Today and tomorrow 20 of the world's big dogs, plus seven of their invited guest leaders are meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They are there for photo ops and public schmoozing along with some more serious and, in theory, substantial one on one get togethers.
However, because of the times and the nature of those involved things can become strange and awkward at this summit of sorts down south where the gauchos roam.
For example, look at the surreal instant today when Saudi Crown Prince Mohmmad bin Salman Al Saud and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged an emphatic handshake and grins that were as enthusiastic as any seen in college football end zones after a touchdown. One can almost hear the brief exchange of words during the moment. Knowing the way those two thugs operate Putin probably told the Prince something along the lines of, Way to handle that bastard Khashoggi. Dude, what a move. I couldn't have done it better myself.
Yes, in some places they take care of journalists in ways Donald Trump can only dream of. Then they show up and act as if they're actually members of the human species.
And speaking of The Big Orange Guy, he called off his private sit down with Putin earlier this week. The administration says he did so, because the Russians shot up and took custody of three Ukrainian navy ships on November 25th near the Kerch Strait which separates the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The Russians aren't buying that excuse. They are claiming Trump backed out of the meeting due to political issues at home. While the Russkies are a wily lot their explanation of the cancelled talk rings true.
Let's face it, Donald Trump probably doesn't give a shit about three Ukrainian ships and 20 plus sailors in a place it is doubtful he has even heard of. On the other hand he does care deeply that his former personal lawyer and fixer, Mike Cohen just pleaded guilty to lying in front of congress about a building deal in Moscow.
Indeed, even Trump has to know it wouldn't look good to have a private confab with a guy who not only helped him win an election, but also might have been the recipient of, as some reports say, a $50 million penthouse atop the proposed Moscow venture--for free.
That's right, given the information coming to light, even the rubes who cheer wildly at those raucous rallies might start asking uncomfortable questions about motives and conduct. After all, you can call Michael Cohen, "a weak person and not a very smart person," all you want, but you are the one who paid him a retainer for 12 years and trusted him with the Stormy Daniels hush money. It doesn't take a genius to realize Cohen knows stuff--actual stuff--and much of it proves you, Donald John Trump are at best a congenital liar or, at worst, a felon.
Of course there are other people at the G20 who could spend some quality time with the American El Supremo. Although since he's spent two plus years incessantly insulting them, most of the nation's traditional allies won't be among that particular crowd. On the other hand Xi Jinping, China's president for life will be. He is a man Trump deeply admires for his willingness to forgo the nonsense of democratic elections and term limits. Besides, they have a lot to talk about, especially when it comes to tariffs and who is coming out on top in the newly minted trade war.
Then there is always the Crown Prince. Locking down that massive arms deal is a must, even if the sale amounts to only a fraction of what DJT has been saying and the number of new jobs he has been promising because of it is an outright lie.
And, obviously, there is always an opportunity for a chance meeting with Putin. All it would take is a fortuitous seating arrangement during dinner tonight. It isn't like it hasn't happened before. Listen, many important deals have been struck over a plate of overcooked steak and potatoes. Plus, Mr. Trump would probably love to hear Vlad's thoughts on how to handle organizations such as MSNBC and CNN.
Not to mention the incoming House of Representatives.
Hey, when in doubt go to the pros. Their methods might be crude, but. as we've seen in both England and Turkey, they are effective.
Think not? Just take another look at that jubilant hand shake we all saw this morning.
11-30-18
Friday, November 30, 2018
Monday, November 26, 2018
It's Mississippi For God's Sake, Of Course Cindy Hyde-Smith Will Win
Whenever statistics come out ranking states for things like rural poverty, public education funding, health care, and even obesity and tobacco use, my home state, Oklahoma almost always comes in toward the very bottom of the lists. That's the bad news. The good news is we hardly ever reach dead last because of one place in these United States.
It is a fact which has given rise to a saying common around here when such stats are published. It goes like this, "Thank God for Mississippi."
Indeed, it would seem as long as there is a Magnolia State, Oklahoma can rest assured there will always be some place in the republic which is poorer, dumber, and fatter than we are. It might be cold comfort, but we'll take what we can get.
Be that as it may, let's get to tomorrow when Mississippi elects a U.S. Senator to fill out the unexpired term of Thad Cochran who retired back in March of this year.
It hasn't been an easy process to get to this point. On November 6th, Mississippi, in keeping with it's reputation, held what it calls a, "jungle primary." What that means is everybody running, no matter what their political affiliation, is thrown onto the same ballot and if any one of them gets over 50% of the total votes cast they're in. If no one does then the top two finishers face each other in a runoff.
This year the two finalists are republican, Cindy Hyde-Smith and democrat, Mike Espy. Hyde-Smith has been in the Senate since April when she was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant. Espy is a former Mississippi congressman who served a brief term as Bill Clinton's Secretary of Agriculture.
From the beginning the big money was on Ms. Hyde-Smith. In fact no one outside of the state was paying any particular attention to the race because the seat seemed to be a republican lock. Then, as all these GOP cranks can't help but do, the Senator opened her mouth.
