I am voting for Marianne Williamson. Don’t try to argue me out of it, she is definitely the kind of motivational speaker we need to feel good about having burned the planet to a cinder and causing the largest global extinction since oxygen exhaling plants poisoned about every other species.
Still working for Mike Gravel though. He has gumption.
CNN is making it difficult to give you the full stream which was far more amazing than the season finale of… The Bachelorette?
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungoverwe’ve been bailed outwe’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
Ranger 7 beams lunar pictures; France’s Marquis de Lafayette makes his name in the American Revolution; Thomas Eagleton withdraws as George McGovern’s running mate; Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling born.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles as South Korea bristles
Two projectiles flew about 250km as Pyongyang intensifies pressure on the US to start up new denuclearisation talks.
North Korea conducted its second weapons test in less than a week on Wednesday, firing two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast in a move observers say could be aimed at boosting pressure on the United States to set up new denuclearisation talks.
The projectiles were launched early from the Hodo Peninsula in South Hamgyong province on North Korea’s east coast, according to South Korea’s military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
‘A cop said I was famous’: China accuses foreigners in Hong Kong of being ‘agents’
Chinese state media and pro-Beijing lawmakers post images of westerners to stoke suspicions of ‘external forces’
Westerners living in Hong Kong are being targeted online by China’s state-owned media and local pro-Beijing politicians who have accused them of stoking demonstrations that have now run into their eighth week.
Images showing foreign workers at the site of protests are being circulated, sometimes alongside speculative text questioning why they are there.
Some images have been circulated so widely that one foreign worker and long-term Hong Kong resident said he was now recognised in the street, including by police. “I now sometimes have to pose for CIA selfies with protesters,” he said, referring to a post which asked if he was a member of US intelligence.
Chicago shooting deaths: Outcry as anti-gun violence mothers shot dead while campaigning
Two women who campaigned against Chicago’sinfamous gun violence have themselves been shot and killed on a street corner where activists frequently stood to keep watch.
The anti-gun violence group Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK) confirmed Chantell Grant and Andrea Stoudemire were killed after a blue SUV pulled up to the corner, and someone in the vehicle opened fired into the crowd.
“People are tired of being afraid. We’re sick of being afraid. We live in these communities and then we somehow are penalised and punished for living here. If you’re poor, you’re poor,” said MASK founder Tamar Manasseh.
Vilification and the language of villainy
US and Iran, short memories
Western media have demonised Iran for 40 years, especially in the US. A selective memory of recent history greatly helps the tone and content of that demonisation.
by Serge Halimi & Pierre Rimbert
Imagine an Iranian drone had been shot down over Florida or just off its coast. Rather than arguing about its exact position, we would surely be shocked at its presence 11,000km from Iran. But on 20 June, Iran downed a US drone that had come close to its territory (according to the Pentagon) or violated its airspace (according to Tehran), and almost nobody asked if the US military presence in the Persian Gulf was justified.
Gregory Shupak, a media expert at the University of Guelph-Humber in Canada, warns that in the current escalation between the US and Iran, ‘presenting Iran as a threat, nuclear or otherwise, over and over again, carries the clear message that it must be confronted … It’s much more accurate to say that the US is a threat to Iran than the opposite; after all, it’s the US government that is destroying Iran’s economy through sanctions that limit Iranians’ access to food and medicine, while surrounding Iran with military bases and land, sea and air forces. Iran has done nothing remotely comparable to the US’ (1).
The Brazilian justice minister’s dubious deportation decree
Justice Minister Sergio Moro wants Brazil to deport “dangerous foreigners.” Observers believe that the threat is aimed at the US journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose Intercept has aggressively reported on Moro’s conduct.
On Friday, Justice Minister Sergio Moro issued a decree, provocatively titled No. 666, that would expedite the deportation of noncitizens whom the government alleges pose a threat to Brazil — or even bar them from entering the country at all. Many observers call the timing curious.
“Nothing has happened in Brazil that would warrant such a decree,” Tania Maria de Oliveira, of the ABJD jurist association, told DW.
Kyoto Animation confirms it received novel from writer with same name, address as arson suspect
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24
The July 18 arson attack on Kyoto Animation’s Fushimi studio has resulted in the deaths of 35 employees who were in the building at the time the arsonist struck. Though the building was compliant with all local fire codes, such regulations are largely designed as precautions for accidental fires, not the sort of pre-meditated attack that was carried out on the anime production company.
