February 17, 2023
Afternoon Update:
Tara Copp & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "The U.S. has finished efforts to recover the remnants of the large balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, and analysis of the debris so far reinforces conclusions that it was a Chinese spy balloon, U.S. officials said Friday. Officials said the U.S. believes that Navy, Coast Guard and FBI personnel collected all of the balloon debris off the ocean floor, which included key equipment from the payload that could reveal what information it was able to monitor and collect. U.S. Northern Command said in a statement that the recovery operations ended Thursday and the final pieces are on their way to the FBI lab in Virginia for analysis. It said air and maritime restrictions off South Carolina have been lifted."
Meghann Myers of the Military Times: "The Defense Department dropped a trio of new policies Thursday aimed at closing some of the gaps that the overturn of Roe v. Wade opened up in service members' ability to access reproductive health care. They include fully paid travel expenses for troops who have to go out of state to obtain an abortion and up to three weeks of leave, including to accompany a dependent or spouse, whether it's for an abortion or a fertility treatment. The new regulations also give service members until 20 weeks to notify commanders of a pregnancy."
Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has amended his 12-point Rescue America plan to say that his proposal to sunset all federal legislation in five years does not apply to Social Security, Medicare or the U.S. Navy. After taking relentless fire from President Biden, Democrats and even fellow Republicans, Scott has amended Point Six of his plan, which includes the sunset proposal, to make 'specific exceptions of Social Security, Medicare, national security, veterans benefits, and other essential services.' 'Note to President Biden, Sen. Schumer and Sen. McConnell -- As you know, this was never intended to apply to Social Security, Medicare, or the U.S. Navy, Scott states in bolded language.... In an op-ed published Friday in The Washington Examiner, Scott said Democratic leaders and McConnell played 'gotcha politics' with his plan." ~~~
~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "As recently as this week, [Sen. Scott] defended the idea that all federal spending must be reconsidered in order to tackle the debt. The senator's retreat was the latest evidence that Republicans, who have long called for revisions to Medicare and Social Security to help rein in the nation's soaring debt, have fully backed off from such proposals -- at least for now -- taking them off the table in spending talks this year with the White House and congressional Democrats."
Education Is for Dummies. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "Ron DeSantis ... has been trying to position himself as America's leading crusader against wokeness. And lately higher education has become his most visible target.... Not that long ago most Americans in both parties believed that colleges had a positive effect on the United States. Since the rise of Trumpism, however, Republicans have turned very negative.... MAGA politicians began peddling scare stories about education.... And right-wingers also greatly expanded their definition of what counts as 'liberal propaganda.'... And so a large segment of the population -- the segment DeSantis is courting -- has become hostile to higher education as a whole.... For now, the important thing to understand is that people like DeSantis are attacking education, not because it teaches liberal propaganda, but because it fails to sustain the ignorance they want to preserve." Thanks to P.D. Pepe for the link.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Michael Grynbaum & John Koblin of the New York Times: "Don Lemon, the CNN morning-show anchor, faced an internal rebuke from the chairman of his own network on Friday after his on-air comments about women and aging set off an uproar inside the cable news channel. CNN's chairman, Chris Licht, opened his daily 9 a.m. editorial call by saying that the remarks by Mr. Lemon, which were widely viewed as sexist and insensitive, had left him 'disappointed.'... Mr. Lemon, a CNN veteran with a history of televised gaffes, roiled colleagues on Thursday when he asserted on-air that Nikki Haley, the 51-year-old Republican presidential candidate, 'isn't in her prime, sorry.... A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,' Mr. Lemon said, to the visible dismay of his 'CNN This Morning' co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. He refused to back down after Ms. Harlow questioned his remarks, telling her to 'look it up.' On Friday, a far more contrite-sounding Mr. Lemon addressed the matter in a six-minute monologue to the CNN newsroom. 'I am sorry,' Mr. Lemon said. 'I did not mean to hurt anyone. I did not mean to offend anyone.' He added that 'the people I'm closest to in this organization are women,' citing a list of female colleagues including the anchors Dana Bash and Erin Burnett." MB: Yeah, some of his best friends are women. And they are in their prime. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, in Canada, Apparently No Longer in Her Prime. Norimitsu Onishi of the New York Times: "A household name in Canada for decades, [Lisa] LaFlamme was unceremoniously dismissed last summer by CTV, the country's largest private television network, after what her employer described as a 'business decision' to take the program 'in a different direction.'... Her departure set off multifaceted debates across Canada, especially after The Globe and Mail newspaper reported it may have been linked to Ms. LaFlamme's hair -- which she had chosen to let go gray during the pandemic when hair salons and other businesses shut down. The network's owner, Bell Media, which denied that 'age, gender and gray hair' had been factors, named a 39-year-old male correspondent, Omar Sachedina, as her successor."
