Thursday, September 5, 2019

The American Dream must be saved #2


September 5, 2019: THURSDAY'S NASTY JACK BUZZ BYTES

The Dreamers dream on...  

Earlier this morning it was all about the migrant dreamers who have become seriously discouraged with the American dream as it is interpreted by Donald Trump. The Oval Office lunatic has all but eliminated this foundation of U.S. democracy and replaced it with a tyrannical government that abhors anything that doesn't look like, well...Donald Trump. Actually T-rump is an ugly, repugnant site that most American would like to be rid of....in 2020.

Tawheeda Wahabzada, whose Afghan parents had earlier sought refuge in Canada but then came to the U.S., has all but given up hope for citizenship any time soon with Donald Trump running the show, and is considering self-deporting back to Canada. It isn't just Trump that is to blame...
"Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would rather have the issue of unauthorized migration with us forever, because if they were sincere about solving the problem how would they leverage vulnerable constituencies for votes?"
The Pelosi/Schumer attitude could easily be one reason that Hispanics have lost confidence in Democrats and also part of the logic why they don't come out to vote. On the other hand, "Wahabzada holds a master’s degree in global policy studies from the Lyndon B. Johnson school at the University of Texas in Austin," and could make a major contribution to this country. There are hundreds more out there like Wahabzada that work hard and...pay their taxes.

On another front, "Many [migrant] mothers detained in border stations this summer reported the health of their children worsened while in custody, recounting bouts of fever, diarrhea and respiratory illness they say were not properly treated." A flow of migrants entering the country has sent services spiraling down to the point where it has become seriously dangerous, especially for children, some of whom have died.

Border Protection officials have not explained exactly what's going on, no doubt due to the waffling policies of the Trump administration, and the fact that so many top GOP members have visited the facilities reporting there is nothing wrong. There was one case where these people were not being provided soap or tooth brushes, and, much worse...
"according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there have been 921 new cases of mumps in less than a year, in or around immigration facilities."
The Squad...

Measles cases have also been noted. But, the question is what can the Wahabzadas of this country look forward to when it comes to freeing themselves from the shadow of a brutal autocratic government that could care less about these people. A new administration? As long as the likes of the conservative has their way, nothing will change. The light at the end of the tunnel is shining on the "Squad," Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley,  and Rashida Tlaib.

They are loose canons at times, but, wasn't the Revolutionary War started and finished by loose canons?

The American Dream must be saved?


September 5, 2019: THURSDAY NEWS BYTES

Have we lost the American dream? Some think so...  

Tawheeda Wahabzada
"Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," written by Poet Emma Lazarus and emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, meant to welcome immigrants from all around the world has now fallen on deaf ears. The ears are those of Republicans, starting at the top with Donald Trump and working its way down to the minions of the party. We scoff at the baby boomer generation's me, me, me. Republicans are focused only on themselves.
"It is a truism that whatever starts off hurting immigrants eventually harms us all. On the other hand, if something benefits immigrants that too ends up helping all of us."
There's more...
"When xenophobia hits a nation, this basic principle is forgotten, as a false us-versus-them dichotomy takes hold. A disturbing aspect of American exceptionalism is that this dichotomy keeps being presented as something virtuous; the veneer of exceptionalism blinds us to our common interest and is now breeding the intense storm of resentment that is ostensibly targeted toward immigrants but is actually a reflection of deep self-hatred."
WOW! That explanation would certainly account for the way Donald Trump demeans so many others when in fact it is not them, but himself that he really detests. Also true for other xenophobics and racists; there's just something terribly wrong with them and they refuse to face up to it. And these lowlifes have made it so bad for some, like Tawheeda Wahabzada, here from Afghanistan, that she is considering self-deporting back to Canada, the country of her birth.

Who are the dreamers?...


Wahabzada, 29, says...
"I speak as someone who believes in completely open borders, to a degree far greater than any of the current Democratic Party contenders, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro or Beto O’Rourke, are willing to concede."
She feels that comprehensive immigration reform is an excuse to negotiate the rights of Hispanics down for a "bargain which takes away a lot of migrant rights in return for much fewer concessions." We're between a rock and a hard place here since we can't just throw the gates to our borders open without some control that legally qualifies those entering. At the same time, there must be laws passed to grant immigrants citizenship just like those who came through Ellis Island.

More, later this morning.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Racism incidents accelerating: REPORT


September 4, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

This sign says it all
Latest wrap up on racist incidents  

There have been 7 more racism incident in less than two weeks after my last report on August 23rd. That's close to one a day, and I am sure my research does not reveal the full extent of this problem. What the hell is wrong with these people? They must have little or no self-esteem, certainly a double-digit IQ, and are extremely insecure. Probably don't really like themselves, and rightfully so since they must be the dregs of humanity. Hard not to rant on but here are the events.

"Texas governor busted sending racist call-to-arms a day before El Paso attack." AFTER: "Promised to work to reduce violence in his state, in the wake of the shooting in El Paso that left 22 dead and dozens more injured." BEFORE: "Sent out a letter peppered with racist attacks on Hispanic immigrants — and a menacing, violent suggestion that Texans “take matters into our own hands.” Just how pathetic can these Republicans get?

"A white Florida man cited ‘stand your ground’ for shooting a black man. A jury found him guilty." Didn't work this time - Take that Marion Hammer and your NRA. Michael Drejka, 49, was convicted of manslaughter based on his shooting of Markeis McGlockton, after McGlockton pushed Drejka. Jury decided McGlockton's action did not justify his death. Watch it on the video.

Stephen Colbert on Trump racism and The Squad...


"‘Go back to China’: Racist white woman goes berserk after she allegedly hits ‘chinky’ Asian woman’s car." A racist white woman who was identified as Carla Waldman tells woman to go back to China for parking next to her when it was Waldman's car that was parked incorrectly. Looks like a double-digit IQ case for sure. And this was in Canada.

