The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Cliff Varnell]

The Most Tremendous Reelection Campaign in American History Ever

Inside the chaotic, desperate, last-minute Trump 2020 reboot.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-reelection-campaign-2020.html

[Steve Thomas]

I wish I had this gift of doublespeak, but I just don't.

White House Chief of Staff is explaining why we can't have vote-by-mail, because there is widespread fraud going on.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-chief-of-staff-mark-meadows-says-lack-of-evidence-of-mail-in-voting-fraud-is-the-definition-of-fraud?ref=home

“But there’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud,” Tapper added after Meadows reiterated his concern with voter rolls.

“There’s no evidence that there’s not either. That’s the definition of fraud, Jake,” the chief of staff shot back, causing the CNN anchor to do a double-take."

Steve Thomas

[W. Niederhut]

2 hours ago, Ron Ecker said:

 

I'm singin' in the rain
Just singin' in the rain
What an immoral feeling
Perverted again

 

Let security chase
Ev'ryone from the place
Come on with the rain
Pour it right in my face

 

I lie here in bed
Puddles under my head
And singing
Singing in the rain
 

 

You must remember this,

a piss is still a piss,

descending from on high.

The elemental things apply,

when Trump drops by.

And when Don's lovers woo,

they still say, "Here's some doo!"

On that he must insist.

The simple things in life, like piss,

He can't resist.

 

 

[Joe Bauer]

6 hours ago, Robert Burrows said:

Yeats sounds more prophetic every day:

 

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is

drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

So ominously predictive. Scary times indeed.

We and our constitutional democracy are in a very fragile time.

Seriously, more literally than we are aware.

We need another Franklin D.Roosevelt type leader who understands how close we are to fracturing and will have the courage to stand up to and push away the huge influence of the Trump 1% billionaire class who are and have been in control more than anyone else, and who do not want things to change regards their always increasing advantage wealth accumulation agendas and policies over the needs of the rest of us working class and lower citizens.

As Mary Trump says in her Donald Trump expose book title - regards his obsessive urge for more and more wealth, control and power ...

"It's Never Enough!  "

IT'S NEVER ENOUGH. Totally appropriate title of a book on how our most wealthy have gained control over the rest of us and what drives them in their super aggressive compulsion and actions to gain, keep and increase this control imo.

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[James DiEugenio]

Her book is. still number one.

Its sold about 1.5 million copies in a month.

I guess she's getting back some of the money Trump screwed her out of in the estate.

[Joe Bauer]

On 8/16/2020 at 5:25 AM, Steve Thomas said:

Douglas,

There has always been a struggle between labor and capital. This plague has just shined a spotlight on that struggle.

I have always said that it is not a case of the rich and the poor.

The rich are rich, because the poor are poor.

Our planet only has a finite amount of resources, and would not support all 4.5 billion of us living the lifestyles of the "rich and famous".

Steve Thomas

True Steve, however most Americans never ask to live gold plated royalty indulged lives like Donald Trump and his 1% brethren. They have never demanded this and are not doing so now.

Most just hope for the most commonly desired decent housing, safe streets, schooling for their children and like every other industrialized country on earth - at least "some" retirement benefits, basic health care that doesn't financially break them in a medical crisis, a decent car, job opportunities for their children going into adulthood and maybe even a little extra financial means to buy their loved one's a gift now and then or take them out to a dinner on a special occasion.

Right now however, you have tens of millions who "were" living this decent basic need provided life, on the verge of losing even this! 

They've already lost their jobs. Their kids schooling has come to a stop! Many are on the verge of even losing their housing! 

What do you expect them to say or do?

Just accept their families complete collapse and not demand any basic need help from their government?

What's going on right now isn't anything close to the middle class and poorer demanding anything more than what they had. It's nothing close to their demanding to live the incredibly indulged lives of our top 1%.

10's of millions are sinking in quicksand and desperately yelling for basic need help before their heads go under!

I think the most important thing our government representatives ( and us citizens ) can and should do right now is honestly, ethically acknowledge this extremely desperate, immediate, one month or two away from totally life collapsing situation "as the true reality it is" for up to 50 million or more of our fellow Americans.

We shouldn't downplay this true national family breakdown crisis reality in anyway.

It is THAT real, it is THAT big, it is THAT desperate, it is THAT important.

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[Joe Bauer]

I think history has shown that wherever there has been societies run or overly controlled and influenced by a very small minority of super wealthy oligarchs, the poorer underneath them and their rule will accept this royally indulged minority class rule structure as long as "they" aren't allowed to slip into the lowest and most degrading levels of poverty or even just above it.