Tennessee. Jessica Jaglois & Joseph Goldstein of the New York Times: "The five former officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man pulled over for a traffic stop, pleaded not guilty on Friday to second-degree murder charges a month after police and traffic cameras captured the officers punching, kicking and striking Mr. Nichols with a baton. The five men -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith -- also face additional charges, including official misconduct, official oppression and kidnapping. They were formally arraigned on Friday in a brief court proceeding, less than a month after top police officials fired the officers."
~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden sought to calm the furor over Chinese aerial spying on Thursday, reassuring Americans that the latest objects shot down were not tied to Beijing and announcing that he planned to speak with President Xi Jinping to keep lines of communication open. In his first extended statement about the spate of floating craft above North America, Mr. Biden said the original Chinese spy balloon downed by an American missile on Feb. 4 represented a 'violation of our sovereignty' that was 'unacceptable.' But he said the three objects shot down since then were likely research balloons, not spy craft.... The uproar on Capitol Hill over the Chinese balloon and the three other objects in recent days has forced the White House to recalibrate its public message in response to both the domestic politics at home and the diplomatic challenge abroad." ~~~
~~~ Zeke Miller & Chris Megerian of the AP: "President Joe Biden said Thursday that the U.S. is developing 'sharper rules' to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects, following three weeks of high-stakes drama sparked by the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting much of the country. The president has directed national security adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an 'interagency team' to review U.S. procedures after the U.S. shot down the Chinese balloon, as well as three other objects that Biden said the U.S. now believes are most likely 'benign' objects launched by private companies or research institutions. While not expressing regret for downing the three still-unidentified objects, Biden said he hoped the new rules would help 'distinguish between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not.'" (Also linked yesterday.)
Michael Shear & Lawrence Altman of the New York Times: "President Biden is a 'healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old,' his doctor said Thursday following a physical exam conducted just weeks before the oldest president in American history is expected to say he is running for a second term. Kevin C. O'Connor, the president's longtime physician, said in a letter released by the White House that Mr. Biden's health has not changed much since his last physical about 15 months ago. He said Mr. Biden is 'fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief.'"
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, who was hospitalized last week after feeling lightheaded, checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday night to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said on Thursday.... [Mr. Fetterman's spokesman] said that after undergoing an evaluation on Monday by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician in Congress, Mr. Fetterman followed the recommendation for inpatient care at Walter Reed." An AP story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Stephanie Lai & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "A sweeping new entitlement program to provide medical care to millions of veterans who may have been exposed to trash burn pits on U.S. military bases around the world may increase federal spending on veterans by at least $400 billion and as much as $789 billion over a decade, according to the official budgetary scorekeepers in Congress. In an outlook on the nation's debt released on Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency, reported that deficits would increase by $1.5 trillion because of legislative changes made since May, attributing more than half of that sum to costs associated with veterans' benefits from the Honoring Our PACT Act." MB: Yeah, well, consider that a cost of our never-ending wars. And the cost to us ordinary taxpayers is nothing compared to the cost to those who got sick or died because of exposure to the burn pits.
CNN is live-updating developments in the Fulton County, Georgia, special grand jury looking into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The judge in the matter released a partial grand jury report late this morning:
"A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, has made public some parts of a report from a special grand jury that investigated Donald Trump's actions after the 2020 election in the state.... The special grand jury recommended that the Fulton County district attorney consider indicting some witnesses for perjury.... The special grand jury in Georgia that investigated Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election 'unanimously' concluded that there wasn't widespread voter fraud, rejecting Trump's conspiracy theories after hearing 'extensive testimony' from election officials, poll workers and other experts." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times liveblog is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The portions of the report that have been released are short. You can read them here, where they are attached as exhibits to the judge's order.
Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "Leaders in the far-right Proud Boys group, accused in federal court of plotting to use violence to keep Donald Trump in power, are asking the Justice Department to help them force the former president to testify. 'At all times relevant, Trump was president of the United States, and it's the government's obligation to produce him,' attorney Norm Pattis said in court Thursday. His client, Joseph Biggs, is one of five defendants accused of engaging in a seditious conspiracy to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Pattis did not explain what defendants hope to learn from Trump, only that he was joined in the subpoena effort by attorneys for co-defendant Dominic Pezzola. He said he needed help from the government to serve a subpoena on Trump because the U.S. Secret Service continues to protect the former president.... The subpoena effort is almost certain to fail." An NBC News story is here.
In Today's Tales from the Darkside. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "As Infowars founder Alex Jones is facing bankruptcy for damages he owes to the families of victims of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a new filing shows the right-wing conspiracy theorist has been 'holding firearms' for people who participated in events in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.... Jones's personal financial disclosures were shared in a bankruptcy filing on Tuesday that was obtained by The Washington Post. In the section of the bankruptcy statement that asks Jones to identify property he owns or controls for somebody else, he described the items he has in limited detail. 'Holding firearms for certain January 6th participants to be provided,' the entry says." MB: I should think the FBI would want to know a little more about this unusual arrangement.
Independent investigative journalist Murray Waas relates how, on January 20, 2021, on his last full day in office, Donald Trump declassified about a thousand pages of records related to the Russia investigation, and around that time shared about 30 pages of these documents with right-wing writer John Solomon, who wrote stories based on those pages. BUT on the morning of January 20, Mark Meadows wrote a memo saying the docs were not really declassified and the he "was 'returning the bulk of the ... documents to the Department of Justice' because of concerns by the department that their release would violate the Privacy Act." And it all gets murkier from there, as Solomon told Waas contradictory stories about who conveyed the documents to him. MB: I'd take all this with a grain of salt, since all of the principles in the story are liars. But -- if Waas' reporting is accurate -- this does show how Trump intended to use classified material to his advantage and to declassify what he thought would put his supposed enemies in a bad light. Moreover, if Trump's declassify-and-release stunt set the hair of even Mark Meadows on fire, it's obvious that Trump was cavalier with classified documents. And that was before he distributed them around his various homes and used one of them as a nightlight cover. Not that this surprises any of us.
** Jeremy Peters & Katie Robertson of the New York Times: "Newly disclosed messages and testimony from some of the biggest stars and most senior executives at Fox News revealed that they privately expressed disbelief about ... Donald J. Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, even though the network continued to promote many of those lies on the air. The hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, as well as others at the company, repeatedly insulted and mocked Trump advisers, including Sidney Powell and Rudolph W. Giuliani, in text messages with each other in the weeks after the election, according to a legal filing on Thursday by Dominion Voting Systems.... The messages also show that such doubts extended to the highest levels of the Fox Corporation, with Rupert Murdoch, its chairman, calling Mr. Trump's voter fraud claims 'really crazy stuff.'... Dominion is suing Fox for defamation in a case that poses considerable financial and reputational risk for the country's most-watched cable news network.... The brief shows that Fox News stars and executives were afraid of losing their audience, which started to defect to the conservative cable news alternatives Newsmax and OAN after Fox News called Arizona for Mr. Biden. And they seemed concerned with the impact that would have on the network's profitability.... The law shields journalists from liability if they report on false statements, but not if they promote them." ~~~
~~~ NPR's report, by David Folkenflik, is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Calling Jack Smith! Calling Jack Smith! Aren't the Fox people part of the vast right-wing conspiracy to overturn the government? They spread lies specifically to incite their dimwitted viewers, they hosted the liars & nodded along purposely not debunking the lies, they knew they were perpetrating a scam. If you're not going to charge them, Jack, at least call them in for questioning to ruffle their chicken feathers.
The Pandemic, Ctd. Akshay Syal of NBC News: "Immunity acquired from a Covid infection provides strong, lasting protection against the most severe outcomes of the illness, according to research published Thursday in The Lancet -- protection, experts say, that's on par with what's provided through two doses of an mRNA vaccine. Infection-acquired immunity cut the risk of hospitalization and death from a Covid reinfection by 88% for at least 10 months, the study found."