"Racist woman gets probation for insane and relentless campaign of harassment against neighbors." This has been going on for years. Roberta Madison finally admitted to one count of violating a harassment restraining order and was sentenced to one year of probation. "Neighbors have complained for years that Madison has subjected them to various and bizarre forms of harassment."

MSNBC does Donald Trump racism...


"‘I can’t breathe’: Officers caught on video applying chokehold to black man while they Taser him." There has to be a better way of taking a suspect down and the police had better find it fast. This has become much too common, especially with blacks. This happened in DeKalb County, Illinois where police officers were caught on camera using a Taser to shock a black man before putting him in what appeared to be a choke hold.

And, finally, this one takes the cake. "American Airlines booted allergic black man from plane so dog could fly first class: lawsuit." This reminds me of signs in yards in Norfolk, VA, during the Korean War: Sailors and dogs, keep off the grass. The black man was complaining he was allergic to the dog sitting close by, and it was a support dog. You decide.

Once again you are updated on the rampant racism going on in our country, but just hang around, there will be plenty more.

My last two posts on racism:
Racism at its worst in the U.S.today documented
Wrapping up the worst of.racism documented

Top Republican says Trump everything but electable


September 4, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump completely unqualified for his office 

And that's an exaggeration
“He’s unqualified, he is unfit, he’s a child, he’s reckless, he’s erratic, he’s a narcissist, he’s mean, he’s cruel and he lies every time he opens his mouth.” That was a Republican talking about Donald Trump, not a Democrat. It was former Rep. Joe Walsh from Illinois, and the above tirade was followed by Walsh's assessment that the "GOP is in big trouble." There's more in this article reported by RawStory...
“If he’s our nominee in 2020, the Republican Party is going to get spanked because young people don’t like Trump, women don’t like Trump and people who live in the suburbs don’t like Trump,” Walsh explained. “I heard you earlier, Joe, the Republican Party right now is at a real crossroads and because of Trump they’re in trouble.”
You have to understand here that Joe Walsh is challenging Donald Trump in the Republican Primary. Then MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked former RNC head Michael Steele...
“You have run the Republican Party before and it’s looking like another political tsunami is coming the Republican Party’s way if Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket,” he prompted.
“Yeah, it will be very hard for the president to sustain the races beneath the presidential campaign,” Steele conceded.
Joe Walsh challenging Trump in 2020 Republican Primary...


Vanity Fair says...
"his [Donald Trump's] first victory was a miracle. A second, after four years of embarrassments and betrayals in office, might take an act of God."
There's more and it's classic...
The best you can say for Trump is that he became less scary to a lot more people, and the devil you know is always preferable to some.
The magazine continues with its assessment of Donald Trump on everything from gun violence to trade tariffs, and most of it isn't complimentary, but it's definitely worth reading.  Salon/AlterNet reports on a Steve Bannon statement from the 2016 election, “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” Donald Trump took it from there with his lies and racism, concluding...
"Nearly three years into Trump’s tenure the American news media is still struggling with how to cover a president and an administration that have no use for democratic norms, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the truth or reality itself."
Republicans exit the House en masse...


Now here's an interesting viewpoint...
"The media covers President Trump because it must — and because he is highly entertaining and good for ratings. Those two factors together mean that Trump the president and TV character is highly profitable for the corporate media. He stands at the center of the country’s and the world’s attention in two roles. He is both the Mad King and the King of the American Kakistocracy."

And here's another glaring illustration that Republicans are looking at disaster in 2020, "GOP lawmakers are quitting at a ‘stunning’ pace rather than serve under Trump." That is perhaps one of the, if not the most, damning condemnation of Donald Trump I've heard yet. Here's the scenario...
CNN’s “New Day,” contributor John Avlon highlighted the exodus of GOP House members who have chosen to step down and not run for re-election under Donald Trump, calling the sheer number of them “stunning.”
The results: “Since Trump took office, the House GOP has seen a stunning 38 percent turnover." It can only bode well for Democrats, but will 2020 come too late?

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

How to stop mass shootings with a computer model


September 3, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Second thoughts on a gun violence database  

Now that looks like a mass murderer
It's like anything else Donald Trump proposes, you question it immediately. Not in the same way lowlife Senate head Mitch McConnell reacts to Democrats' motions in Congress where everything is blocked. Trump denial is based on his first two years in the White House spewing lie after lie--10,000 since his inauguration--his perpetual bouts with instability which occur daily, and a general feeling by leading psychiatrists that the man is incompetent in his job.

Having said that, I published a post on September 1, "Trump to launch Big Brother to stop mass shootings." And I have to admit that my intentions were not totally focused on solving gun violence, but to point out where the Oval Office lunatic was trying to pry into the lives of innocent Americans. And then I saw this article in the local papers suggesting a FICO-like score that could predict what gun owners might be prone to gun violence.

I had just entered the direct marketing industry when the FICO score was being created. Actually had the opportunity to sit in on some meetings held at the then retail giant, Montgomery Ward. FICO works, not only for credit, but also for determining auto insurance rates for drivers. But the key to anything aimed at gun violence would be lifestyles; your wine preference; the books you read; if you are a coffee drinker; Are you a fitness freak; there are several hundred.

Charlie Manson who started it all...


And they are documented by several database companies in the U.S. That plus a multitude of demographic data is readily available. The next thing missing is data on guns by household, which would require a U.S. registry of guns that will certainly be repelled by most gun owners and the National Rifle Assn. But the most important factor in this formula will be getting individual online search behavior, which, like a gun registry, will be resisted.

With the combination of the four, an AI (artificial intelligence) computer model could be generated that would very possibly tell us the next location of a mass shooting, even those on an individual basis. It's a matter of combining the right variables to solve the problem. But it's all questionable whether most of this could be accomplished in a Republican environment. However, with the NRA on the ropes and on its way out, and a Democratic takeover in 2020, there's hope.

