markpkessinger
markpkessinger's JournalTrump should be careful what he wishes for with respect to Jerome Powell . . .
. . . Powell's leadership at the fed is possibly the one thing that has prevented the economy from tanking completely during both of Trump's terms!
Brilliant parody of Karoline Leavitt! by Canada TV!
Has anyone mentioned or noticed the obvious parallel between Nick Shirly/Daycare centers and . . .
. . . James O'Keefe/ACORN?
There is a wonderfully delicious irony in the 60 Minutes/60 Minutes Canada episode . . .
. . . which is that because CBS pulled it, and because it was aired and leaked by 60 Minutes Canada, and THAT has now become the story, the segment will likely get a much wider viewership than it would have had 60 Minutes simply allowed to air as scheduled!
And that serves Bari Weiss right!
Currently traveling in Australia--what a wonderfully different world!
I am traveling with my eldest sister. We are visiting our "Australian sister," Julie. The back story is that in 1967-68, when i was 6-7 years old, mt eldest sister, Siri, spent her senior year of high school a Rotary exchange student in Sweden. My parents decided to give their other four children a culturally-enriching experience of our own by hosting, for the same period, an Australian student (Julie), who became just like another sibling. We have stayed in touch these many decades. She has been back to the U.S. for visits numerous times, including in 2000, when both my parents were terminally ill, when she dropped everything to come and be with them for 10 days. My parents visited her in Australia a couple of years before they passed, and my other three siblings have as well. Now it's Siri's and my turn.
The culture here is so wondefully different and refreshing. Julie's and Simon's extended families are a marvelous blend of European and various Asian nationalities (including Indian, Sri Lankan and Japanese), and many gay and lesbian couples. The best part is!that no ons here expends so much as a nanosecond worrying about what anybody else does in the bedroom!
They don't stress about politics here. That isn't to say they necessarily like everything the government does, but the general feeling is that it will all work out in the end.
They are fairly appalled by American healthcare! Even Julie's husband, Simon, who i gather tends to be a bit more conservative in his politics, said to me, "But surely you can all agrre that everyone haa a right to healthcare!" Sadly no, I told him.
Something else that makes a HUGE difference here: it is illegal for anyone to donate money to a political campaign! Elections are publicly financed, and voting is compulsory!
No country is perfect, but Australia seems to get an awful lot right that we do not!
It's a very strange feeling I'm experiencing . . .
. . . I am all set to leave the country for a month on Friday (traveling with my sister to Australia to visit a dear family friend). It's a trip I've wanted to do for years. And yet it feels so very strange to be leaving the country for a month having no idea what I will be returning to!
NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher casts deciding "No" vote on Times Square Casino development project!
As a resident of Hell's Kitchen, I couldn't be happier!
https://w42st.com/post/councilmember-bottcher-votes-no-on-west-side-casino-bids/
In an email statement timed with the first vote, Bottcher said his decision followed “countless conversations with constituents in coffee shops, living rooms and on street corners, extensive public engagement and careful deliberation.” While he acknowledged the economic potential of the projects, Bottcher argued that casinos carry a “particularly high bar” for community support that has not been met. “Despite extensive outreach by the applicants, that level of support has not materialized,” he said.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine also announced his opposition in an email sent during the Caesars Palace Times Square vote, revealing that he would say no to both that proposal and The Avenir. While acknowledging that casinos can deliver jobs, tax revenue and nonprofit support — and even noting the Caesars proposal’s “laudably diverse ownership group” — Levine warned that the potential benefits were outweighed by the dangers of destabilizing Broadway’s $14 billion cultural engine and worsening congestion, safety and quality-of-life issues in Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen.
Laura Smith, Mayor Eric Adams’ representative on the committee, cast one of the two “yes” votes but voiced frustration over how the decision unfolded. She argued that the timeline was accelerated at the request of some committee members, cutting short nearly two weeks of deliberation. “These are complex proposals with significant changes along the way,” Smith said. “The accelerated timeline has constrained the committee’s ability to meet the very standards of transparency, engagement and thorough review that were built into the CAC framework.”
After the meeting adjourned, SL Green CEO Marc Holliday lashed out in an impromptu address. Visibly shaking with anger, Holliday called the outcome “a despicable display of cowardice, lack of leadership, lack of consideration for all the people who would benefit from this proposal.” He accused opponents of running from their responsibilities, declaring, “The benefits you denied this community and this city and state — you have to live with that history forever.”