Beyond the Beltway
No More Bodice-Rippers! Hallie Lieberman of the Guardian: "A wave of proposed legislation pushed by Republicans across the US at the state level is aimed at outlawing aspects of sexuality that could have a huge impact on Americans' private lives and businesses. Opponents to the laws before legislatures in various states say the planned new legislation could spawn prosecution of breast-pump companies in Texas for nipples on advertising, or a bookstore might be banned from selling romance novels in West Virginia, or South Carolina could imprison standup comics if a risque joke is heard by a young person. The bills are part of a post-Roe nationwide strategy by the religious wing of the Republican party.... They range from banning all businesses that sell sex-related goods to anti-drag queen bills." MB: Yes, it would be horrifying if the kiddies found out that women -- like men -- have nipples and that women's nipples can perform a life-giving function.
Arizona. Jacques Billeaud of the AP: "An Arizona appeals court has rejected Republican Kari Lake's challenge of her defeat in the Arizona governor's race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, denying her request to throw out election results in the state's most populous county and hold the election again. In a ruling on Thursday, the Arizona Court of Appeals wrote Lake, who claimed problems with ballot printers at some polling places on Election Day were the result of intentional misconduct, presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote. The court said that even a witness called by Lake to testify had confirmed that ballots that couldn't initially be read at polling places could still ultimately have their vote counted."
Idaho. State Republicans Would Criminalize Giving Covid Vaccines. Alexandra Duggan of KTVB Boise: "Two Idaho lawmakers have introduced a bill to charge those who administer mRNA vaccines with a misdemeanor. Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, and Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, sponsored HB 154. It was introduced in the House Health & Welfare Committee on Feb. 15 by Nichols."
Louisiana. Remy Tumin of the New York Times: "A police officer in Shreveport, La., was arrested on Thursday and charged with negligent homicide in the Feb. 3 killing of an unarmed Black man, the Louisiana State Police said as it released body camera footage of the fatal encounter. Alonzo Bagley, 43, was killed at his apartment complex after officers responded to a report of domestic disturbance just before 11 p.m. According to the Louisiana State Police, Mr. Bagley jumped from a second-story balcony and ran after the police entered the apartment. They ran after him, and about a minute later, Officer Alexander Tyler, 23, who is white, shot Mr. Bagley in the chest. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital."
Ohio. Scott Dance, et al., of the Washington Post: "Nearly two weeks after a massive train derailment and fire unleashed a glut of toxic chemicals on [East Palestine, Ohio]..., the nation's top environmental regulator on Thursday told unnerved, exasperated residents that the Biden administration will make sure the disaster gets cleaned up -- and that those responsible for it are held accountable. 'This incident has understandably shaken this community to its core,' Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said in an afternoon news conference here, acknowledging the lack of trust many residents have expressed about the response to the Feb. 3 disaster.... The Ohio derailment has raised questions about the federal government's oversight of hazardous material shipments, and created a massive political headache for the Biden administration. Elected leaders in both parties have said the White House should have acted more swiftly to the rail disaster.... White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that ... representatives from multiple federal agencies have been on the ground in East Palestine, some since Feb. 4, helping state and local officials respond to the catastrophe."
Tennessee. Santos 2.0. Another GOP Congressman with a Fake Résumé. Phil Williams of WTVF Nashville: "If you believe Middle Tennessee's newest congressman, he's not only a businessman, he's also an economist, a nationally recognized expert in tax policy and health care, a trained police officer, even an expert in international sex crimes. But an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered that Andy Ogles' personal life story is filled with exaggerations.... There's little evidence that Ogles ever received any formal training in economics [or that he was an expert on tax policy and health care]." As for his claimed career as a law enforcement officer specializing in human trafficking, "Ogles was sworn in as a volunteer reserve deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office in July 2009.... He lost that position two years later for not meeting minimum standards, making no progress in field training and failure to attend required meetings." There's no record of his having done any work related to international human trafficking." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I'm wondering if the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee conducts seminars in the basement of the Capitol, teaching ne'er-do-wells how to fake their CVs.
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al. The Washington Post's live briefing of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine is here: "Political, intelligence and defense leaders from across the world gathered in Germany for the start of the annual Munich Security Conference, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that a long-anticipated Russian offensive had already begun. Both Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are attending the meeting, with Harris set to co[n]vey the United States' continuing commitment to Kyiv. On the ground in Ukraine, heavy fighting continues in Bakhmut, the eastern city that military experts say has become a symbolic rather than strategic target. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked mercenary organization, told state media that Russia would not encircle the battered city until March or April.... Russian shelling in Bakhmut killed five civilians, injured nine and destroyed many residential buildings on Thursday, the office of Ukraine's prosecutor general said....
