Good Riddance, Paul Ryan

That's the title of an article by Paul Waldman in the Washington Post.

https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?e=cnNwcm94dG9uQG91dGxvb2suY29t&s=5c1bfbd0fe1ff6164aca695d

And here's another one, from Charlie Pierce, entitled "Paul Ryan's Career Ends as It Was: As Full of Sh*t as a Christmas Goose:

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a25634032/paul-ryan-farewell-speech-full-of-shit/

John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff: Goodbye and Good Riddance

Here's an article on the subject at Intercept: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/09/john-kelly-was-a-bully-bigot-and-liar-for-trump-goodbye-and-good-riddance/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_todayworld

New Browser: Vivaldi

Here's a link to a Bob Rankin article on a new browser, Vivaldi, seen as a rival to Chrome. Privacy is an important aspect of Vivaldi, but it apparently has lots of great features. I'm a Firefox guy, but Vivaldi looks like something to keep an eye on, and maybe I'll give it a try. https://askbobrankin.com/browser_wars_vivaldi_20_takes_on_chrome.html?awt_l=OKbfN&awt_m=JPgzYLwp8OP6SL

EPA Penalties Plummet Under Trump

In Trump's first year, EPA penalties which had been $20.1 billion in Obama's year 7 and $23.9 billion in Obama's final year to -- $1.46 billion.

The Real Story On The Steele Dossier

Click here for an article in The New Yorker by Jane Mayer, entitled "Christopher Steele, the Man Behind the Trump Dossier."

This is the complete story of Christopher Steele, whose dossier provoked a firestorm of controversy when he presented it to the FBI out of concern over Russian interference on Trump's behalf in the 2016 election.

Important Article By Paul Waldman, The Plum Line, In The Washington Post

I don't like to do this -- it's lazy blogging -- but I've reproduced in full an article by Paul Waldman at his Plum Line blog at The Washington Post, entitled "The entire Republican Party is becoming a Russian asset":

In the past few days, President Trump has given at least some Republicans reason to express displeasure over his relationship with Russia. First he performed a pathetic ritual of subservience before Vladimir Putin, standing beside the Russian leader — after a private meeting between the two, which no aides were permitted to attend — and dismissing the copious evidence of a Russian attack on the 2016 election in deference to Putin’s word.

Then we learned that Putin had suggested that we make Americans available to the Kremlin for questioning, including Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, in exchange for allowing us to question some of the agents who carried out the cyberattack. Trump had called it “an incredible offer,” and the White House said he was considering it, before finally backing down after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning the idea.

But look past the modest number of Republicans saying that Trump has gone a bit too far here or there, and you see a very different picture. The truth is that the entire GOP is well on its way to becoming a Russian asset.

Are there a few Republican dissenters? Sure. But perhaps we’re having difficulty viewing that whole picture because what’s happening is so utterly bonkers that we can’t quite bring ourselves to see it clearly. So let’s review just some of the things we know:

- In 2016, the campaign of the Republican nominee for president was approached multiple times by representatives of the Russian government offering to help them win the election. These offers were welcomed with enthusiasm. The campaign was also led for a time by a political consultant with deep financial and personal ties to a Russian oligarch and a Kremlin puppet in Ukraine.

- Multiple members of the Trump team had contacts with the Russian government that they later lied to conceal.

- As part of its attack on the American electoral system, Russian intelligence hacked into Democratic Party systems. Some of the information it found there was released publicly and promoted gleefully by Republicans at all levels in order to help the Trump campaign; information relating to down-ballot campaigns was passed to Republicans, who used it in order to maintain their hold on the House of Representatives.

- Amid the insistence from the intelligence community that in 2018 Russia will likely attempt to once again penetrate the computer systems of state election agencies, Republicans this week killed an effort to provide funding to states to bolster the security of their election systems.

- As part of a lengthy effort to infiltrate the National Rifle Association, an important Republican interest group, an alleged Russian spy began a romance with a Republican activist, met multiple Republican leaders and fostered a relationship between American gun advocates and Russians. On the night of Trump’s victory, she messaged “I am ready for further orders” to her handler, a Russian banker named Alexander Torshin who is close to Putin.

