Open Thread for Saturday, October 1, 2016

Open Thread for Saturday, October 1, 2016

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Jason gets his wish. “As the last full month of this presidential contest begins, Hillary Clinton is shifting toward a pure base-turnout strategy, inching away from her all-out effort to lure disaffected Republicans in favor of a traditional get-Democrats-to-the-polls effort that mirrors Barack Obama’s 2012 game-plan,” Politico reports. “Gone are Clinton’s regular references to winning over moderate conservatives and her sly allusions to GOP leaders meant to give defecting Republicans a framework for abandoning their nominee. With 39 days to go, Brooklyn headquarters and battleground state operatives are activating the massive surrogate machinery, a heavy early voting push, and a large-scale registration offensive they think they need to secure a win in November.”

Kovach via Facebook, Nevermind

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I feel very strongly that people deserve the best leadership possible from their elected officials. Providing a choice in that leadership is crucial to having the best representation possible, which…
The Vance Phillips Civil Suit Comes to an End With No Justice for the Woman He Assaulted

The Vance Phillips Civil Suit Comes to an End With No Justice for the Woman He Assaulted

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It has been awhile since we heard anything about the lawsuit brought by Katelynn Dunlap against Vance Phillips seeking some accountability for raping her. We talked about this multiple times here at DL, but see here, here, here and here for a good recap.) Updating the story, Ms Dunlap has filed a stipulation of dismissal for the civil action filed against Phillips in Kent County court. This isn't quite the end of the story though. Ms. Dunlap took to the airwaves Wednesday to talk about this and released a statement about her decision to both the media and her Facebook page. This is what she published to Facebook:

Open Thread for Friday, September 30, 2016

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Steven Shepard at Politico explains Trump’s terrible week:
For many insiders, Clinton’s good week was driven more by Trump's demeanor and behavior in the days after the debate — which included re-litigating his 19-year-old comments about the then-Miss Universe’s weight gain —as what happened on the stage at Hofstra University. [...] “The debate helped to stop the hemorrhaging in the Clinton campaign's messaging and management when Trump went off-script and went back to the Trump of the primary debates,” said a Wisconsin Republican. “Clinton should send him a thank-you note.” [...] “Any inroads Trump had made with suburban women is now gone after that debate,” said an Ohio Republican. “Also, I have to imagine the African-American community is getting more energized after his birther answer.”

Trump was right to violate the US embargo of Cuba

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Henry David Thoreau wrote "Civil Disobedience" in response to his 1846 one night imprisonment for refusing to pay a poll tax that violated his conscience. "Civil Disobedience," became the blueprint for people like Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr and Donald Trump all of whom used principled, non-violence to battle injustice.
Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.
Thoreau's call to stand for what one thinks is right no doubt informed Trump's decision to break the immoral US embargo of Cuba in 1998.
Arson, Murder, Assault Charges for Resident of Wilmington Rowhome

Arson, Murder, Assault Charges for Resident of Wilmington Rowhome

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I'll let the Delaware Online story speak for itself, because I know what else to say. This is just so sad all the way around. I know I speak for the entire Delaware Liberal community when I say our condolences, thoughts, and prayers are with the families of Lt. Christopher Leach and Senior Firefighter Jerry Fickes, as our collective hope and encouragement for continued strength and recovery is with Ardythe Hope and Brad Speakman.