Not long after the dust cleared on the 6th of November she made an appearance in Tupelo, MS with a cattle rancher named, Colin Hutchinson. Playing to the crowd, Hyde-Smith pointed to Hutchinson and said, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be in the front row."
Ah yes, quite witty. Especially when you consider, according to the NAACP, that between 1882 and 1968, 581 African Americans were lynched in Mississippi. If you're keeping track of numbers like some do, you have, no doubt, noted the horrifying body count places ol' Miss in the lead for something. That's right, last no more.
Of course, given the current political climate, it also won't surprise anyone, Hyde-Smith's opponent, Mike Espy is black.
When the inevitable backlash to her comment began to build she described her statement as, "...an exaggerated expression of regard."
Regard for what? Hutchinson? Public Hangings? Hanging the opposition? We're all left to wonder since Ms. Hyde-Smith refuses to comment any further on her desire for a front row seat.
The vile insanity didn't end there though. A scant 10 days ago she was caught on tape telling a small group of supporters voter suppression, when it came to the people in other schools was, "...a great idea." When the video surfaced her campaign wrote off the comment as an, "obvious joke."
Right. In the 1970's while she was in school, Ms. Hyde-Smith attended Lawrence County Academy. It was one of the many private--read segregated--institutions which popped up in the state to circumvent federal desegregation laws. The academy's nickname was the Rebels, its mascot was named, Col. Reb and he ran around carrying a Confederate battle flag.
Finally, just to make sure her base knew exactly where she was coming from--after all, you can't be subtle with a lot of these stupid rubes--a photo from social media was released which showed her and someone else wearing replica confederate uniforms while sporting muskets.
The Don initially refused to support Hyde-Smith's appointment to the senate because when she began in politics she was a registered democrat. Her affiliation lasted ten years, long enough to make her untrustworthy in the eyes of The Big Orange Guy.
Not to worry though. He is all in for her now. So much so, he is going to Mississippi today to stump for her. Listen, you have to do something for someone who has voted with you 100% of the time--and now, thanks to overtly racist bull shit, has gone from a sure thing to being in an election day dog fight.
The only questions left are will she win despite the trail of awful dog whistle words, coupled with her crude old south attitude? Or, will decency and Mike Espy pull the big upset?
Oh please, the answer is easy. It's Mississippi for God's sake, of course she'll win.
11-26-18
It is a fact which has given rise to a saying common around here when such stats are published. It goes like this, "Thank God for Mississippi."
Indeed, it would seem as long as there is a Magnolia State, Oklahoma can rest assured there will always be some place in the republic which is poorer, dumber, and fatter than we are. It might be cold comfort, but we'll take what we can get.
Be that as it may, let's get to tomorrow when Mississippi elects a U.S. Senator to fill out the unexpired term of Thad Cochran who retired back in March of this year.
It hasn't been an easy process to get to this point. On November 6th, Mississippi, in keeping with it's reputation, held what it calls a, "jungle primary." What that means is everybody running, no matter what their political affiliation, is thrown onto the same ballot and if any one of them gets over 50% of the total votes cast they're in. If no one does then the top two finishers face each other in a runoff.
This year the two finalists are republican, Cindy Hyde-Smith and democrat, Mike Espy. Hyde-Smith has been in the Senate since April when she was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant. Espy is a former Mississippi congressman who served a brief term as Bill Clinton's Secretary of Agriculture.
From the beginning the big money was on Ms. Hyde-Smith. In fact no one outside of the state was paying any particular attention to the race because the seat seemed to be a republican lock. Then, as all these GOP cranks can't help but do, the Senator opened her mouth.
Not long after the dust cleared on the 6th of November she made an appearance in Tupelo, MS with a cattle rancher named, Colin Hutchinson. Playing to the crowd, Hyde-Smith pointed to Hutchinson and said, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be in the front row."
Ah yes, quite witty. Especially when you consider, according to the NAACP, that between 1882 and 1968, 581 African Americans were lynched in Mississippi. If you're keeping track of numbers like some do, you have, no doubt, noted the horrifying body count places ol' Miss in the lead for something. That's right, last no more.
Of course, given the current political climate, it also won't surprise anyone, Hyde-Smith's opponent, Mike Espy is black.
When the inevitable backlash to her comment began to build she described her statement as, "...an exaggerated expression of regard."
Regard for what? Hutchinson? Public Hangings? Hanging the opposition? We're all left to wonder since Ms. Hyde-Smith refuses to comment any further on her desire for a front row seat.
The vile insanity didn't end there though. A scant 10 days ago she was caught on tape telling a small group of supporters voter suppression, when it came to the people in other schools was, "...a great idea." When the video surfaced her campaign wrote off the comment as an, "obvious joke."
Right. In the 1970's while she was in school, Ms. Hyde-Smith attended Lawrence County Academy. It was one of the many private--read segregated--institutions which popped up in the state to circumvent federal desegregation laws. The academy's nickname was the Rebels, its mascot was named, Col. Reb and he ran around carrying a Confederate battle flag.