"Russian spy agencies have experienced greater damage after a year of war in Ukraine than they have since the end of the Cold War, The Post reports. The campaign to catch Russian spies appears to have caught Moscow off guard, blunting their ability to carry out espionage operations. The United States and its partners in the Group of Seven are planning to hit Russia with major new sanctions coinciding with the war's first anniversary on Feb. 24, a senior U.S. official said Thursday, according to AFP."
~~~ The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. The Guardian's summary report is here.
Australia. Frances Vinall of the Washington Post: "Indigenous Australians will launch a campaign Saturday to change the constitution and ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' views are better represented in Parliament, part of a years-long effort to ensure they are consulted on major policy initiatives. The effort to have the Voice to Parliament enshrined in the country's founding document is a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity,' Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said last month. The Voice, as it is shortened Down Under, would give First Nations people a right to express their views on policy through representatives elected by their communities. Lawmakers would not be bound to follow the body's advice but they would be required, at least, to listen."
News Lede
Mississippi. New York Times: "A 52-year-old man armed with three guns went on a shooting rampage in a rural Mississippi county on Friday, killing six people, including his ex-wife, and shocking a community that had not seen such mass violence in more than two decades, the authorities said. The man, Richard Dale Crum, of Arkabutla, Miss., who was in custody by Friday afternoon, began his killing spree around 11 a.m. when he drove to a convenience store in his hometown, which has about 290 residents, and fatally shot a man who appeared to have no connection to him, said Brad Lance, the Tate County sheriff.... By early afternoon, deputies in Arkabutla, an unincorporated community about 45 miles south of Memphis, realized they were dealing with multiple killings, several crime scenes and questions about what had possibly driven a local resident to fatally shoot six people, including some he apparently didn't know."
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Reader Comments (14)
Something to remember when the GOP are blaming Biden's DOT
for the Ohio train derailment:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217651383
Fortune Magazine, Sept 24, 2018: An Obama rule to require new
brakes to reduce the risk of oil train derailments, causing explosions
and spilling gas, was reversed by Trump. (Seems the trumps are
always in reverse).
Pulls a Barr; Doesn’t clear the Bar
And it most definitely doesn’t mean passing the bar either…
To whom do I refer? The most ignorant FG in our history (well, at least the most conniving and scurrilous): Fatty Trumpy!
So we all read something of what that grand jury in Georgia has been working on via a small portion of information allowed by the judge to be released to the public. What we know, so far, is that perjury has been committed and an indictment for that crime, at least, is imminent. It also says that Trump’s Big Lie was/is a big lie. Big surprise.
That’s all we know for now.
But! Magically reading between the lines, as is his wont, here’s what Fatty read:
Total exoneration!! Hoooray!! I’m innocent of everything!!
Here is his majesty on Liar’s Social:
“Thank you to the Special Grand Jury in the Great State of Georgia for your Patriotism & Courage. Total exoneration. The USA is very proud of you!!!
The long-awaited important sections of the Georgia report, which do not even mention President Trump’s name, have nothing to do with the President because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong. The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do – in fact, as President, it was President Trump’s Constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity….”
Sooooo….a retread of Bill (Dis)Barr’s willful misinterpretation of the Mueller Report, wherein (Dis)Barr claimed there was nothing there. Of course, that was a lie (as was HIS wont). There was plenty there, albeit in overly cautious, fustian formulations (as was Mueller’s wont). What the report DID say was “If motherfuckers didn’t lie to us, there’d definitely be some jail doors banging.”
Trump is pulling the same tired gag, clearing himself of all wrongdoing, which of course doesn’t come close to clearing the bar, the bar of truth, that is. Nothing released yesterday says anything about further indictments, never mind who may or may not be exonerated.
And while we’re at it, it is not the president’s “constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity dot, dot, dot, dot.”
The Constitution, in fact, says nothing specific about election security at all, never mind picking the president as the guy best suited for the task. And if the authors of that document had known Trump, they sure as shit wouldn’t have selected that fucking traitor as Secure Elections Man.