Wanna know more about artificial intelligence?...


Not sure whether this should be government run or private enterprise, but it will take the feds to assemble the data necessary, plus enact a law requiring everyone register their guns. No doubt this will be the major hurdle, an act that may also demand getting rid of Wayne LaPierre and his NRA. But both are a good thing. I personally have created AI models that were able to predict the customers for a mail order catalog that would spend the most money.

We will need to analyze the household characteristics of the mass murderers to date (around 50 since 2014) using the guns per household, demographics, and lifestyles, plus online surfing behavior. Building the AI model will have to determine two things. One, based on the appropriate variables, what is the area where the next mass shooting is most likely to take place? Two, which households are most likely to house the shooter?

Wouldn't it be nice to give it a try for the sake of our children and innocent adults?

The bizarre behavior of Donald Trump


September 3, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREEY NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

The outlandish madness of Donald Trump  

I have so many articles saved on the preposterous stupidity of Donald Trump that I decided to list them one by one with their absurdity intact and let the reader rank them in their idiocy...
Donald Trump being led out of White House
"Trump is ‘having a full-blown mental breakdown’ and needs to resign: Trump ex-staffer." This coming from Anthony Scaramucci, during an interview with Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily.” Scaramucci was one of Trump's biggest cheerleaders--for a few days--then turned on him with vehemence.  READ MORE
"New video emerges of Trump blurting out anti-Semitic slurs," exclaiming "that the majority of American Jews were 'disloyal' to Israel because they support the Democratic Party." But there's more, "a video clip from 2011 that shows Trump boasting about how great one of his golf courses is before saying that “even these spoiled, rich Jewish guys, they can’t believe how good this [course] is.” READ MORE.
Not Trump but "Trump campaign official bizarrely compares president to Mother Teresa: ‘Who has done more for women?’" Just as is the case with all the women who voted for Trump, this idiot has no self respect, or otherwise she is mentally deranged. Tana Goertz, the key primary state’s [Iowa] Trump Team coordinator, claimed the president had done more for women than possibly anyone else in history than the sainted Calcutta nun." READ MORE.
Yes, Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland...

 "GOP strategist: Greenland debacle proves that Trump is ‘batsh*t crazy’ and a ‘madman.’" Keep in mind this is not a Democrat doing the harsh criticizing, it is a Republican, none other than the unwavering Never Trump conservative GOP strategist Rick Wilson. Wilson mentions Trump's notion to purchase Greenland adding, “This isn’t madman theory,” Wilson declares in his op-ed. “This is just a mad man.” And so many agree. READ MORE.
"‘He’s empty’: Psychiatrist warns Trump is in a ‘psychotic-like state.’" Now this is so scary that it should start a stampede for the doors of reality for the morons in Congress. Dr. Lance Dodes, a Los Angeles psychiatrist, said, "Donald Trump, because he has a fundamental need to be all-powerful and all loved, can’t stand challenges. And the nature of democracy is that it challenges people." The key here is "Democracy," a word that T-rump destroyed the minute he took over the White House. READ MORE.
"Former Trump officials are increasingly worried about the president’s erratic and outlandish behavior." Alex Henderson of AlterNet reports, "Donald Trump became the butt of jokes all over the world this week when he offered to purchase Greenland and angrily canceled a visit to Denmark after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the proposal as 'absurd.'” Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker note in a report for the New York Times "stress that to former Trump Administration officials, the president’s erratic behavior is no laughing matter...increasingly worried about his actions — especially with the 2020 election only 15 months away and the U.S. economy possibly going into a recession." READ MORE.
Donald Trump China call lie, sounding stupid in rebuttal...


"Trump’s fabricated China phone call is ‘a serious escalation of his lying’ which bodes ill for America." It's not like the Oval Office lunatic hasn't been lying since the first day he hit the White House, and on the campaign trail before that. But the media is jumping on the China lie because it had other serious ramifications than the regular untruths. This one seemed to be destined to boost a sagging stock market to prop up T-rump's ratings. The real story is, "Trump’s tariff hikes on Chinese goods in 2018 alone cost consumers $32 billion, threatening jobs and economic activity across the country. But there is no sign China is interested in negotiating for a deal to end the standoff." Yes, this man is a maniacal liar. READ MORE.

There's more to come but even I can't take too much of Donald Trump in one sitting.















Monday, September 2, 2019

HAPPY LABOR DAY!


HAPPY LABOR DAY!



Labor Day: What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Great explanation of Labor Day from a cowboy...


Have a safe Labor Day!

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Trump to launch Big Brother to stop mass shootings


September 1, 2019" PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump seeks Orwell's 1984 to solve gun violence  

Trump - Orwell
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell wouldn't think of initiating the correct approaches to stopping mass shootings, things like universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, halting straw purchases, and, of course, banning assault weapons. No, the Oval Office lunatic and Moscow Mitch would go with grossly invading the privacy of innocent Americans with Orwellian fictionalized technology. They prefer "new 'solutions' that won’t do anything about guns"...
"These proposals frequently focus on mental health, but a new plan before the White House to monitor “neurobehavioral” predictors of violence isn’t just misguided, it’s terrifyingly dystopian."
Should we all re-read George Orwell's 1984 to understand Donald Trump?...


They are creating a new agency called HARPA, a healthcare counterpart to the Pentagon’s research and development arm DARPA. And here is how HARPA would stick their noses into the lives of us proles...
The proles in 1984 are Orwell's satirical take on the proletariat, the industrial working class in whose interest the Party is ostensibly operating. George Orwell's novel was intended to be a very dark satire on what a totalitarian government would be like if it were ever inflicted upon Britain.
HARPA "would reportedly collect volunteer data from a suite of smart devices, including Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echos, and Google Homes in order to identify “neurobehavioral signs” of “someone headed toward a violent explosive act.” The project would then use artificial intelligence to create a “sensor suite” to flag mental changes that make violence more likely." And there you have it, George Orwell's Big Brother in 2019.