Finally, just to make sure her base knew exactly where she was coming from--after all, you can't be subtle with a lot of these stupid rubes--a photo from social media was released which showed her and someone else wearing replica confederate uniforms while sporting muskets.
The Don initially refused to support Hyde-Smith's appointment to the senate because when she began in politics she was a registered democrat. Her affiliation lasted ten years, long enough to make her untrustworthy in the eyes of The Big Orange Guy.
Not to worry though. He is all in for her now. So much so, he is going to Mississippi today to stump for her. Listen, you have to do something for someone who has voted with you 100% of the time--and now, thanks to overtly racist bull shit, has gone from a sure thing to being in an election day dog fight.
The only questions left are will she win despite the trail of awful dog whistle words, coupled with her crude old south attitude? Or, will decency and Mike Espy pull the big upset?
Oh please, the answer is easy. It's Mississippi for God's sake, of course she'll win.
11-26-18
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Oklahoma City Goes to the Dogs
Sometimes you don't need a gun to create chaos, terror, and mayhem. Take yesterday for instance. While a crazed monster was shooting up Mercy Hospital in Chicago, apparently because of a failed romance, someone in Oklahoma City let his, or her mixed breed pit bull out for a little run.
Around 12:40pm the mutt entered the playground of Fillmore Elementary School in south OKC. At the time there were 28 third and fourth graders enjoying a recess, supervised by three teachers. Within five minutes the dog had bit nine of the kids while three were injured as they tried to get away. Five were transported to a local hospital by ambulances and seven were taken there by their parents. Luckily none of the injuries were critical.
The dog was tackled by Special Ed teacher, Lee Hughes as it tried to get into the school building, presumably to continue its hunt. In a show of extraordinary strength and courage, Hughes held it on the ground until authorities could take the animal away. So far, at least, the owner of the animal hasn't come forward. Hey, who can blame him, or her. The lines of lawyers outside the homes of the victims are, no doubt, already winding down southside streets and around blocks.
Unfortunately, in this burg we aren't always as lucky as we were yesterday.
A guy named Butch Bridges, who lives in Ardmore, OK tracks this sort of bestial assault on his site, "Vicious Dog Attacks--Oklahoma." The list he has compiled is extensive and more than a tad chilling.
In the Oklahoma City metro area alone he shows 24 attacks in the last four years, three of them fatal. Of the 24, 13 were committed by, you guessed it, Pit Bulls. Two more were by Boxers and another two attacks came from St. Bernard's. In the rest of the incidents the breeds were not identified by different media sources.
In more than a couple of the cases the pet owners claimed their dogs were, "provoked," and should bear no blame for the attacks. After two of the victims died the owners were charged with manslaughter. In all of them someone should have been indicted for being, felony stupid.
No, I'm not anti dog. I am, however, pro dog control. I'm also extremely suspect of the psychology on display when a person decides to prove their machismo to the world by keeping a 75-100 pound animal with a predilection for uncontrolled savagery. Let's face it, in many cases such breeds are bought just so the owner can show off his, or her dark and edgy lifestyle. Hey, want to know what a bad ass I am? Just take a look at my fucking dog!
If you want to brag, just tat up for God's sake. The needle might hurt a little, but your ink dragon, or panther won't rip apart some elderly woman and her Pomeranian who made the mistake of walking on a nearby sidewalk. Not to mention, you won't end up in the slammer just because you decided to let a latter day version of The Hound of the Baskervilles run loose in the neighborhood.
A long time ago a veterinarian I knew told me to never own a big dog. If you want a watch dog, he said, get a small one who will make a lot of noise. The first thing a professional thief will do is kill a big dog. Besides, when it gets old the odds are it will turn on you, or your kids.
Yes and then sometimes, as we saw yesterday, it will turn on children at a school playground not because of age, but simply because of breeding. Well, that and some tough guy wannabe didn't take the time to keep it on a leash, or properly fenced in.
sic vita est
11-20-18
Around 12:40pm the mutt entered the playground of Fillmore Elementary School in south OKC. At the time there were 28 third and fourth graders enjoying a recess, supervised by three teachers. Within five minutes the dog had bit nine of the kids while three were injured as they tried to get away. Five were transported to a local hospital by ambulances and seven were taken there by their parents. Luckily none of the injuries were critical.
The dog was tackled by Special Ed teacher, Lee Hughes as it tried to get into the school building, presumably to continue its hunt. In a show of extraordinary strength and courage, Hughes held it on the ground until authorities could take the animal away. So far, at least, the owner of the animal hasn't come forward. Hey, who can blame him, or her. The lines of lawyers outside the homes of the victims are, no doubt, already winding down southside streets and around blocks.
Unfortunately, in this burg we aren't always as lucky as we were yesterday.
A guy named Butch Bridges, who lives in Ardmore, OK tracks this sort of bestial assault on his site, "Vicious Dog Attacks--Oklahoma." The list he has compiled is extensive and more than a tad chilling.
