Open Thread Nov. 20: Manson, Moore and Trump; UPDATE: Franken Groped Another One
There is literally NO NEWS today worth talking about, unless you consider the death of an 83-year-old boogieman notable. Yes, Charles Mason, the nutcase “hippie” whose murderous mutterings caused the deaths of seven people and gave Middle America the weapon it needed to demonize the hippies, died in prison. Also, the sun rose today toward the East, and water remains wet, yet I see no retrospectives on that.
Roy Moore’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the company that publishes Alabama’s three largest newspapers. Unlike, say, The News Journal, the publisher said “Bring it on.”
In addition to refusing to comply with Moore’s demand that AMG stop publishing stories about him, the company said they’d be happy to litigate the matter with Moore in a court of law and urged his operation to preserve all “materials, documents, writings, recordings, statements, notes, letters, journals, diaries, calendars, emails, videos, computers, cell phones, electronic data, and other information.” Court proceedings, AMG’s letter warned Moore’s legal team, would “also reveal other important information about” Moore and his campaign.
I include this mainly for the dimwits who run the News Journal, who still cower in fear at the mere mention of a lawsuit.
Bald person Donald Trump just can’t stand black people who dare to think and say things of which he doesn’t approve. The newest examples are his Twitter spat with La Var Ball, the father of one of the UCLA basketball players who were charged with shoplifting on the team’s trip to China. Trump claims his intervention was crucial to obtaining their release, which naturally many dispute. Then the NFL played a game yesterday in Mexico City, and Marshawn Lynch of the Raiders knelt for the US national anthem and then stood for the Mexican anthem, a challenge Trump couldn’t resist tweeting about. This barely-disguised racism didn’t escape the notice of Salon’s Chauncey De Vega, who draws the obvious conclusions.
More evidence that Delaware’s Republicans are fully committed to making a political issue of protecting transgender students from harassment: A letter signed by 14 GOP House members. This, folks, is how they distract us. Instead of focusing on the state’s economy, we’ll now spend six months arguing over how schools should treat the small percentage of students who would be affected by this.
If you see any news break out, by all means add it below.
UPDATE: A second woman has come forward to say Al Franken grabbed her buttock during a photo in 2010 (the GHWB move). Now it’s a matter of whether he can hang on through the holidays.
Also, an interesting story from Greg Palast on last week’s Keystone pipeline leak: In theory, leaks that big should never occur because there’s a sensor that’s supposed to signal when it finds small leaks or weak spots. Palast explains why it doesn’t work as it’s supposed to. Spoiler alert: It’s not the technology that’s flawed.
De Vega’s summary is apt. Black athletes (and other performers) achieve the status of honorary whites among conservatives for as long as they give up any voice in politics.
Nice example of an SJW wielding victimization as a weapon here:
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/celebrities/zinzi-clemmons-lena-dunham-lenny-letter-hipster-racism-20171120.html
It’s not ever her victimization, it’s guilt by association. This young woman who grew up in Swarthmore also makes sure to appropriate the suffering of Nigerian women as her own (read the text at the link) in slagging Dunham for speaking out in defense of a male friend accused of sexual assault.
Down this path lies madness.
I fear that a truly important cultural watershed is devolving into a moral panic.
It’s not a moral panic. It’s self-righteousness and opportunism masquerading as a moral panic, fed by the media, which wins eyeballs by encouraging emotionally pitched battles.
Nobody gets emotional enough about the tax bill for it to get any traction. Or Puerto Rico. Or anything, as long as there’s a story with a whiff of sex to it.
I don’t disagree. I think every moral panic is motived by something ulterior.
Distract and conquer.
Al Franken….this stuff is usually not an isolated incident. If there are multiple female victims here, then he needs to think long and hard about his future in public service..
Agreed. He appears to be a serial ass grabber, like George Bush Sr. — who, it should be noted, managed to serve the nation in a wide variety of capacities despite this apparent moral failing. This is the logical ad absurdum of making the opposition to Roy Moore about his personal behavior rather than his policies and professional behavior.
We should focus on things like the tax bill and the threat to Medicare. I consider those higher priorities, and I’m not going to apologize to anyone for saying so.
Agreed…Tax bill is a huge deal that is being overlooked and neglected by the media.. They prefer sex drugs and rock and roll issues, not serious policy or finance.
@Alby. First of all and I think you might agree. 2 too many sentences to CM, he is not even worth it, wacko (him not you).
You mention the local rag that, had nothing better to do than run their report of the Capano case and had to show the dress and cooler picture, pretty low class.IMHO.
AND, then there is AL Fraken………..He’ll be doing stand up starting next week.
Besides we all know when these rich people and corporations get a fat tax cut, they will immediately give everyone raises, create new living wage jobs and close the child labor factories in China. They would never give the CEO a bigger bonus and the rest to stock holders would they lol?
And now with accusations against Charlie Rose, I think it’s time for all males who are in a position of power to resign, lest we be subjected to a long drawn out domino effect. In fact, since it is just a matter of time, before a woman of power is found to have acted in such a manner, we probably should include them as well.
I’m happy that women (and men) are speaking up. What I dislike is a new report every day. The public will lose interest. You know how short the attention span is. Salacious or not, if everyone is doing it, the public becomes bored.
@ Mouse. Do you know the number of people who sit across from their accountant, at tax time and say; “what way can I give the government more money”? I know and agree there are CEO’s that make a ton of money and it’s crazy. But, if you were the CEO, would you turn the money down, just curious?
It’s basically the same argument that claims someone could write an extra check to the Treasury Dept. It’s totally irrelevant & simple-minded. It’s the idea of 5th grade gamer. ‘I mean… Would you turn down that cash, bro?’
It’s not about turning the money down. It’s about lying & buying off politicians to get tax cuts to take even more. To write off private jets & private school tuition. Accumulation at your expense. They say it right out in the open.
Look at the room full of CEOs who, on camera & in front of Gary Cohn & the WSJ editorial board, admitted the money is getting stolen.
Reagan’s man Bartlett admits his mistake. Look it up. After the Ronnie tax cut wages plummeted for a decade.
Take that weak shit elsewhere. Sell it south, to the rubes.
You’ve lost the plot, my man. Like the turd in Sussex Co. masturbating to “Right to Work”. They can’t stop until they take it all.