In these modern times, this would include exhausting daily stress to get the basics. Basic health care, basic housing, basic educational opportunities, basic freedoms ( right to protest without armed assault against them?) clothing, food, etc.

When that small minority wealthy ruling class versus majority poor subject class balance gets too out of whack regards the ever increasing indulgences of the higher one versus the unmet basic needs of the lower one, you always eventually have conflict. There is always eventually a civil unrest reckoning. It's actually human nature.

Our own Great Depression experience is the perfect example.

I  propose that although we are not currently at our worst Great Depression mass population number stress and poverty levels... we are closer to it versus any time in our societal history since then.

50 Million or more Americans are truly sensing their lives and their families lives are on the verge of complete economic collapse on a month to month basis.

If this massive amount of Americans are actually allowed to fall like that...what would you expect  from them as a result? Silent acceptance and suffering?

We need to take care that something that desperate doesn't happen. We need to bolster these 50 million American's economic situation "right now" on a level of a national emergency.

Time to quit worrying that these people will become spoiled with barely rent paying financial help. Or that this help might benefit the Democrats politically more than the Republicans this November 3.

And isn't it the American Democracy "equal rights and justice for all" respecting morally right thing to do anyway?

 

[Steve Thomas]

On 8/16/2020 at 2:54 PM, Joe Bauer said:

I think history has shown...

Joe,

I think the more cynical historians will tell you that's what wars are for - to take the domestic pressure off (and cull the population, if you want to get really cynical).

Look at Hitler or Japan in the 1930's.

 

Steve Thomas

Edited December 4, 2020 by Steve Thomas

[David Andrews]

Trump's USPS director forced to temporarily stop removing mailboxes from cities, like we're living in some small Soviet Bloc country:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/14/people-are-freaking-out-about-mailbox-removals-postal-service-says-its-routine/

[Richard Price]

1 hour ago, David Andrews said:

Trump's USPS director forced to temporarily stop removing mailboxes from cities, like we're living in some small Soviet Bloc country:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/14/people-are-freaking-out-about-mailbox-removals-postal-service-says-its-routine/

David, I don't think the verdict is in just yet, we may be.  Who knows what Trump has said privately  to Putin.

[Ron Bulman]

Not for the sake of the party, but for the sake of the country.  Things will never go back completely to what they were before this administration, either way.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-defends-harris-as-vice-presidential-pick/ar-BB181N0U?li=BBnb7Kz

[Douglas Caddy]

There’s a new mutation of coronavirus — and it’s 10 times worse: report

 

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/theres-a-new-mutation-of-and-its-10-times-worse-report/

[David Andrews]

New Zealand PM delays election, "by a month":

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/17/by-delaying-the-new-zealand-election-jacinda-ardern-appears-magnanimous-and-conciliatory

While I'm a fan of Jacinda Ardern, I don't see this as a good precedent for the US.

Edited August 17, 2020 by David Andrews

[Kirk Gallaway]

That's interesting Dave, I like her too. But she had a choice of 3 dates in Sept, Oct, and November and picking the soonest day, with her party currently doing very well would look like a conflict of interest, particularly during a pandemic, when apparently the viewpoint is like in  the U.S. that a more normal election could be made further in the future when the pandemic presumably  winds down. So it is seen as a very unselfish move.

Though I've heard that they've done extremely well at  fighting the virus.

[Ty Carpenter]

23 minutes ago, Robert Wheeler said:

The concentration of suspected Covid carriers in camps would probably have a decent amount of support here in the US.

...

Dr Bloomfield says the mandatory quarantine will apply to both new cases and, if necessary, close family members who might be at risk.

"[It] shows how serious we are about limiting any risk of ongoing transmission - even in self-isolation and including to others in the household," he added.

"A reminder, these facilities have been set up specifically and have excellent processes and resources in place to look after people with COVID-19, including health staff on site at all times.

"It will help us avoid any further inadvertent spread into the community as part of our overall response."

...

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/08/coronavirus-all-new-zealand-s-confirmed-covid-19-cases-to-be-put-in-quarantine-facilities-from-now-on.html

 

Hey, as long as people's health is at risk, the Concentration of possible Covid carriers in Camps, to keep them quarantined is probably the best thing to do.

At the time of the paper’s publishing [AUG 9], New Zealand had just 1569 cases, 22 deaths, and a coronavirus-related mortality of 4 per 1 million [0.0004%]—the lowest reported rate among 37 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

I see what ya did there!