In the Oklahoma City metro area alone he shows 24 attacks in the last four years, three of them fatal. Of the 24, 13 were committed by, you guessed it, Pit Bulls. Two more were by Boxers and another two attacks came from St. Bernard's. In the rest of the incidents the breeds were not identified by different media sources.
In more than a couple of the cases the pet owners claimed their dogs were, "provoked," and should bear no blame for the attacks. After two of the victims died the owners were charged with manslaughter. In all of them someone should have been indicted for being, felony stupid.
No, I'm not anti dog. I am, however, pro dog control. I'm also extremely suspect of the psychology on display when a person decides to prove their machismo to the world by keeping a 75-100 pound animal with a predilection for uncontrolled savagery. Let's face it, in many cases such breeds are bought just so the owner can show off his, or her dark and edgy lifestyle. Hey, want to know what a bad ass I am? Just take a look at my fucking dog!
If you want to brag, just tat up for God's sake. The needle might hurt a little, but your ink dragon, or panther won't rip apart some elderly woman and her Pomeranian who made the mistake of walking on a nearby sidewalk. Not to mention, you won't end up in the slammer just because you decided to let a latter day version of The Hound of the Baskervilles run loose in the neighborhood.
A long time ago a veterinarian I knew told me to never own a big dog. If you want a watch dog, he said, get a small one who will make a lot of noise. The first thing a professional thief will do is kill a big dog. Besides, when it gets old the odds are it will turn on you, or your kids.
Yes and then sometimes, as we saw yesterday, it will turn on children at a school playground not because of age, but simply because of breeding. Well, that and some tough guy wannabe didn't take the time to keep it on a leash, or properly fenced in.
sic vita est
11-20-18
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Bill Maher's List Grows Longer--In Two Years We Will Find Out If He's Right
Last Friday on his HBO show, Real Time, Bill Maher touched again on what he claimed in 2017 was a, "slow moving Trump coup," which is taking over America. Despite the democrats winning a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives last week he said the coup has, "started moving a little faster."
Then he updated his, "Are you a dictator wannabe check list." In no particular order and paraphrasing some, the list went like this:
You are a narcissist who likes to see his name and face on buildings.
You appoint family members to positions of power.
You hold rallies even when you're not running, and they are scary.
You talk about jailing the press and political enemies.
You force out independent minded officials and replace them with toadies.
You appoint your personal protectors into important positions of law enforcement and the judicial branch.
You like and want military parades.
You have what amounts to a state television network which constantly claims you can do no wrong and incessantly attacks your critics.
You like other dictators.
You like the idea of having a president for life.
Yes, Maher's list is impressive and not just a little frightening. Of course Donald John Trump hasn't accomplished some of the items on the check list, but we know he loves to, as Maher says, talk about them. Let's face it, he hasn't actually jailed a member of the press, or Hillary Clinton, but he's quite fond of calling the media, "the enemy of the people," which is the first step toward that goal. And now, two years in, he has appointed an, "acting," Attorney General, who has advocated for a DOJ investigation into Clinton's emails, while at the same time condemning the ongoing investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign. You know, the one he is now in charge of.
We also know the president spent the last two months demonizing a caravan of would be immigrants and asylum seekers. While numbering slightly less than the population of Alva, OK our man in the Oval Office likened them to an army of foreign invaders, then dispatched regular army troops to the border to defend against them. In other words he pulled an old trick used by tin horn despots across several continents. He created an outside threat to the nation in order to distract people's attention from the real issues at hand, like, say, health care and republican promises to slash medicaid, medicare, and social security.
Finally, we know he will say any election which doesn't go his way is illegitimate. This dark trend began during that 2016 election when he railed about hundreds, if not thousands of liberals from Massachusetts busing themselves over the border into New Hampshire in order to make sure Secretary Clinton carried the state. It continued when he asserted then, as he still does, he lost the popular vote that year because three million illegal ballots--almost the precise number he lost by--were cast in places like California.
Neither actually happened, but when you want to convince a jingoistic mob of rubes there is a vast left wing conspiracy out to destroy both you and them, the truth isn't, as Rudy Giuliani so eloquently put it, the truth.
On Friday, Arizona republican senate candidate Martha McSally fell behind democrat Kyrsten Sinema as mail in ballots were counted. In response to the news, Trump tweeted, "Just out--In Arizona, SIGNATURES DON'T MATCH. Electoral corruption--Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!" Later in the day he whined to the media, "...all of a sudden, out of the wilderness, they find a lot of votes." He had no proof of what he was saying and it's obvious he has no knowledge of how Arizona conducts elections.
All the alleged chicanery was news to republican AZ Governor Doug Ducey who won re-election last Tuesday. After Trump's tirade he tweeted, "Let's follow the law, count the votes, prevent any cheating, and heed the will of the voters." Arizona GOP Senator Jeff Flake, who Sinema will replace, tweeted, "There is no evidence of 'electoral corruption' in Arizona, Mr. President..." The republican secretary of state, Michele Reagan basically said the same thing.