But as anyone who has ever watched one of those old “Columbo” shows knows, just when the scheming, evil rich guy thinks he’s pulled one over on the frumpy detective and gotten away with murder, Columbo comes out with “Oh, just one more question…” and BANG goes the cell door.
Can’t wait for Fani (Columbo) Willis’ “Just one more question” line.
Forrest,
Like that old joke about “How many gears do (pick your nationality)’s tanks have?”
“Six. All reverse.”
Here's a description of the ECP train-braking system that was rolled back by TFG.
Dumbing Down:
Paul Krugman takes on the right's fingers in the pie of education:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/opinion/education-desantis.html
"For now, the important thing to understand, is that people like DeSantis are attacking education not because it teaches liberal propaganda, but because it fails to sustain the ignorance they want to preserve."
@Forrest Morris & @unwashed: Thanks for the info on the train brakes. It's fairly amazing how many times Republicans scream "It's all (name your Democrat)'s fault!" when it turns out that Trump or Congressional Republicans were partially or fully responsible for the problem.
P. D.
In response to one Gregory's mild complaint that schools don't adequately present conservative viewpoints except as caricatures, that they are overly progressive top to bottom, I said this:
"@Gregory
Fill me in, please.
What is a "conservative viewpoint?" What in it qualifies as good education?
If it's the values of hard work, open-mindedness, wide-ranging curiosity, and respect for empirical fact, I'm all for it.
If it's a list of what I don't want either myself or my children to know, I'm not.
And if it's deliberately sectarian, a matter of faith or belief, it's not conservative or progressive, it's just wrong."
Ken: *I love the way you deal with those "One Gregories'––do you ever get a response?
P. D.
Not often, but then I'm not that frequent a commenter to the Times or Post columns (two or three times a week), but when I do, I seldom respond to commenters who took me to task... have found it's not usually worth the effort.
After all, like most of what appears here, what I've said is inarguable.
@Ken Winkes: Uh, aren't "hard work, open-mindedness, wide-ranging curiosity, and respect for empirical fact" all liberal values? Which gets us back to your fundamental question: what are "conservative values?"
Whatever they are, they are not being expressed in today's American political landscape the way David Brooks would describe them. For instance, he might say that any change should be tied to a specifically-identified shortcoming and should be incremental? Well, how the hell does overturned Roe v. Wade, for instance, work into that philosophy? Brooks might argue for decorous discussion of the issues; ask Miss Margie & Gym Jordan about that.
I guess conservative values include limited government and encouragement of capitalism, but that has never, ever worked well in any Western society at any time, because it gives all the advantages to the wealthy and the greedy, leaving the rest of society poor and oppressed. It's really a Dickensian "vision" & not one in which Scrooge suddenly sees the light.
@Ken Winkes: Yeah, I'm always right, too.
@Marie
I'd add racism and Christian Nationalism to today's conservative mix.
Altogether, the problem for today's conservatives is that because what they stand for is either unpopular, wrong-headed or outright looney they hesitate to name their "principles" in anything but vague terms, like the "country is headed in the wrong direction," which translates to "I just don't like it."
Whether God is on their side or not, their funders do have plenty of money, though.
That hasn't changed.
Am beginning to think the "vetting process" for winger candidates is a bit...just a bit...sketchy. It has brought us total lie-athon people like Santos, or whatever his current name is, and now, in Tennessee, a schmuck who just picks his "expertise" listing out of a list of occupations and hands it to the idiots in charge. I suspect the only question asked of these morons is: Did you vote for His Highness the Gargoyle of Orange? and with that affirmative, they're in.
In our county, we are "run" by three commissioners. By some sort of directive long in place, two out of the three must be repugnican. Our two right now are useless-to-reactionary creeps. One of 'em's wife is running for office also. The lone Dem on the commission has no power, of course. He (most likely) is a lone "liberal" voice. Our long-time guy recently quit-- probably because work was a hostile environment and why do it? so we got a new guy after lots of auditions. He was filling in as a temp. Now people are auditioning again. Notably, we can't have a public health department becuz $. So they say. But they just hired themselves a "communications" person. Had enough money to do that. Didn't advertise the "vacancy." Guess which political party this guy recently headed in the county. Yup... They simply can't help themselves. Corruption is all they have.
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