This maniacal idea has been in the works since 2017, but the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio gave it momentum. Trump's demented mind calls it, “SAFE HOME,” an acronym for “Stopping Aberrant Fatal Events by Helping Overcome Mental Extremes.” And why does Donald dufus keep returning to mental health as an answer to gun violence? Because Donald Trump, himself is mentally ill and he wants everyone else to be the same.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Donald Trump 2020 polls spiral down


August 31, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Top Democratic contenders all beat Donald Trump big in 2020 
A new national Quinnipiac University poll was just released, and with the results Donald Trump couldn't win city dog catcher. His recent behavior almost seems like the Oval Office lunatic wants to go home to his beloved Trump Tower. It would suit most Americans--and many foreign countries--just fine. Here's where things stand today...
"former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg all lead President Donald Trump by significant margins in potential 2020 matchups."
Here are some numbers...
"Biden is ahead of Trump by the most (16 points, 54% to 38%), while Buttigeg is up by the least (9 points, 49% to 40%)."
Quinnipiac University poll explained...



 Now, in Biden's case, he has regularly led Trump, sometimes significantly like now, but Buttigeg is the shocker leading T-rump by 9 points. CNN Politics summarizes...
"Trump's worst poll against any of the top five Democrats at this point is 5 points worse than the worst poll for any incumbent since World War II against his eventual challenger. It's 12 points worse against his most likely challenger, Biden."
We can only hope. 

Friday, August 30, 2019

Donald Trump donors should be boycotted


August 30, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES,,,Where Liberals Walk

Your official sites to boycott Donald Trump's reelection  

CVS Pharmacy is one of Donald Trump's major donors to his 2020 reelection campaign. CVS is obviously one of the largest drug chains in America, one you can depend on in your neighborhood. Don't go there. Walgreen's is probably closer and cheaper anyway. The Out site is saying, "you may want to reconsider your next CVS visit"...
"The hashtag #BoycottCVS began trending on Thursday following news the company plans to cut reimbursements for women who receive birth control through the mail, which led to swift condemnations from groups like NARAL Pro-Choice America."
That's definitely enough but there's more...
"that might not be the only reason for CVS customers to join the campaign. CVS Health Corp. is allegedly one of the largest donors to the president’s reelection campaign. The report was originally published in the Wall Street Journal in February 2018, and the Federal Election Commission website shows they gave $35,000 to the Trump Victory PAC."
And that's not all. You might want to rethink your enlistment in the U.S. Army which gave Trump $37,272, or the U.S. Air Force, a $20,188 contributor, or the U.S. Navy, my alma mater, $25,474. When you fly, just remember that American Airlines donated $28,160. United Airlines $17,619, and if you do fly, stay away from all Boeing planes, $25,851. In doing your banking, you want to snub Wells Fargo who contributed $32,714.

But you would hope the U.S. Postal Service, always begging for money, would think better about giving T-rump $29,642. Can't go to United Parcel Service (UPS) because of their $17,932 contribution. Even the US Dept of Veterans Affairs, which is letting its patients die, kicked in $18,875. Go to Verizon if you are an AT&T customer who donated $25,317, and insurance carrier State Farm coughed up $20,605 to the Oval Office lunatic.

More Trump supporters to boycott...


And there is a host of fast food companies and restaurants you'll want to stay away from if you are anti-Donald Trump. Someone on BoingBoing provided this list of companies to avoid because they are Donald Trump supporters...
- Bang
- inn n out
- chick fil a
- Taco Bell
- McDonald’s
- Wendy’s
- KFC
- Pizza Hut
- Olive Garden
- Waffle House
- IHOP
- Carl’s Jr.
Depending on how serious you are about your political persuasion, there is a new company, Progressive Shopper, that provides political spending from hundreds of major brands. Here's the scenario...
"The site shows shoppers what percentage of a company’s political spending went to Democrats and Republicans in the 2018 and 2016 election cycles. If a company is deemed too far in the red, Progressive Shopper offers a list of competitors where you might also find that sweater or sofa, but from a more left-leaning brand. So far, co-founders Mark Hanis and Van Chappell have culled data from more than 500 companies -- from Walmart to T-Mobile to General Motors."
Just another way us Progressives can show our teeth and beat the scourge of Donald Trump in 2020.

Mitch McConnell is a scum bag


August 30, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell: The epitome of corruption  

uh oh...What will Donald Trump say?
Here's a monumental laugh: Mitch McConnell to Supreme Court: We won’t let Dems 'pack the court,' said, no doubt, with a straight face. This slimeball appears to be almost as out of touch with reality as Donald Trump. Mitch McConnell has done more to destroy the U.S. Congress than all of the other members combined. His mission is to block anything the left proposes, no matter the value or urgency. Election security bills and gun control legislation most recently.

Here's the scenario...
"McConnell blocked President Barack Obama from filling a vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, then confirmed President Donald Trump’s replacement Neil Gorsuch a year later after eliminating the filibuster for the Supreme Court nominees."
There's more...
"Last year, McConnell pushed through the controversial confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, who faced allegations of sexual assault. Kavanaugh is widely viewed as more conservative than his predecessor, Anthony Kennedy. McConnell has also said he would consider filling any vacancies ahead of the 2020 election as well, despite having blocked Obama’s pick in an election year."
Bernie Sanders Goes After Mitch McConnell on His Home Turf...


 He has been called Moscow Mitch and a Russian asset, both of which are appropriate for someone who has made sure the 2020 election is wide open to Soviet hacking due to the lack of new protection laws that he opposed. With any luck at all, McConnell will lose his seat in Kentucky. We can then wipe this most dismal of experiences clean with a Democratic majority in the Senate and be rid of perhaps the most corrupt politician that has ever come to Washington.

