be called back for the public hearings. She can drill a laser light right through all the smoke and mirrors the Repubs will try to wave around.
Love her. Love.
November 9, 2019
“Make America’s Parks Open Again,” Portland-Based Columbia Sportswear Company Pleads in New Ad Campaign
What an amazing woman. Hats off to you, Gert. Sounds like you raised a wonderful son who will continue leading the company in fine style.
I'd love a link for that article
In looking for it, I found these:
Remembering Gert Boyle, the Legend Behind Columbia
Her reputation grew even more in 2010 when a robber tied her up at gunpoint and she outwitted him by setting off a silent police alarm. When help arrived, she criticized the cop’s choice for wearing a North Face jacket.
Along with the wry laughs, Gert never forgot her immigrant roots or the importance of the outdoors to all Americans, and the company has been outspoken on those issues. When the President shut down the government and public lands in January, Columbia bought a full-page ad in the Washington Post that read: “Make America’s parks open again.”
“Gert’s story has been a real immigrant story,” Tim says. “She came here, welcomed into the United States at a time when there was strife around the world… hopefully we can learn from [her] how much impact immigrants can have today. I’m just amazed by how many people she impacted.”
Along with the wry laughs, Gert never forgot her immigrant roots or the importance of the outdoors to all Americans, and the company has been outspoken on those issues. When the President shut down the government and public lands in January, Columbia bought a full-page ad in the Washington Post that read: “Make America’s parks open again.”
“Gert’s story has been a real immigrant story,” Tim says. “She came here, welcomed into the United States at a time when there was strife around the world… hopefully we can learn from [her] how much impact immigrants can have today. I’m just amazed by how many people she impacted.”
“Make America’s Parks Open Again,” Portland-Based Columbia Sportswear Company Pleads in New Ad Campaign
"No party hates the outdoors except maybe the Donner Party," Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle told the news site Axios, in reference to the company's new ad that calls for national parks to be reopened.
The Portland-based company recently took out a full-page spread in the Washington Post to broadcast the message: "Make America's Parks Open Again."
"Walls shouldn't block access to parks," the ad reads, "and federal workers shouldn't be left in the cold. Work together to open our parks."
The Portland-based company recently took out a full-page spread in the Washington Post to broadcast the message: "Make America's Parks Open Again."
"Walls shouldn't block access to parks," the ad reads, "and federal workers shouldn't be left in the cold. Work together to open our parks."
What an amazing woman. Hats off to you, Gert. Sounds like you raised a wonderful son who will continue leading the company in fine style.
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