As for Martha McSally? Well her 2014 congressional race was tight enough she wasn't declared the winner until mid-December of that year, so she knew these things could take a while. She also knew Flake was right. A little while ago she graciously conceded the race to Sinema.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump went before the press and told them, all the republicans who lost in the mid term elections did so because they failed to, "embrace me."
You might not like Bill Maher, but you have to admit the fucker is right. God only knows what Don Trump will say, or do if he isn't re-elected in 2020. He certainly has gone out of his way to convince his devotees--to set the precedent as it were--that the only way he can lose is if democrats commit criminal fraud, thus creating an invalid result which must then be overturned.
Indeed, he has set the stage. The only question which remains is, does he have the will, the guts, and the guns to end the American republic? Ladies and gentlemen we are all going to find out in a mere 24 months.
11-13-18
Then he updated his, "Are you a dictator wannabe check list." In no particular order and paraphrasing some, the list went like this:
You are a narcissist who likes to see his name and face on buildings.
You appoint family members to positions of power.
You hold rallies even when you're not running, and they are scary.
You talk about jailing the press and political enemies.
You force out independent minded officials and replace them with toadies.
You appoint your personal protectors into important positions of law enforcement and the judicial branch.
You like and want military parades.
You have what amounts to a state television network which constantly claims you can do no wrong and incessantly attacks your critics.
You like other dictators.
You like the idea of having a president for life.
Yes, Maher's list is impressive and not just a little frightening. Of course Donald John Trump hasn't accomplished some of the items on the check list, but we know he loves to, as Maher says, talk about them. Let's face it, he hasn't actually jailed a member of the press, or Hillary Clinton, but he's quite fond of calling the media, "the enemy of the people," which is the first step toward that goal. And now, two years in, he has appointed an, "acting," Attorney General, who has advocated for a DOJ investigation into Clinton's emails, while at the same time condemning the ongoing investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign. You know, the one he is now in charge of.
We also know the president spent the last two months demonizing a caravan of would be immigrants and asylum seekers. While numbering slightly less than the population of Alva, OK our man in the Oval Office likened them to an army of foreign invaders, then dispatched regular army troops to the border to defend against them. In other words he pulled an old trick used by tin horn despots across several continents. He created an outside threat to the nation in order to distract people's attention from the real issues at hand, like, say, health care and republican promises to slash medicaid, medicare, and social security.
Finally, we know he will say any election which doesn't go his way is illegitimate. This dark trend began during that 2016 election when he railed about hundreds, if not thousands of liberals from Massachusetts busing themselves over the border into New Hampshire in order to make sure Secretary Clinton carried the state. It continued when he asserted then, as he still does, he lost the popular vote that year because three million illegal ballots--almost the precise number he lost by--were cast in places like California.
Neither actually happened, but when you want to convince a jingoistic mob of rubes there is a vast left wing conspiracy out to destroy both you and them, the truth isn't, as Rudy Giuliani so eloquently put it, the truth.
On Friday, Arizona republican senate candidate Martha McSally fell behind democrat Kyrsten Sinema as mail in ballots were counted. In response to the news, Trump tweeted, "Just out--In Arizona, SIGNATURES DON'T MATCH. Electoral corruption--Call for a new Election? We must protect our Democracy!" Later in the day he whined to the media, "...all of a sudden, out of the wilderness, they find a lot of votes." He had no proof of what he was saying and it's obvious he has no knowledge of how Arizona conducts elections.
All the alleged chicanery was news to republican AZ Governor Doug Ducey who won re-election last Tuesday. After Trump's tirade he tweeted, "Let's follow the law, count the votes, prevent any cheating, and heed the will of the voters." Arizona GOP Senator Jeff Flake, who Sinema will replace, tweeted, "There is no evidence of 'electoral corruption' in Arizona, Mr. President..." The republican secretary of state, Michele Reagan basically said the same thing.
As for Martha McSally? Well her 2014 congressional race was tight enough she wasn't declared the winner until mid-December of that year, so she knew these things could take a while. She also knew Flake was right. A little while ago she graciously conceded the race to Sinema.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump went before the press and told them, all the republicans who lost in the mid term elections did so because they failed to, "embrace me."
You might not like Bill Maher, but you have to admit the fucker is right. God only knows what Don Trump will say, or do if he isn't re-elected in 2020. He certainly has gone out of his way to convince his devotees--to set the precedent as it were--that the only way he can lose is if democrats commit criminal fraud, thus creating an invalid result which must then be overturned.
Indeed, he has set the stage. The only question which remains is, does he have the will, the guts, and the guns to end the American republic? Ladies and gentlemen we are all going to find out in a mere 24 months.
11-13-18
Friday, November 9, 2018
The Week That Was: Chaos and Karma In Florida, Sessions Is Out and Whitaker Is In Charge, A Blue Dot In A Red Sea, and Of Course, Another Mass Shooting
It was a week of chaos and some of it is lingering.