Based on security camera footage and witness reports, investigators believe that the suspect, 41-year-old Shinji Aoba, purchased two 20-liter canisters of gasoline at a gas station, the wheeled them to the studio on a hand cart before igniting them inside the building, and also spraying the flame accelerant directly on victims.
The pre-meditated nature of the attack suggests a grudge against the company and/or its employees, and as Aoba was taken into custody by police he was heard to have shouted “They ripped me off” and “They stole my novel, so I set the fire.” Following the attack, Kyoto Animation CEO Hideaki Hatta said: “I have no idea what he’s talking about,” and that he had never had any written or spoken communication with Aoba.
Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from> around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Pondering the Pundits”.
Robert Mueller’s testimony may have lacked thrills, but it marked a turning point in the case against the president.
Last Wednesday, after Robert Mueller’s terse and sometimes halting congressional testimony, conventional wisdom quickly congealed: Mueller’s performance had made Donald Trump’s impeachment far less likely. “Robert S. Mueller III’s disastrous testimony has taken the wind out of the sails of the Democratic impeachment drive,” wrote Marc Thiessen in The Washington Post. CNN’s Chris Cillizza declared Mueller’s testimony “a bust — at least when it came to generating momentum for impeachment.”
ess than a week later, it’s clear that these hot takes were wrong. At no point in Trump’s wretched rule has impeachment appeared more probable. Indeed, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, which would oversee impeachment hearings, argue that an inquiry into impeachment has already begun. An inexorable confrontation between the House and the president has been set in motion.
Before Mueller’s testimony last Wednesday, 93 House Democrats had come out for an impeachment inquiry. As I write this on Monday, the number is up to 109; among them are Katherine Clark, vice chairwoman of the House Democratic caucus, and Mike Levin, a freshman from a swing district. By the end of the week, more than half the Democratic caucus could be on board.
President Trump’s decision to put away his racist dog whistle and bring out his racist bullhorn has just one plausible explanation: desperation.
Disregard, as usual, what Trump claims about his political standing and his prospects for winning a second term. He is acting as though he knows he is likely to lose the election, perhaps by a humiliating margin — and fears what will happen to him and his dodgy business empire once he’s out of office.
Hence Trump’s undisguised appeals to white racial resentment and anger: the vicious and absurd demand that four House members of color “go back” to other countries; the unprovoked and sustained Twitter screed against well-liked veteran Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) and, unbelievably, the entire city of Baltimore; the gratuitous and slanderous claim that the Rev. Al Sharpton “Hates Whites & Cops!” Nothing subtle in any of this.
It overly flatters Trump to fear he’s playing three-dimensional chess or employing some kind of exotic political jiujitsu. What we’re hearing in his harangues and reading in his tweets is naked fear. And he has reason to be very afraid.
Over the weekend and into the start of this week, the Liar/Racist/Sexual Assaulter-in-Chief has resorted to racist rhetoric and lies. He escalated his racist attacks on House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the city of Baltimore and Mr. Cummings’ district to include MSNBC host Reverend Al Sharpton. At the signing of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Act, Donnie lied about his role on that day and the clean-up. He was never at the downtown site.
Last night, the Chair of the Hose Judiciary Committee, where an impeachment inquiry must start, Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) spoke with Lawrence O’Donnell, host of “The Last Word.” Mr. Nadler talked about the latest developments on impeaching Donnie, defended Rep. Cummings and addresses Donnie’s latest 9/11 lies.
It’s like picking up The New York Times and finding it in a more “Gothic” font and titled “Der Stürmer”.
Is this ever Ok? Germans were ever so quick with “I learned it from watching you“.
The Rebellion Of Slavers (some persist in calling it a “civil” war) was lost and were it 1865 and I Emperor of the World I think Jeff Davis and Bobby Lee might have much shorter biographies ending with, “Died in Federal custody after a long imprisonment for Sedition and Treason.”
Y’all stop being racist and I’ll stop talking about it.
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungoverwe’ve been bailed outwe’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
Ex-Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa disappears; Medicare and Medicaid signed into law; A blast rocks Black Tom Island; The USS Indianapolis sunk; Henry Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger born.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
Most of the civilian casualties were apparently inflicted during Afghan and Nato operations against insurgents, such as airstrikes and night raids on militant hideouts. Insurgents often hide among civilians.