And to further encourage Russian meddling in the 2020 elections, McConnell has delayed filling seats on the Federal Election Commission...
"The Federal Election Commission (FEC) — intended to be a group of no more than three Democrats and no more than three Republicans overseeing the federal campaign finance system — has been operating with just a bare quorum of four for the past 18 months. With the resignation of Vice Chairman Matthew Petersen, at the end of the week, the commission will be virtually paralyzed."
The FEC has two important functions that are sorely needed, especially with Donald Trump in the White House: auditing campaign filings, and investigating corruption. With just three active members, it will be able to do none of that. Eleanor Clift of The Daily Beast said: "For the Sake of Our Democracy, We Must Ditch Mitch McConnell"...
What to do? All roads lead to Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, who won’t allow debate on remedies for gun violence and refuses to take up gun-control legislation passed by the House to expand background checks.
Can Amy McGrath unseat Mitch McConnell...


He was heckled recently on home turf at a church picnic in Fancy Farm, Kentucky, where he was called, "Moscow Mitch," "Murder Turtle," and "Massacre Mitch." As with Donald Trump, the more the screws are turned, the more McConnell climbs the walls. Here's an example of Mitch McConnell supporters that seem to closely mirror those of Donald Trump...
"At Team Mitch, it's been business as usual. Just hours after the El Paso shooting, the campaign tweeted a photo of a single tombstone bearing the name of McConnell’s Democratic challenger. Another tweet shows seven grinning young white men in “Team Mitch” T-shirts pawing a cardboard cutout of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez with the caption, 'break me off a piece of that.'”
This prompts repeating, " The dregs of humanity: Mitch McConnell."

You can read several of my posts on McConnell here.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Dominant factor in 2020 election could be racism


August 29, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

How Donald Trump is suffering for 2020  


Donald Trump's anti-black supporters
Anti-black voters were an important asset to the Donald Trump campaign in 2016, as he encouraged racism, something that has been centerpiece since winning the White House. Without these voters T-rump could be in trouble as a new wave sweeps the U.S. voting public...
"According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, 82 percent of people who reject anti-black ideas said they were strongly interested in voting, up from 70 percent in 2016. In comparison, 75 percent of anti-black voters expressed a strong interest in voting in 2020."
Donald Trump is a confirmed racist, which is replayed weekly, sometime on a daily basis. Just recently he was criticized...
"for racist tweets he sent telling four lawmakers of color — Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) — to 'go back' to the 'corrupt' countries they’re from. Shortly after, his supporters chanted 'send her back' as Trump attacked Omar during a rally in North Carolina."
The racism thing seemed to take a backseat during the Obama administration, but reared its ugly head with a roar when the Oval Office lunatic was elected. And it has made the left think about their vote and certain values for the upcoming election. I did two recent posts documenting the appalling incidents of racism occurring around this country you can see here and here. It is the blatant display of this racism since Trump came along that is so troublesome.

How farmers feel about Donald Trump...


There is another angle on Donald Trump's loss of followers for 2020, the farmers of the U.S. who solidly supported him in 2016, but who are now "reeling from plunging prices and unsold crops during what is now more than a year-long trade war with China." And then most recently T-rump made the decision to allow more oil refiners to skirt biofuel laws and use less corn-based ethanol. At recent campaign stops Joe Biden has said the trade war was “crushing” American farmers.

There's more...
"A round of more bad news for farmers last week, including extra tariffs Beijing announced on soybeans and other key U.S. agricultural exports, gave Democrats a fresh opening to attack Trump. He gave regulators the green light to grant exemptions to more than 30 small refineries so they can use less ethanol, Democratic candidates pounced on it as evidence Trump favors the oil industry."
5 top Democrats would beat Donald Trump today...


Donald dufus appears to be searching seriously for ways to lose the 2020 election with his bizarre actions that seem to be really pissing off American voters. And based on some recent figures, it definitely isn't the time to screw around with voters. Just recently AlterNet accused Trump of lying again about his approval numbers with Republicans. But his is how it really is...
"He says that he has 94 percent approval with them, and at one point, he actually did poll that well. But recent surveys from Monmouth, Zogby Analytics, AP-NORC, and Fox News all show him polling significantly lower than that. It appears that his support has been slipping and is now somewhere in the low-to-mid eighties."
There's more...
"The above might still sound impressive, but his approval with Democrats is in the low single digits, and he’s polling in the thirties-to-low forties with independents. He actually needs to be doing better with his base to compensate for this."
Michael Tomasky of the Daily Beast comments...
"If Trump were telling the truth about having 94 percent support from the GOP base, he’d be in reasonable shape, although Romney lost pretty badly at 93 percent."
How many U.S. presidents have actually lied themselves through a reelection? 

Let's use the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump

August 28, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Has Alzheimer's raised its ugly head in the White House?  

The 25th Amendment...
"allows for the removal of a president if the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretaries agree in writing that the commander in chief is 'unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.'”
Both George Conway and Anthony Scaramucci think the 25th should be used to take down a mentally unfit Donald Trump. Scaramucci commented...
“I don't understand how elected public servants of the longest-standing Republican democracy in existing world history, a 243-year-old Republican democracy could have this sort of full-blown insanity on display and not act.”
Think what you might about Trump's former White House communications director, and George Conway, for that matter, but each is turning some very important screws into T-rump's hide that psychiatrists say could help bring about his meltdown. CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says...
“I’m not nearly smart enough to know what is going on inside of Anthony Scaramucci’s brain, but I do know he’s not an elected official, and what will matter is when Republican elected officials who are running for re-election start criticizing the president,” said Toobin. “Because that is going to indicate that they believe the Republican Party is moving away from him.”
Donald Trump is a lunatic...