Just ask them down in Florida where republicans are screaming fraud about some iffy goings on with the Broward County election board. For those with short memories Broward County, located north of Miami, is the place where Al Gore got screwed out of winning Florida and the White House in 2000. Now it is GOP senate candidate Rick Scott who is claiming his ever shrinking lead over democratic incumbent Bill Nelson is due to some sneaky stuff perpetrated in Ft. Lauderdale.
Never one to stay presidential, Donald Trump has started calling county election supervisor Brenda Snipes foul names so we know she must have done something at least halfway right. With a recount pending, the current vote now shows Scott leading Nelson, 50.09% to 49.91%.
In case you're wondering, Brenda Snipes is a registered democrat. She has held her job since November 2003. That's the month she was appointed to the position by then governor, Jeb Bush.
Ah, karma.
Meanwhile, within hours after republicans lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Don Trump began a serious push toward totalitarianism. Shortly after the votes were tallied he canned U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. You know the man who recused himself from being involved in Bob Mueller's investigation of the Trump campaign. The El Supremo appointed Matthew Whitaker to replace Sessions as, "acting," AG. Whitaker has previously appeared on cable news shows saying Mueller's investigation is a witch hunt and it should be ended immediately. He even proposed a novel way of doing it without actually firing Mueller. Just cut off all the funding, he said, and it will grind to a halt.
Not surprisingly Mr. Whitaker has told everyone he will not recuse himself and is insisting he'll be directly in charge of Mueller's investigative efforts. Today in yet another display of surreal big brotherism, Trump said he not only didn't discuss the Russian investigation with Whitaker before handing him the job, but, in fact, didn't even know him.
A little over an hour ago The Washington Post, showed a snippet from a Fox and Friends episode aired last month. Over the phone Trump said to the hosts, "I can tell you Matt Whitaker is a great guy. I mean I know Matt Whitaker."
In addition, The Big Orange Guy picked a fight with CNN's Jim Acosta during a press conference. The evidence the confrontation was planned is incontrovertible. Several members of the press heard staffers saying to each other, "This is going to be fun." The President then invited Acosta to question him and spent the next few seconds condemning him. Trump subsequently had Acosta's credentials pulled, which means the reporter is banned from the White House press corps.
The White House claimed they were exiling Acosta from the press room, not because of his questions, but rather that he had, "put his hands on a young woman." The woman would be a WH intern who tried to take the microphone from the reporter at the direction of her boss.
To prove Acosta's brutality they put out a video tape of the moment. The tape released had initially appeared on the notorious InfoWars conspiracy site and experts all over the place say it has been--you guessed it--doctored to make Acosta's movements appear more aggressive than they actually were. It also edited out the moment when he said to the woman, "Pardon me, ma'am."
At the same presser Trump called a black reporter's question about white nationalism racist. Later he said he wouldn't hesitate to yank the credentials of other journalists. The warning was clear--Ask me a question which pisses me off and you're gone.
Vladimir would be proud. The next step is some poison in Joe and Mika's coffee. Or, in a pinch, the Khashoggi option.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the local scene, Kendra Horn took out incumbent republican Steve Russell and became the first democrat in 40 plus years to win the Oklahoma 5th Congressional District. The 5th consists of Seminole, Pottawatomie, and Oklahoma Counties, minus Midwest City and Tinker AFB.
Her win became the sum of all state republican fears. Oklahoma's most populous county and city has become a blue dot in a sea of red. And it wasn't just Horn who illustrated this creeping change of demographics and politics. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson lost to his opponent by 12%. He failed to carry 73 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, including both Pottawatomie and Seminole, however his most decisive statewide win was in Oklahoma County.
No, Oklahoma isn't about to turn blue, or even purple, but at least the GOP can no longer claim the state is a deep red monolith.
There was more, of course, including another mass shooting. This one by a decorated marine corps veteran who, just a little while ago, was determined by police to be irate and irrational, but not crazy enough to be institutionalized. He legally owned the weapon he used to murder a cop and 11 others in a Thousand Oaks, CA bar.
As usual everyone offered their thoughts and prayers then went right back to whatever it was they were doing before this latest horror.
Yes, the gun control debate and sanity both appear as dead as the victims in Thousand Oaks.
Ladies and gentlemen, given the circumstances is it any wonder the bar is open.
I didn't think so.
11-9-18
Just ask them down in Florida where republicans are screaming fraud about some iffy goings on with the Broward County election board. For those with short memories Broward County, located north of Miami, is the place where Al Gore got screwed out of winning Florida and the White House in 2000. Now it is GOP senate candidate Rick Scott who is claiming his ever shrinking lead over democratic incumbent Bill Nelson is due to some sneaky stuff perpetrated in Ft. Lauderdale.
Never one to stay presidential, Donald Trump has started calling county election supervisor Brenda Snipes foul names so we know she must have done something at least halfway right. With a recount pending, the current vote now shows Scott leading Nelson, 50.09% to 49.91%.
In case you're wondering, Brenda Snipes is a registered democrat. She has held her job since November 2003. That's the month she was appointed to the position by then governor, Jeb Bush.
Ah, karma.