Councilmember Erik Bottcher casts deciding "No" vote on Times Square casino development project!
As a resident of Hell's Kitchen, I couldn't be happier!
https://w42st.com/post/councilmember-bottcher-votes-no-on-west-side-casino-bids/
In an email statement timed with the first vote, Bottcher said his decision followed “countless conversations with constituents in coffee shops, living rooms and on street corners, extensive public engagement and careful deliberation.” While he acknowledged the economic potential of the projects, Bottcher argued that casinos carry a “particularly high bar” for community support that has not been met. “Despite extensive outreach by the applicants, that level of support has not materialized,” he said.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine also announced his opposition in an email sent during the Caesars Palace Times Square vote, revealing that he would say no to both that proposal and The Avenir. While acknowledging that casinos can deliver jobs, tax revenue and nonprofit support — and even noting the Caesars proposal’s “laudably diverse ownership group” — Levine warned that the potential benefits were outweighed by the dangers of destabilizing Broadway’s $14 billion cultural engine and worsening congestion, safety and quality-of-life issues in Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen.
Laura Smith, Mayor Eric Adams’ representative on the committee, cast one of the two “yes” votes but voiced frustration over how the decision unfolded. She argued that the timeline was accelerated at the request of some committee members, cutting short nearly two weeks of deliberation. “These are complex proposals with significant changes along the way,” Smith said. “The accelerated timeline has constrained the committee’s ability to meet the very standards of transparency, engagement and thorough review that were built into the CAC framework.”
After the meeting adjourned, SL Green CEO Marc Holliday lashed out in an impromptu address. Visibly shaking with anger, Holliday called the outcome “a despicable display of cowardice, lack of leadership, lack of consideration for all the people who would benefit from this proposal.” He accused opponents of running from their responsibilities, declaring, “The benefits you denied this community and this city and state — you have to live with that history forever.”
No, this is NOT a "watershed moment!"
Posted this just now on social media:
Much has been said about Kirk being a great advocate of the First Amendment, and how he sought to engage in "civil" dialogue with those with whom he disagreed with. Sorry, no, that just doesn't wash. Kirk was, of course, unfailingly polite and courteous in his back-and-forth with his opponents. But the ideology he was promoting -- how ever civilly and politely he presented it -- was hateful to its core! When a person argues that extending the same civil rights he gets to take for granted to a group that had historically been denied them was a "mistake," that is the very essence of hate. Or when he argues that "God's perfect law" states that gay people, who have long been disproportionately the targets of violence, should be stoned to death (and then tries to pretend he wasn't calling for violence against gay people because he didn't explicitly call for capital punishment of gay people _today_), again, that is inherently hateful.
Kirk, like many bigots before him, was savvy enough to understand that he needed to mask his hateful ideology behind a veneer of politesse in order to be taken seriously by the mainstream. But a polite bigot is still a bigot, and a hateful ideology is no less a hateful ideology when presented politely.or "civilly."
And you want to know what else is hateful? The assignations of collective blame against an entire group of citizens for the actions of one individual, who, I might add, wasn't even a member of the group being blamed. Elected Republicans continue to spew this, blaming the "radical left" for the actions of a shooter who wasn't even part of the left, despite the fact that virtually every Democratic leader came out immediately with a full-throated denunciation of Kirk's murder. Nobody on the left has anything to apologize for with regard to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Kirk promoted an ideology of hate, and was ultimately consumed by the very hatred he himself had helped to foster!
Why are elected Democrats failing to push back against Trump's dangerous rhetoric about the Kirk shooting?
Once again, I find myself frustrated with the leadership of the Democratic party in response to the Charlie Kirk shooting. Over the past 36 hours, I've heard one Republican after another, starting with Trump, hurling irresponsible statements of collective blame against "the left," while no Democrat that I've seen has pushed back against this dangerous, untrue rhetoric! Democratic party leaders have all called out the shooting -- as indeed they should -- but have been silent in response to the outrageous rhetoric by Republicans, who have tried to assign collective blame for the actions of an individual. This rhetoric is incredibly dangerous, and Democratic leaders should push back HARD against it wherever and whenever it is heard. Rhetoric such as this is itself a form of political violence, and the failure of Democratic leaders to counter that rhetoric in the strongest possible terms is utterly unacceptable!
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Member since: Sat May 15, 2010, 03:48 PMNumber of posts: 8,887