28 thoughts on “News/Politics 1-9-19

  1. Trump even managed to get complimented……

    By the creepy porn lawyer! 😳

    Liked by 1 person

  2. It was a compelling speech. Trump did well. Chuck and Nancy were positively strange. When I saw them standing there I said “the way they are standing there so closely and stiff is odd—it reminds me of something but I can’t think what.” Cyrus immediately said “American Gothic. They need a pitchfork.” “That’s it! ” Only they’re standing on the wrong side and her shoulder was in front of his. Very odd.

    Also odd, was the young gas station attendant who waited on me at about 10:45 last night. He was obviously supportive of Resist and had probably listened to the speech and response. I would have engaged him, but I was bone tired and had just given him my cc info and didn’t want him to retaliate. (I’m suspicious that way.) So maybe another time I’ll go back and give him something to think about. ;–)

    Liked by 3 people

  3. That’s not how this works Jim. They are criminals, but you already know this. Just because you picked a nice name like “undocumented” doesn’t make their illegal presence any less a crime.

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  4. ———————-

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Two sides of the same card.

    http://thefederalist.com/2019/01/08/yes-anti-zionism-is-anti-semitism/

    “In a recent New York Times op-ed titled “Anti-Zionism isn’t the same as Anti-Semitism,” columnist Michelle Goldberg defended Ilhan Omar, a newly elected House representative who has claimed that Jews have hypnotized the world for their evil works. A person can oppose “Jewish ethno-nationalism without being a bigot,” Goldberg explained. “Indeed,” she went on, “it’s increasingly absurd to treat the Israeli state as a stand-in for Jews writ large, given the way the current Israeli government has aligned itself with far-right European movements that have anti-Semitic roots.”

    It’s true, of course, that anti-Zionism isn’t “the same” as common anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism is the most significant and consequential form of anti-Semitism that exists in the world today. Anti-Zionism has done more to undermine Jewish safety than all the ugly tweets, dog whistles, and white nationalist marches combined. It is the predominant justification for violence, murder, and hatred against Jews in Europe and the Middle East. And it’s now infiltrating American politics.

    What was once festering on the progressive fringes has found its way into elected offices and the heart of the liberal activist movement. As Democrats increasingly turn on Israel, Jewish liberals, many of whom have already purposely muddled Jewish values with progressive ones, are attempting to untether Israel from its central role in Jewish culture and faith for political expediency.

    Now, of course, merely being critical of the Israeli government isn’t anti-Semitic. No serious person has ever argued otherwise. I’ve never heard any Israeli official or AIPAC spokesman ever claim that Israel is a “stand-in for Jews writ large,” nor have I ever heard an Israeli prime minister profess to speak for all Jews. (We have the ADL for that.) Israel has featured both left-wing and right-wing governments, and like governments in any liberal democracy, its leaders can be corrupt, misguided, or incompetent. Israelis criticize their governments every day.

    However, opposing “Zionism” itself — the movement for a Jewish homeland — is to deny the validity of a Jewish claim to a nation altogether. It puts you in league with Hamas and Hezbollah and the mullahs of Iran. The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s 1968 charter states that “Judaism, being a religion, is not an independent nationality. Nor do Jews constitute a single nation with an identity of its own; they are citizens of the states to which they belong.” This, it seems, is now also the position of a number of Democrats.

    A person doesn’t have to believe in the divine promise of Israel. Judaism’s ancient roots make it both nation and faith. One can believe in the historic necessity of a Jewish nation for those who have faced annihilation and oppression in nearly every part of the world throughout every part of their long history. To argue against Jews’ nationalism — which is to say, to argue against the ability of Jews to defend themselves in their own state — is substantively anti-Jewish.

    Let’s face it, it’s not as if Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who believes “Palestine” should replace Israel on the map, is merely unhappy about Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. She’s unhappy that the Jewish state exists. Omar (D-MN), who sounds like she’s quoting “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” isn’t mulling over the reality of returning to ‘67 armistice lines. She’s concerned about Jews running the place.

    Now, media sweetheart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, like the others, supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, an effort to economically destroy the Jewish state—and everyone in it, whether they support “settlements” or not—is probably just embracing and normalizing a standard position of the socialist left. (Not even the Palestinian Authority, incidentally, which relies on Israeli capitalism to survive, supports BDS. American progressives are moving to a position more extreme than Fatah’s.)”