 “Jeff Flake and Bob Corker are senators who criticized the president. The only Republican running for re-election who has gone on record saying he opposes the president is Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan — and he became an independent last month. Paul Krugman regularly criticizes Donald Trump along with the Republican Party tweeting recently...
“it’s not clear whether Trump is getting any crazier. It’s just that events have stopped accommodating his madness.”
But that could end soon with the economy slipping prompting this Krugman comment...
"I mean, no recession yet, no major market plunge, just a modest slowdown (so far) — he’s disintegrating before our eyes. And the closest thing we have to a grownup on the scene is the Lego Batman guy [Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin].”
 God help us if Mnuchin is it. Krugman continues...
“Again, not clear whether Trump is any crazier than he was; maybe he’s deteriorating, but is calling Powell an enemy notably worse than the stuff about crowd sizes at his inaugural and refusing to admit he lost the popular vote?”
Trump is now being compared with Ronald Reagan and his onset of Alzheimer's that was covered up by the White House. It was MSNBC legal analyst Maya Wiley who said...
"she is no doctor, but that there are signs of the president’s decline that reminded her of how Ronald Reagan’s White House hid his Alzheimer’s from the public."
One of our family went through a parent suffering with the disease and said that Trump's actions now are very similar to her mother. Tragic, but this must be addressed immediately. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

LAWRENCE O'DONNELL RETRACTED THIS STORY: Unconfirmed report:Russian billionaires backed Donald Trump Deutsche Bank loans


August 28, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Will Deutsche Bank finally impeach Donald Trump?  

Maddow-Trump-O'Donnell...The Interview
Controversial MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell qualified right up front that his story re. Donald Trump's Deutsche Bank loans were co-signed by Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin had only one source and needed further confirmation. But additional information from Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and tax expert David Cay Johnston sheds more light on a story that promises to be quite interesting, if not explosive. Here's the scenario...
O'Donnell, appearing on the network Tuesday night with host Rachel Maddow, said that "this single source close to Deutsche Bank has told me that the Trump — Donald Trump's loan documents there show that he has co-signers. That's how he was able to obtain those loans. And that the co-signers are Russian oligarchs."
O'Donnell added...
"If true, that would explain every kind word Donald Trump has ever said about Russia and Vladimir Putin."
But what is more interesting is David Cay Johnston's take on the issue...
“If Deutsche Bank has Donald Trump’s tax returns, isn’t the only purpose for a bank to have tax returns is for loans?” O’Donnell asked. “Is there — I can’t think of any other reason why the bank would have his tax returns.”
Deutsche Bank wants to turn over Trump tax returns to House...


O'Donnell spars back and forth with Johnson on Trump's investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives, which is seeking information from Deutsche Bank in a Russian money-laundering investigation. O'Donnell followed...
“If those loan documents show co-signers, let’s just go to that, your understanding of Donald Trump’s finances by the time he’s trying to get loans from Deutsche Bank after every other bank has turned him down. Would it make sense that he needs co-signers at that point?”
Johnson replied, "Oh, absolutely."

O'Donnell then wants to know why Trump would pursue a loan with Russian co-signers?...
“Well, it would be the best place for him to go and it fits with the family’s own public statements — that they’ve tried to walk back since — about getting lots of assets from Russia.”
But, as the TV commercials say, 'Wait, there's more'...
"Donald may well have other backers. The next places to look would be the Saudis, the Emiratis and perhaps some people in Turkey, given Michael Flynn, his National Security Adviser, having been on the payroll illegally of Turkish interests when he was in the White House.”
Lawrence O'Donnell's statement on Trump Russian-backed loans...


Donald Trump's obsession with money seems endless, and with no ethical parameters whatsoever. Bob Brigham of RawStory reports...
"Fast-tracked impeachment hearings will occur this fall if the bombshell report is true that President Donald Trump had loans with Deutsche Bank co-signed by Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin."
Does anyone else agree that now we have come full circle with the Mueller Report detailing investigations of Russian interference with the 2016 elections? Stemming from those hearings were other accusations of Trump family improprieties with Russia featuring Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. However, although the source for Lawrence O'Donnell is close to Deutsche Bank, nothing is final in this story until additional sources come forward. We can only hope.

Hello Congress-Gun control-Remember?


August 28, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Republicans shirk gun control, thus, killing innocent people 

NRA/Gun worshippers
A vacuum is defined as a space in which there is no matter, and that is where the gun control movement stands today...in a vacuum. And we can thank Republicans for leading the battle against responsible gun laws. Innocent lives don't matter to these gun nuts, their weapons are sacrosanct over the killing of innocent Americans. Max Boot of The Washington Post asks, "What the hell is wrong with us?" He expounds...
"Less than a month after a white supremacist allegedly killed 51 people in Christchurch on March 15, New Zealand’s Parliament voted, 119 to 1, to make the possession of assault weapons illegal. Gun owners have until the end of September to turn in their weapons as part of a buyback program or face five years in prison. More than 10,000 firearms have already been turned in."
Let's do some math. New Zealand's population is 4,885,300, the U.S. 329 million, 66 times larger. If 10,000 guns were turned in in New Zealand, might we expect to get 660,000 guns off the streets of the U.S. And that's only a drop in the bucket of the 393 million guns spread out over this country. Not even sure if it would help and am very skeptical over America's gun huggers turning over their cherished weaponry. Max Boot continues...
"By contrast, at least 59 people have been killed in mass shootings this year (and more than 9,000 in other shootings, not counting suicides) and yet we are no closer to banning assault-style weapons. These were the weapons of choice of mass murderers in Newtown, Conn.; Aurora, Colo.; San Bernardino, Calif.; Sutherland Springs, Tex.; Las Vegas; Parkland, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Poway, Calif.; El Paso; and Dayton, Ohio."
Trump pulls the trigger in gun violence...