Meanwhile, within hours after republicans lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Don Trump began a serious push toward totalitarianism. Shortly after the votes were tallied he canned U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. You know the man who recused himself from being involved in Bob Mueller's investigation of the Trump campaign. The El Supremo appointed Matthew Whitaker to replace Sessions as, "acting," AG. Whitaker has previously appeared on cable news shows saying Mueller's investigation is a witch hunt and it should be ended immediately. He even proposed a novel way of doing it without actually firing Mueller. Just cut off all the funding, he said, and it will grind to a halt.
Not surprisingly Mr. Whitaker has told everyone he will not recuse himself and is insisting he'll be directly in charge of Mueller's investigative efforts. Today in yet another display of surreal big brotherism, Trump said he not only didn't discuss the Russian investigation with Whitaker before handing him the job, but, in fact, didn't even know him.
A little over an hour ago The Washington Post, showed a snippet from a Fox and Friends episode aired last month. Over the phone Trump said to the hosts, "I can tell you Matt Whitaker is a great guy. I mean I know Matt Whitaker."
In addition, The Big Orange Guy picked a fight with CNN's Jim Acosta during a press conference. The evidence the confrontation was planned is incontrovertible. Several members of the press heard staffers saying to each other, "This is going to be fun." The President then invited Acosta to question him and spent the next few seconds condemning him. Trump subsequently had Acosta's credentials pulled, which means the reporter is banned from the White House press corps.
The White House claimed they were exiling Acosta from the press room, not because of his questions, but rather that he had, "put his hands on a young woman." The woman would be a WH intern who tried to take the microphone from the reporter at the direction of her boss.
To prove Acosta's brutality they put out a video tape of the moment. The tape released had initially appeared on the notorious InfoWars conspiracy site and experts all over the place say it has been--you guessed it--doctored to make Acosta's movements appear more aggressive than they actually were. It also edited out the moment when he said to the woman, "Pardon me, ma'am."
At the same presser Trump called a black reporter's question about white nationalism racist. Later he said he wouldn't hesitate to yank the credentials of other journalists. The warning was clear--Ask me a question which pisses me off and you're gone.
Vladimir would be proud. The next step is some poison in Joe and Mika's coffee. Or, in a pinch, the Khashoggi option.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the local scene, Kendra Horn took out incumbent republican Steve Russell and became the first democrat in 40 plus years to win the Oklahoma 5th Congressional District. The 5th consists of Seminole, Pottawatomie, and Oklahoma Counties, minus Midwest City and Tinker AFB.
Her win became the sum of all state republican fears. Oklahoma's most populous county and city has become a blue dot in a sea of red. And it wasn't just Horn who illustrated this creeping change of demographics and politics. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson lost to his opponent by 12%. He failed to carry 73 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, including both Pottawatomie and Seminole, however his most decisive statewide win was in Oklahoma County.
No, Oklahoma isn't about to turn blue, or even purple, but at least the GOP can no longer claim the state is a deep red monolith.
There was more, of course, including another mass shooting. This one by a decorated marine corps veteran who, just a little while ago, was determined by police to be irate and irrational, but not crazy enough to be institutionalized. He legally owned the weapon he used to murder a cop and 11 others in a Thousand Oaks, CA bar.
As usual everyone offered their thoughts and prayers then went right back to whatever it was they were doing before this latest horror.
Yes, the gun control debate and sanity both appear as dead as the victims in Thousand Oaks.
Ladies and gentlemen, given the circumstances is it any wonder the bar is open.
I didn't think so.
11-9-18
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Alina Fitzpatrick: Seven Years Ago Today
There are apparently suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
From the autopsy report of Alina Fitzpatrick written by Medical Examiner, Dr. Chai S. Choi
Ol' Doc Choi has a definite gift for understating the brutally obvious. His official conclusion was Alina Fitzpatrick's cause of death in early November, 2011 remains unknown. What he considered suspicious was forensic evidence showing she been struck in the head more than once with a blunt object and her body bore bruises and abrasions which he said she suffered around the time of her death. She also had a makeshift gag lodged in her mouth. The tox screen he ran showed her heart blood contained 0.96 micrograms per milliliter of methamphetamine. All that, plus her nude body was found dumped in an overgrown lot near NE 43rd and Anderson Road in far east Oklahoma City.
Yes, that does sound pretty suspicious.
The last time Alina Fitzpatrick was seen alive by someone other than those involved with her death was seven years ago today. It was a Friday night around 10pm. She had been dropped off by a friend near an apartment complex at the intersection of NW 24th and Western Avenue, barely a mile and a half from the state capitol building and a really long walk from where she was found.
She was 17 when she was killed. If she had lived and fulfilled her stated career dream, right now she would be a 24 year old nurse.
The young Ms. Fitzpatrick had been attending Putnam City North High School, but that fall began taking classes at home through the school district's Virtual High School Program. Her parents said she had been bullied at PC North. A district spokesperson, confirmed she was taking classes on line, but said there was no record of her being the victim of bullying.
There was a rumor she had begun to receive, "disturbing," calls on her cell phone, so she had changed her number. Another said she had told friends she was worried a man was following her. Neither has ever been verified, at least not publicly.