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  6. They all read from the same script, just like they planned it.

    http://thefederalist.com/2019/01/09/medias-angry-response-to-president-trumps-oval-office-speech-comes-up-short/

    “While pundits like to discuss who looked good and who looked bad in last night’s televised addresses, it’s worth pausing in appreciation of the various political leaders for taking part in the debate over national security and the extent of the problem caused by porous borders. Sometimes debates need to take place behind closed doors, but when competing ideologies are on display, it serves as a healthy public education about important issues that affect citizens’ lives.

    The Democrats’ theme for the evening was “facts, not fear.” Many major media also adopted the same theme. The coordinated talking point began hours if not days before the speech even aired, with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota saying yesterday morning, “Fact-checkers are eating their Wheaties and getting extra rest since they will be working overtime tonight to separate fact from fiction on this border situation.”

    As soon as the speech ended, White House press corps mascot Jim Acosta recited his rather groan-inducing rehearsed line that Trump’s address “should have come with a Surgeon General’s warning that it was hazardous to the truth.”

    But when it came time to back up this talking point about factual inaccuracies, the media whiffed. Most of the alleged “fact” “checks” were instead critiques of opinions. Many critiqued things not included in Trump’s speech. And sometimes the “fact” “checks” dinged Trump for saying completely true things. ”

    ———————-

    “Politico’s Fact Check Is So Bad It’s Almost Funny

    Politico’s Ted Hesson did such a bad “fact” “check” that it’s almost impressive. Among the things he checked as “not true” was Trump’s contention that there’s a crisis on the border. I’m not joking.

    To quote Michael Tracey, “Stop fact-checking normative claims and subjective, value-based assertions! It degrades the entire enterprise of fact-checking! Fact-checking is obviously needed, but not the bizarre new version invented by oblivious, self-satisfied journos!”

    Even worse for Hesson, however, was his reasoning. He said it’s “not true” that there’s a crisis because the number of people caught crossing is below what it was during Obama. It’s as if he hasn’t heard a single administration official in recent weeks explaining that the reason why the Department of Homeland Security is burdened is not because illegal crossings are up in general, but because of the type of crossings, such as unaccompanied minors and family units from Central America that, due to our laws, can not be returned to their homes.

    Hesson is apparently unaware that resources needed for dealing with the illegal crossings by single adult males from Mexico that may have dominated earlier years are completely different than those needed for family units who claim asylum status after being caught in the country illegally.

    He also said it was wrong to say that “Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs” because most of the drugs come through legal points of entry. Well, Ted, that’s probably why President Trump said that part of his request from Democrats was for drug-detection technology.

    Finally, Hesson said it was wrong to say that Schumer “has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past” even though that’s absolutely true. Hesson’s reasoning makes no sense. He admits Schumer voted, for example, for the construction of nearly 700 miles of a physical barrier in 2006 but says Trump said that wasn’t enough. Therefore, Trump’s accurate claim that is not misleading is judged to be “misleading.” Again, I’m not joking.

    NYT Fact Checks a Speech No One Gave”

    ———————–

    And it gets worse. These people are a joke.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. If a resource teacher dragged my nine year old autistic child out of a classroom after she disrupted the classroom and refused to walk out, I would be supportive. How else should they have dealt with it? Helped the child by screaming and throwing desks with him? Spitting on others? Some children can become rather offensive and need to be removed. I know my daughter was removed several times and needed to be. I don’t know how they did it.

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  8. And yet they can’t find 5 billion for a wall, right?

    Total frauds. Both sides.

    Trump, while responsible in part for the last 2 years, is not responsible for the rest. He wan’t involved in it in any way.

    https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/terence-p-jeffrey/republican-house-increased-debt-79-trillion-8-years

    “The recently deposed Republican majority increased the federal debt by $7.9 trillion in the eight years it controlled the House of Representatives.

    At the close of business on Jan. 4, 2011, the day before the Republicans took control of the House, the debt was $14,014,049,043,294.41, according to the Treasury.