Although 70% of voters and 54 percent of Republicans support banning these weapons of war, T-rump claims there is no “political appetite” for such action. He wouldn't because the NRA's head gun nut wouldn't let him. But not all Republicans are for gun rights. "Suburban women in some swing House districts overwhelmingly want tighter gun laws," says Ella Nilsen of Vox. And the cry for background checks comes from 90% of U.S. citizens.

"Fox News host Steve Hilton is blasting National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre, calling him "an odious little grifter" who needs to be shown the door," reports The Hill. Three board members and three top attorneys have recently resigned from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA). Not too long ago, Dick's Sporting Goods removed guns from all their stores and reports now their sales are climbing. Guns do kill and as we slowly get rid of them, the U.S, will be a better place to live in.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Elizabeth Warren looking good in the polls


August 27, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Why is Elizabeth Warren moving up in the polls?  

Elizabeth Warren 2020
The question would have been moot a week or two earlier when Joe Biden looked like a sure thing. Apparently a few gaffes and a couple of misstatements have convinced some of the left that he may not be the right candidate. Monday's Monmouth University poll revealed surprising results...
"It found a virtual three-way tie among Biden at 19% and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who each had 20%."
However, the "Real Clear Politics’ aggregation of polls still shows Biden well ahead, at 28.8%, followed by Sanders at 16% and Warren at 15.4%." If we are to believe Monmouth, and it is a credible pollster, then might we expect the same trend to begin in other polls? Jennifer Rubin, a conservative writer for The Washington Post says, "There’s a reason Elizabeth Warren is surging," and that is because she is appealing to "ordinary" Americans.

We know there are a lot of ordinary Americans out there that have had absolutely no voice since Donald Trump entered the White House. And my guess is that there are many ordinary Americans supporting T-rump that must be having second thoughts now. Not the core, but the fringe. Rubin comments...
"she’s not telling exactly the same story as she did earlier. Using family stories she has gotten 'looser' and funnier. She interacts with the crowd more. She has less anger, more determination and more confidence. She is high-energy."
Elizabeth Warren gaining momentum...


But, it would appear that the voting public still favors a candidate who can win over one who is heated in the issues, for example, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. And it is interesting to note here that even after all the rhetoric, talk of being a socialist, and losing the primary to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Bernie Sanders is yet able to hold on to the second position in the 2020 Democratic Primary. I still say a Sanders/Warren ticket would be dynamite.

For some reason, the media is now beginning to focus on a two-way race between Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, With Biden's recent gaffes and misstatements, he could easily lose the edge, and Bernie is still suffering over his age, which I find ludicrous. Here's the current scenario...
"She [Warren] drew an estimated 15,000 people to a rally in Seattle after holding an event nearly as large in Minneapolis last week. Biden spent the weekend talking to small gatherings in New Hampshire and Iowa. This led to a new meme: the rock star versus the rock."
Here are some more of the latest...
"Warren is doing better than Sanders in Iowa but the reverse is the case in New Hampshire. The most recent polls out of South Carolina show Warren and Sanders essentially tied in a distant fight for second place that might not even give either of them any delegates at all, and the two most recent polls out of Nevada disagree about which of them is doing better."
I still have a hankering to see a Bernie Sanders surge that takes him to the top capped off by winning the primary. But I am not naive, the primary thrust of the left in 2020 is beating Donald Trump. And there is still a year to go.  

The dictator in Donald Trump has become rampant

August 27, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump doesn’t actually do anything, but he dominates everything. 

The chosen one
The headline, above, perfectly encapsulates the first two years of the Donald Trump administration in the White House. Isn't this tragic when you are talking about running the most powerful country in the world? Most other countries wonder, along with many Americans, how could the United States elect an egomaniac like Donald Trump to the presidency? Easy, when you consider the number of double-digits out there who are unable to think for themselves.

Lucian K. Truscott of Salon coined the above phrase, "He [Trump] doesn’t actually do anything, but he dominates everything." He adds this...
"Another week of shaking our heads and wondering how much longer we can survive him. Yet again, Donald Trump overwhelmed practically everything with the force of his obscene personality, running his mouth and his thumbs even while he was failing to run the country in any sort of conventional sense."
There's more...
"Living in America today is like being trapped in a room with him — no doors, no windows, no exits, only Trump and the sound of Trump and the hideous image of Trump, all day, every day, for day after day after day."
A dictator admires a dictator...


My wife and I sit down to the dinner where we usually discuss at least some politics. I tell her what I have found that day on the Internet about T-rump, and after a couple of these comments she just shakes her head, because, according to her, what else could you possibly say after hearing this for two years. A frustrated Neil Young, discussing modern music in the New York Times Magazine said, “I’ve got great melodies, and the words are all profanities.”

That's the age of Donald Trump...
"Our senses dictate how we experience the world — our hearing and sight and touch and smell, even the ineffable stuff like intuition and belief. But when our senses are overwhelmed by someone like Trump, when our lives seem filled with a man who does nothing but endlessly tweet and lie and hate, it kills us inside. Trump is killing us."
The dictator surfaces in Trump's ordering of U.S. companies to pull out of China and not do business with them. Whether he carries through on this order or not, he has cited the IEEPA law to support his threat. We are living in a dictatorship with the loose guidelines of a maniac who has no idea what he is doing but thinks that everything he does is right. And that is so frightening that every sane person in this country will lose sleep until Donald Trump is gone.

Donald dufus says, 'I am the chosen one'...


Here's a digest of Trump's recent comical but freakish moves...
"Trump announced that signs of an economic downturn were the results of a 'conspiracy' against him personally."
"Trump accused Jews who decide to vote for Democrats as being guilty of 'great disloyalty.'”
"Trump held a completely unhinged press 'gaggle' on the lawn of the White House during which he referred to himself as 'the chosen one.'”
"He hurled insults at the prime minister of Denmark because she wouldn’t sell him the island of Greenland."
"He joked about still being in office 10 to 14 years from now, an apparent attack on the 25th Amendment, suggested overturning the right of birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, but assured his gun-totin’ base that 'our Second Amendment will remain strong.'”
Well, you get the idea. The question is, what bizarre things can we expect from Donald Trump this week?