The report by the UN mission in Afghanistan said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan forces in the first six months of the year and another 314 by international forces, a total of 717. In the same period 531 were killed by the Taliban, an Islamic State affiliate and other militants.
NASA DISCOVERS PLANET UNLIKE ANY IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
New planet is part of ‘a true Disneyland’ for researchers looking for alien worlds, scientists say
The mysterious planets, part of the TOI-270 system, are “missing link” worlds and could be a huge gift to researchers looking for alien worlds, they said.
The three planets orbit a star that is only 73 light years away. It makes them among the closest exoplanets ever found, as well as being among the smallest.
They were discovered by researchers using Nasa’s Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which was shot into space in 2018 and has been scanning the universe for stars and planets that could support alien life.
Conflict over resources: 164 activists killed last year
Over 160 people were killed for trying to protect the environment in 2018, says NGO Global Witness. While the Philippines tops the list with 30 deaths, the number of killed activists nearly quintupled in Guatemala.
164 people lost their lives worldwide last year as a result of conflicts in the agricultural industry, timber industry and mining sector, a study conducted by the NGO Global Witness revealed on Tuesday.
It said that much of the persecution of environmental activists is being driven by demand for the land and raw materials needed for products we consume every day, including food, mobile phones and jewelry.
Accused 9/11 mastermind open to testimony against Saudi Arabia
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed open to testifying in victims’ lawsuit if US decides not to seek the death penalty against him.
Mohammed’s offer was disclosed late on Friday in a letter filed in the US District Court in Manhattan by lawyers representing individuals and businesses seeking billions of dollars in damages, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters news agency reported on Monday.
At least 57 dead in Brazil prison riot
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
JULY 29, 2019
At least 57 prisoners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organized crime groups at the Altamira prison in northern Brazil on Monday, according to prison officials.
Para state prison authorities said a fight erupted around 7 a.m., between the Rio de Janeiro-based Comando Vermelho and a local criminal group known as Comando Classe A.
“Leaders of the [Comando Classe A] set fire to a cell belonging to one of the prison’s pavilions, where members of the [Comando Vermelho] were located,” the statement read.
Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from> around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Pondering the Pundits”.
In today’s political climate, the question of whether or not to impeach the President of the United States is often thought of in political terms.
But there is a much deeper concern at the heart of the question.
An impeachment inquiry in the House is unlikely to send Trump packing before Election Day 2020 because Senate Republicans won’t convict him. And it’s impossible to know whether an impeachment inquiry will hurt or help Trump’s chances of being reelected.
Every child in America is supposed to learn about the Constitution’s basic principles of separation of powers, and checks and balances.
But these days, every child and every adult in America is learning from Donald Trump that these principles are bunk. [..]
Trump surely appears to be usurping the powers of the other branches. Under these circumstances, the Constitution mandates that the House undertake an impeachment inquiry and present evidence to the Senate.
This may not be the political thing to do. But in order to safeguard our democracy, it is the right thing to do.
Trump and his views are the real infestations in America.
It seems maddeningly repetitive to have to return time and again to the fact that Donald Trump is a racist, but it must be done. It must be done because it is a foundational character issue, one that supersedes and informs many others, in much the same way that his sexism and xenophobia does.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted that Representative Elijah Cummings’s district “is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” a “very dangerous & filthy place” and “No human being would want to live there.” Cummings is black, as are most people in his district.
This talk of infestation is telling, because he only seems to apply it to issues concerning black and brown people. He has sniped about the “Ebola infested areas of Africa.” He has called Congressman John Lewis’s Atlanta district “crime infested” as well as telling him to focus on “the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S.” He has called sanctuary cities a “crime infested & breeding concept.” He has talked about how “illegal immigrants” will “pour into and infest our Country.” He has called the presence of the MS-13 gang members “in certain parts of our country” an “infestation.”
None of this is about crime as a discrete phenomenon, but rather about inextricably linking criminality to blackness. White supremacy isn’t necessarily about rendering white people as superhuman; it is just as often about rendering nonwhite people as subhuman. Either way the hierarchy is established, with whiteness assuming the superior position.