    On Jan. 3, 2019, the last day before the Republicans turned control of the House back to the Democrats, the debt closed at $21,929,258,046,653.58.

    So, under the Republican House majorities in four Congresses, the debt climbed $7,915,209,003,359.17.

    That works out to approximately $989,401,125,420 per year, or $2,710,688,015 per day, or $112,945,334 per hour, or $1,882,422 per minute.

    In fact, under the Republican-controlled House, the federal debt increased at an average rate of $31,374 per second.

    Some Republicans may claim they should not be blamed for the massive increase in the federal debt during the eight years they controlled the House. They may say: “For four of those eight years, the Democrats controlled the Senate.” Or: “For six of those eight years, Barack Obama was president.”

    But the Constitution says, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

    And no law may be enacted unless it passes the House.

    A Republican-majority House approved every one of the federal spending laws enacted over the past eight years.

    Not only that, but all of the spending laws enacted since Jan. 20, 2017, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated, have been approved by a Republican-majority House, a Republican-majority Senate and a Republican president.”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Practice saying this with me Jr……….

    “I invoke my right to the 5th Amendment……”

    Again. Again. Again…….

    Just keep saying it. What can they do about it?

    Oh I know, they could hold you in contempt, which will do absolutely nothing to you. Just ask Eric Holder.

    And just keep wasting their time, so they’re not out messing up something of importance.

    Now again….. “I invoke…… ”

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/house-democrats-to-subpoena-donald-trump-jr-first-russia-investigation

    “House Democrats probing allegations that the Trump presidential campaign worked with Russian operatives to win the 2016 election plan to issue their first subpoena to Donald Trump Jr., according to a top lawmaker. “

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  10. Boy my spelling is atrocious when I use my phone to post. Spell check seems to pick whatever it wants, and not what I selected from the options. 🙂

    Yikes.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Isn’t there usually a response or rebuttal from representatives of the other party after a presidential address? A lady commenting on a friend’s Facebook post was incensed about the response after Trump’s address (not only the nature of the response, but that there was one at all), claiming that has “NEVER not ONCE” happened before.

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  12. Well he had to know it was. This was just for show. Now do what you need to. Bypass them Do it.

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  13. Quick, somebody remind me again who it is running Russian style voter suppression tactics?

    Besides the Russians…..

    https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/08/democrat-facebook-campaign-supress/

    “DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVES USED MISLEADING FACEBOOK PAGES TO SUPPRESS GOP TURNOUT IN MIDTERMS”

    “Democratic operatives, led by a former Obama official, bought ads on misleading Facebook pages to suppress GOP turnout in the midterm elections.

    The pages appear to be designed to give the impression that they were operated by disgruntled conservatives rather than Democratic operatives.

    The operatives were funded by left-wing billionaire Reid Hoffman, who previously funded a “false flag” effort in the 2017 Alabama special election.

    Democratic operatives funded by left-wing tech billionaire Reid Hoffman ran a widespread campaign using misleading Facebook pages in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, The Daily Caller News Foundation has found.

    American Engagement Technologies (AET), which was founded by former Obama administration official Mikey Dickerson, bought ads for two Facebook pages, “The Daily Real” and “Today’s Nation,” encouraging Republican voters to stay home in the midterm elections, Facebook’s ad archives show.

    Both pages appear to be designed to give the impression that they were operated by frustrated conservatives rather than by Democratic operatives.

    The American flag-adorned pages encouraged conservative voters to either stay home in November or vote for Democrats to punish Republicans for being insufficiently conservative. Other ads called polls predicting a “blue wave” in the 2018 elections “unreliable” and downplayed the election’s importance.

    The misleading ads collectively garnered millions of impressions on Facebook, TheDCNF’s review of Facebook’s archives found.”

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  14. AJ – Yeah, I thought so (that there is always a rebuttal).

    The lady later admitted that she must be mistaken. Good for her.

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  15. That video of the teacher dragging the autistic little boy was difficult to watch. I found myself angry. There had to be a better way to set boundaries for him. He does not think like others. And from what the report stated it was his first day at a new school. I understand discipline is needed but this was cruel in my estimation. Flashbacks of a very cruel kindergarten teacher came to my mind…she was cruel and I was a very timid tiny little girl….cruelty to children is wrong.

    Like

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