Open Thread For June 3, 2017
Prisons Report Consigned to the Friday News Dump. Bottom line: Yeah, the prisons suck, we know why, but we’ve got that $400 K deficit. You can go back to sleep now, John. I smell lawsuits. But, John, you might want to look at the recommendations from 2005 that were never implemented. That was during your watch, John. Oh, well, they’ll probably turn up again in the 2029 report.
Torture Report To Be Buried Forever?: Looks that way. Looks like Richard Burr (he’s not all that) is leading the way along with, of course, the Trump Administration.
Why We Need Sanctuary Cities: And why the courts may be our last hope. What one asshole is doing in Texas, and why he may have screwed up.
Kellyanne Conway’s Unattractive Husband Declines Trump Job Offer. (You see what I did there? Gotta be good for a couple hundred extra page views…) Head of the Civil Division. Says now is not the right time.
Looks Like British PM May’s Early Election Gambit May Be Faltering. If so, it will make her Brexit exit negotiations more difficult.
It is nice to see the UK vote shaping up as a referendum on raising taxes on the very high income leeches:
Maybe it will give our Dems some spine?
Misogyny alert: Am I the only one who has never found Kathy Griffin funny? OK, she was funny in that one Seinfeld episode, but other than that she’s just catty and mean. Comedy without wit.
For the record, I do find Bill Maher funny sometimes, but he’s got his head up his ass on a large number of topics and I don’t watch his show because it’s a bore.
Bill Maher is very funny and smart. Calls out the hypocrisy on both sides.
Cathy Griffin tries to just be shocking and gossipy. Not really talented.
Hypocrisy is the easiest thing in the world to spot. Most people only have to look in a mirror.
“Hypocrisy is the easiest thing in the world to spot. Most people only have to look in a mirror.”
Truer words…
” Am I the only one who has never found Kathy Griffin funny? OK, she was funny in that one Seinfeld episode”
Nope. I am another. Not even in that Seinfield episode. It actually made me cringe. I also never got the rationale for teaming Cooper and Griffin up on New Years – which I would not watch just because of her.
@alby, FWIF, I don’t think you’re a misogynist because you don’t care for Kathy Griffin’s persona or “comedy.” I didn’t like her on the Seinfeld episode–indeed, cringeworthy– and she doesn’t make me laugh. Agree w/Chris that shocking and gossipy schtick doesn’t appeal. OTOH, I didn’t find her decapitated Trump head all that shocking and I appreciate that she has the freedom to show it. Also appreciate that her employer has the freedom to fire her.
I genuinely wish I knew what was the trigger that motivated the Speaker and the Majority Leader to rush to Dover, the sound of pounding hooves in the air, sweaty animals left and the tapping sounds of leather clad feet pounding up the steps of Legislative Hall to announce, “stop doing your job!” to the surprised and startled members of the JFC.
I’ve never seen anything like it, Paul.
The answer is simple, I think. Fear of voters. It’s the only thing that ultimately motivates them.
As you probably know, but maybe some don’t, JFC doesn’t have the authority to raise revenue. Their job is to follow the money and put together a balanced budget. So, based on what that deficit number is currently projected to be, and even taking into consideration the corporation tax hikes, all they could do was cutcutcut.
Since Carney and the legislative leadership afforded little or no real leadership on generating revenue, this result was predictable. Now, I have little doubt that members of JFC were telling their colleagues just how stark the negative response was. What’s a little surprising is the fact that the leadership was so clueless. A little surprising, not a whole lot surprising.
Amateur Hour.
RE: Kathy Griffin, my wife and I talked about this the other day. She said that she couldn’t condone people hanging effigies of Obama from trees, and so couldn’t condone Griffin’s stunt either.
I thought it was tasteless, pointless, and purile. I’ve never heard of this person before and don’t have any burning desire to hear of her again.