- The NRA dramatically increased its spending on the 2016 presidential campaign from past years, pouring $30 million into their effort to elect Trump. The FBI is investigating whether that money may have illegally come from Russia, funneled to the organization by Torshin.

- The Trump administration has announced a change to IRS rules so that groups like the NRA will no longer have to identify their donors on their tax forms, making such money almost impossible to trace in the future.

- Over the last few years, the Christian right, another key part of the GOP coalition, has grown increasingly close to Putin, whom they see as an ally in a global clash of civilizations between Christianity and Islam.

- In Congress, Republicans have undertaken an aggressive campaign to discredit and, many of them plainly hope, shut down the probe into the Russian attack on America. Though they mounted seven separate investigations of Benghazi, they are nearly united in their position that no further investigation into a hostile foreign power’s attempt to manipulate the American electoral system is necessary.

- Fox News, which functions as the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, has aired relentless attacks on the Russia investigation and calls for it to be shut down.

- Despite the mountain of unambiguous evidence of the Russian attack in 2016, the overwhelming majority of Republican voters continue to say no such attack occurred.

- Hard-core Trump supporters are beginning to argue that even if Russia did attack the American electoral system, it was actually a good thing because it helped Donald Trump get elected.

That last argument has not yet filtered up to more mainstream Republican figures, but give it some time. When Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III closes his investigation and presents all his evidence (and more indictments, surely), no one will really be surprised to hear Republican members of Congress and prominent conservative media figures saying that it all worked out for the best because Hillary Clinton isn’t president, and we should just move on.

The president himself has laid the groundwork for that argument to spread. Not only has he repeatedly cast doubt on whether the attack occurred, he insists that he himself didn’t “collude” with Russia, and no matter what, there’s no proof that the attack changed votes, as though that would somehow make the whole thing okay. And you may recall that when news broke that his son, son-in-law and campaign chairman met with a group of Russians in hopes of getting dirt on Clinton, an outreach that had been presented to them as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” the president claimed that “I think from a practical standpoint most people would have taken that meeting,” as though working with Russia to defeat his opponent was the most natural thing in the world.

We can speculate on exactly why Trump has been so eager to become Putin’s flunky; it’s obviously a complicated story with roots that go back decades. But what about the rest of the GOP? Some of them have embraced the annexation of their party with gusto, while others are clearly more reluctant. But let’s not forget that they were reluctant to make peace with Trump’s takeover of the GOP, too. Eventually, they realized that since Trump had captured the hearts of the Republican base, they had no choice but to get on board if they wanted to survive.

The same has happened, and will likely continue to happen, with Russia. Had you told them 10 years ago that Russian intelligence was going to mount a comprehensive assault on an American election, they’d say that they would respond to such an attack with a furious rage and leave no stone unturned in learning every detail about it so that any collaborators could be mercilessly punished and no such attack could ever occur again. Today though, they’re mostly eager to get everyone to think about something else.

It may be because they’ve convinced themselves that no tactic is too repugnant, no alliance is too distasteful, and no moral compromise is too loathsome when you’re serving the lofty goal of keeping Democrats from power. Or it may be that they’re terrified that their rabid base will decide that they are insufficiently devoted to the cult of Trump. Whatever the reasons, they’ve traveled a long way down this road already, and it doesn’t look like they’re turning back.

Arnie v. Trump

Click here for a three-minute video of Arnie (The Terminator) challenging Trump's support for coal -- bring back Blockbuster! (It's interrupted by a couple of annoying advertisements.)

Reverence For The Dear Leader

Click here for an article at Crooks & Liars by Frances Langum (Blue Gal), entitled "Open Thread: Fox News, Or NoKo State TV? YOU Decide!"

Accompanied by swelling, inspirational martial music, and video clips of Kim and Trump before their adoring fans, Fox News and Korean state TV praise their leaders -- notice any similarity?

