Category: politics Page 2 of 3

even apart from Mueller, Cohen, Stormy, etc., look what these sons of bitches are doing. “The new interpretation reverses decades of action by Republican & Democratic administrations to protect the animals as they navigate the globe… Oil companies are the greatest beneficiaries”

“Cruz continued work with Cambridge Analytica for months after allegations surfaced that the Facebook data had been received illicitly. Recent revelations show the data harvesting was far more extensive… among the biggest privacy breaches in history.”

“there is no Collusion with an ancient Lovecraftian horror that thrives on psychic discord! Or Russia.”

Atlantic City came up in iTunes shuffle today, reminding of this absolute masterpiece (best enjoyed while listening along; also, if the images seem like ancient history, note they’re from just 3 months ago) ?

this – about clapping (!) – is off the charts for both stupidity and repugnance. “Un-American. Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah, I guess, why not? Can we call that treason? Why not? I mean they certainly didn’t seem to love our country very much.”

The Guardian fact-checks last night’s speech. “The president’s claims linking immigrants to violent crime are baseless.”

from one year ago today: Unhappy Inauguration Day. no surprise, it’s hard to maintain the energy from that time. but resistance, Indivisible in particular, is going strong and still needs every voice

“Today is the day many American politicians pretend to care about the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, one of the wisest souls who attempted to save this sorry nation. Don’t fall for their scams.”

Could Texas turn blue in 2018? “stranger things have happened. In 1995, Donald Trump was a spokesman for Pizza Hut’s stuffed crust pizza. Today he has access to America’s nuclear arsenal”

love a good rant-review, like this Esquire coverage of a Roy Moore rally: “It was a naked appeal to unreason. It was the Rose Parade of empowered ignorance. It was the Royal Wedding of Stupid and Mean” come on, Alabama, you can do it. elect the good one

problematic monument handled cleverly in small Italian town: “A sign of its success is that it almost completely failed to generate controversy, either nationally or locally.”

feckless liar @tedcruz on unconfirmed cause of Border Patrol death: “a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that an unsecure border poses to the safety of our communities”, vs. on gun control after Sutherland Springs: “We don’t need politics right now”

Fallows: “Before any news org tells her to pipe down… I’d like to see them be as honest about their responsibility”

Biafra: “going to a Trumpist rally with the express purpose of beating up fascists – what does that accomplish?”

Klein: “there is a moral imperative for informed, caring people to name the real root causes behind this crisis”

speak now or very slowly upload your piece. “The FCC closes its comment process at midnight eastern time Wednesday”

.@tedcruz: hypocrite & feckless liar ‘it is wildly incorrect to claim the bill was “filled with unrelated pork”’

ferocious. Tina Fey on this week’s Weekend Update, “sheetcaking is a grassroots movement, Colin”

versions of this story have been going around, for good reason. THIS is how we fight them, not with fists & clubs

Taibbi: “An alien crashed on earth & given a 2-minute tutorial on dealing w/reporters would have done a better job”

Gessen: “queer rights are anything but a distraction: they are… the frontier in the global turn toward autocracy”

“the program provides every eligible Seattle resident w/$100 in taxpayer-funded vouchers to donate to candidates” http://bit.ly/2szGIV6

just found out our recent move changed our U.S. Rep! instead of far east Houston, now we’re far south Waco #gerrymanderingsucks

“Using gov’t data, doctors & academics conclude a lack of healthcare coverage increases the probability of death” http://bit.ly/2u1Tmws

Gin & Tacos: “Like any election the media are desperate to have these races Mean Something. In reality they do not” http://bit.ly/2sQRgCo

New Republic: “the process points to a belief that sunshine would kill any bill that reflects GOP priorities” http://bit.ly/2st2RoQ

“treading on lawsuits the way a lumberjack of old walked across logs floating to the mill” http://bit.ly/2qxLSAk savage & fantastic

his lies, laziness, & intellectual thefts aren’t surprising, and some are more trivial, but they’re still not okay http://nyti.ms/2qtslAN

“don’t forget their favorite snacks, naptime is crucial, lots of picture books!” – traveling with toddlers or Trump http://bit.ly/2rD2ZR5

On Destroying Language

Masha Gessen, on The Autocrat’s Language:

[We] have to become guardians of our language. We have to keep it alive and working. That means being very intentional about using words. That means, for example, calling lies, “lies.” I am talking to you, National Public Radio, home to the word “misstatement,” among others. The NPR argument is that the definition of “lie” involves intent—a lie is a statement made with the intention to deceive—and NPR does not have conclusive information on Trump’s intent. The problem is, the euphemism “misstatement” clearly connotes a lack of intent—as though Trump simply took an accidental wrong step. But words exist in time: the word “misstatement” suggests a singular occurrence, thereby eliding Trump’s history of lying. The word “misstatement,” as applied to Trump, is, actually, a lie—as it is the lie that there are neutral words.

Using words to lie destroys language. Using words to cover up lies, however subtly, destroys language. Validating incomprehensible drivel with polite reaction also destroys language. This isn’t merely a question of the prestige of the writing art or the credibility of the journalistic trade: it is about the basic survival of the public sphere.

if you gave > 0.05% of a shit about the security of Clinton’s email server, plz come get your torch & pitchfork now http://wapo.st/2qlg43F

this ? man ? is ? unfit ? to ? be ? President http://politi.co/2qjFIWH

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