Monday, August 26, 2019

The whole world knows of Donald Trump mental instability


August 26, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

Donald Trump is going down
The lunatic in the White House  

'Megalomaniacal, paranoid, and psychopathic’: Economist sounds the alarm on Trump’s ‘bottomless malevolence,' says Brad Reed in RawStory. It is the alarming warning of Economist Jeffrey Sachs, a professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University "about President Donald Trump’s 'paranoid and psychopathic' leadership style, and he says it could have disastrous consequences for the world if he wins a second term."

The above are the three big words that would describe someone completely out of control and ready to drop over the edge. And that would be the Oval Office lunatic that Sachs says...
"it would be a grave mistake to treat Trump like a cynical politician, when in reality he is an impulsive and vindictive narcissist who acts on his angry whims."
Bingo! There's more...
“The situation is far more dangerous,” Sachs explains. “Trump is mentally disordered: megalomaniacal, paranoid, and psychopathic. This is not name-calling. Trump’s mental condition leaves him unable to keep his word, control his animosities, and restrain his actions. He must be opposed, not appeased.”
Donald Trump is a lunatic...


Sachs continues in a disquieting evaluation that should make all Americans really think about 2020. MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” panelists found T-rump's recent foreign policy antics as not only a wrong thing to do but also served as an indication that he is "crazy." Now these folks probably aren't that studied in psychology, but they see hundreds of people in their jobs and the comparison of behavior like Trump's isn't hard when it comes to normal human beings.

Here's a classic example...
"The president canceled a trip to Denmark after its prime minister refused to entertain his offer to buy Greenland, offered a stunningly vapid assessment of the situation in Kashmir, and reiterated his interest in seeing Russia rejoin the G7."
Yes, Donald dufus wants to buy Greenland...


Why the hell would the U.S want to buy Greenland? The question is why all this bizarre behavior that has been going on at some level since this maniac's election, but which has accelerated lately...
"Former Trump administration officials are concerned about the president's behavior in recent days, speculating that his increasingly erratic outbursts are linked to private worries that a recession in the US could torpedo his chances of reelection in 2020"
And this dufus might even know that a majority of the country (at least 54%) is hoping the torpedo takes him down in flames. But the epitome of trump insanity surfaced recently when he proclaimed he was the "chosen one." Here's Tom McCarthy's coverage in the Guardian...
"Over an ensuing half-hour rant, Trump trucked in antisemitic tropes, insulted the Danish prime minister, insisted he wasn’t racist, bragged about the performance of his former Apprentice reality show, denied starting a trade war with China, praised Vladimir Putin and told reporters that he, Trump, was the 'Chosen One' – all within hours of referring to himself as the “King of Israel” and tweeting in all caps: “WHERE IS THE FEDERAL RESERVE?”
There is no way I could top this and, anyway, his evangelical supporters agreed.

David Koch dead: Do not RIP


August 26, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

As far as David Kochs' demise, who gives a flying f*ck  

Koch Bros: Ogres of destruction and devastation
David Koch is dead and many in this country are either openly or silently rejoicing and waiting for the other shoe to drop. That would be his brother Charles; his demise can't come soon enough for anyone who values life over the profits of industry. Here's the scenario...
"many Americans will remember him as one of the major players behind the Tea Party, and using his vast wealth to help massively reconstruct American politics into, some say, the vitriolic insanity we see today."
Yes, he and his brother, Charles, are at least somewhat responsible for the shape of the planet today as it fights to survive ecologically. We can also thank the two Kochs for the state of a political scene that is fraught with lies and underhanded governing, plus the use of illicit power to promote their libertarian beliefs. Both brothers were former members of the ultra-conservative John Birch Society, which their father, Fred, helped found. You can't get much more radical right.

Good Koch expose from book: “Sons of Wichita”  A great read!


Charles convinced his younger brother David to run for Vice-President on the Libertarian Party ticket, which called for...
"abolishing all federal income taxes and virtually every federal agency, including the I.R.S., the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the F.E.C., the E.P.A., the F.D.A., and the S.E.C. The party also opposed Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, public education, and minimum-wage and child-labor laws."
The severity of these issues shows just how greedy these two brothers were, along with their libertarian party. Charles and David "regarded" centralized government as a scourge akin to Communism." Of course, it was always obvious why the pair despised government; it was the only thing keeping them in line from totally screwing the American public. Another conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., called the Kochs’ views “Anarcho-Totalitarianism.”

Steven Rosenfeld, in an AlterNet Commentary provides "11 things the Koch brothers didn’t want you to know." It ranges from " The family’s $100 billion fortune comes mostly from a massive network of oil and gas pipelines, and investments in other polluting industries like paper and plastics." To "The Koch brothers’ massive investments and holdings are literally killing the planet, because their primary business is transporting gas and oil." Worth reading!

Another good Koch expose...


But my favorite is Bill Maher's reaction to David Kochs' death on HBO “Real Time”...
“He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate science deniers — for decades.” “So f*ck him, cause the Amazon is burning up, I’m glad he’s dead and I hope the end was painful.”
Surely, at least many conservationists are adding, 'May he burn in hell.'

More on the Koch Brothers:

"The slime (Koch) Bros. are at it again"
"KOCH BROTHERS ALLIES/BIG DONORS POUT OVER THEIR IMAGE"
"The ALEC conspiracy broadens"

Donald Trump Says He Will Be Indicted On Tuesday

  THAT'S TODAY... Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the case to this point, now looking at a possible indictment. Trum...