What we do know is she disappeared on the 4th and her body was discovered on the 9th. She wouldn't be officially identified until four days later and Choi's autopsy report wasn't issued until mid January, 2012.
Shortly after its release Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow of the OKC police issued a statement saying while the department was keeping the file on her case open they weren't actively investigating her death as a homicide. What Wardlow left unsaid was, thanks to the meth in her system, which Choi judged might, or might not have been fatal, they were considering her death just another drug OD.
Although the Sarge didn't say it, everyone knew what she meant and it didn't go over well with some. Within eight days police Captain Dexter Nelson was in front of reporters doing a clean up of sorts. After pointing out none of her wounds were severe enough by themselves to be the cause of death, Nelson was quoted by The Oklahoman as saying, "Homicide is just a legal term that gives us legal grounds to prosecute someone. We are still investigating it as a suspicious death. You investigate them the same way." He also asked the public to help his department solve all the suspiciousness.
The public didn't come through. The people, who at the very least enabled the death of Alina Fitzpatrick, have never been identified, or arrested. In fact Nelson's little tip toe through semantics was the last OKCPD statement regarding her killing and the last mention of her at all in the local media. That was on January 29th, 2012.
Much later, in response to an email, the reporter who quoted Nelson said the police were indeed considering her death an overdose and had little confidence the mystery would ever be unraveled. In other words if someone comes in and confesses fine, other wise we have stuff to do.
That's right, there are no relentless Olivia Bensons and Elliot Stablers on the job in Oklahoma City.
Not only that, but it's more than apparent the cops here have never read John Donne. He once wrote, "Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."
Alina Fitzpatrick was buried on November 22, 2011. She was her parents only child.
sic vita est
11-4-18
From the autopsy report of Alina Fitzpatrick written by Medical Examiner, Dr. Chai S. Choi
Ol' Doc Choi has a definite gift for understating the brutally obvious. His official conclusion was Alina Fitzpatrick's cause of death in early November, 2011 remains unknown. What he considered suspicious was forensic evidence showing she been struck in the head more than once with a blunt object and her body bore bruises and abrasions which he said she suffered around the time of her death. She also had a makeshift gag lodged in her mouth. The tox screen he ran showed her heart blood contained 0.96 micrograms per milliliter of methamphetamine. All that, plus her nude body was found dumped in an overgrown lot near NE 43rd and Anderson Road in far east Oklahoma City.
Yes, that does sound pretty suspicious.
The last time Alina Fitzpatrick was seen alive by someone other than those involved with her death was seven years ago today. It was a Friday night around 10pm. She had been dropped off by a friend near an apartment complex at the intersection of NW 24th and Western Avenue, barely a mile and a half from the state capitol building and a really long walk from where she was found.
She was 17 when she was killed. If she had lived and fulfilled her stated career dream, right now she would be a 24 year old nurse.
The young Ms. Fitzpatrick had been attending Putnam City North High School, but that fall began taking classes at home through the school district's Virtual High School Program. Her parents said she had been bullied at PC North. A district spokesperson, confirmed she was taking classes on line, but said there was no record of her being the victim of bullying.
There was a rumor she had begun to receive, "disturbing," calls on her cell phone, so she had changed her number. Another said she had told friends she was worried a man was following her. Neither has ever been verified, at least not publicly.
What we do know is she disappeared on the 4th and her body was discovered on the 9th. She wouldn't be officially identified until four days later and Choi's autopsy report wasn't issued until mid January, 2012.
Shortly after its release Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow of the OKC police issued a statement saying while the department was keeping the file on her case open they weren't actively investigating her death as a homicide. What Wardlow left unsaid was, thanks to the meth in her system, which Choi judged might, or might not have been fatal, they were considering her death just another drug OD.
Although the Sarge didn't say it, everyone knew what she meant and it didn't go over well with some. Within eight days police Captain Dexter Nelson was in front of reporters doing a clean up of sorts. After pointing out none of her wounds were severe enough by themselves to be the cause of death, Nelson was quoted by The Oklahoman as saying, "Homicide is just a legal term that gives us legal grounds to prosecute someone. We are still investigating it as a suspicious death. You investigate them the same way." He also asked the public to help his department solve all the suspiciousness.
The public didn't come through. The people, who at the very least enabled the death of Alina Fitzpatrick, have never been identified, or arrested. In fact Nelson's little tip toe through semantics was the last OKCPD statement regarding her killing and the last mention of her at all in the local media. That was on January 29th, 2012.
Much later, in response to an email, the reporter who quoted Nelson said the police were indeed considering her death an overdose and had little confidence the mystery would ever be unraveled. In other words if someone comes in and confesses fine, other wise we have stuff to do.
That's right, there are no relentless Olivia Bensons and Elliot Stablers on the job in Oklahoma City.
Not only that, but it's more than apparent the cops here have never read John Donne. He once wrote, "Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."
Alina Fitzpatrick was buried on November 22, 2011. She was her parents only child.
sic vita est
11-4-18
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