President Trump has now accomplished what no other American president has ever had the vision or the courage to even attempt.

With our venerable Supreme Leader's acute intelligence and courageous leadership, the world is able to witness this zenith of world peace and a vital moment for our humanity.

*****

Only days ago, President Trump ushered in a new era of diplomacy.

Our venerable Supreme Leader comrade opened a new, triumphant era of diplomacy.

*****

This is something that many analysts and pundits thought was totally impossible.

Who could have imagined that this moment was possible?

*****

The president's continued success in his every undertaking, whether in domestic politics, international trade or foreign policy, President Trump standing taller than ever on the world stage ...

The venerable statesman, whose leadership has been verified by the world, our Supreme Leader comrade is a hero revered by all people.

*****

Donald Trump has instincts that are different than ours, but most often, 99% of the time, they tendd to be better than ours.

We have this world-respected outstanding statesman, a once-in-a-lifetime great man as our leader.

*****

And it's topped off with this expression of praise by Jeanine Pirro:

You simply can't comprehend the genius of Donald Trump. Our president has no fear!

How to Automatically Enable Windows 10's Dark Theme at Night

Click here for an article at How-To Geek entitled "How to Automatically Enable Windows 10's Dark Theme at Night."

(I did this, so I may need this article to find out how to make changes to -- or undo -- what I've done.)

Windows 10, Video Editor

Click here for an article at HTG (How-To Geek)by Chris Hoffman entitled "Hot to Use Windows 10's Hidden Video Editor."

Lippmann v. Dewey (1910s & 1920s)

Click here for an article dated October 2, 205, at The Electric Agora, entitled "Lippmann and Dewey: Debating Democracy in the Age of Metropolis."

Walter Lippmann, a journalist and social critic, made a name for himself through a series of works published in the 1910’s and 1920’s, in which he questioned the logic behind democracy and the capacity of the ordinary citizen to fulfill their civic obligations, in the industrial age. Having been disabused of any romantic notions about electoral politics and the machinery of democratic legislation by his teacher, British political scientist Graham Wallas, Lippmann would go on to argue for the idea that men commonly were not rational, and that the modern world was too complex for them to play the role that liberal democracy expected.

Philosopher and educator John Dewey agreed with Lippmann about the fundamental problem of an unenlightened populace to democracy, but where Lippmann advocated appointing advisory boards of experts to advise government, Dewey advocated political education of the masses. Lippmann saw the problem and sought a way around it; Dewey saw the same problem and sought to correct it. This article is relevant today, when a know-nothing demagogue has manipulated an ignorant, gullible populace into supporting changes detrimental to the well-being of American citizenry.

Trump Knows The Words To "God Bless America"! (nah, just kidding)

Click here to watch the president* sing along to some of the words to "God Bless America." (Courtesy of Charlie Pierce at Esquire.)

This Is Scary

Here is a chart of the popularity of post-war presidents among members of their own party after their first 500 days:



W., of course, was extraordinarily popular because he was still basking in the glory of his enormous popularity in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when the people would have rallied behind any president. That anomaly aside, Trump's the most popular president (among members of his own party) since they started tracking these things.

Skijoring!

Skijoring in Wisdom, Montana:

Waltzing Matilda

According to Charlie Pierce, this is the best anti-war song ever:



And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - The Pogues

Now, when I was a young man I carried me pack
And I lived the free life of the rover
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty Outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over.

Then in nineteen fifteen my country said, "Son
It's time to stop rambling, there's work to be done"
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war.

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As the ship pulled away from the quay
And amid all the tears, flag-waving and cheers
We sailed off for Gallipoli.

Well I remember that terrible day
When our blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.

Johnny Turk he was ready, oh, he primed himself well
He rained us with bullets, and he showered us with shell
And in five minutes flat we were all blown to hell
Nearly blew us back home to Australia.

And the band played waltzing Matilda
When we stopped to bury our slain
And we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then it started all over again.


Those who were living just tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death, and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
Though around me the corpses piled higher.

Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, then I wished I were dead
I never knew there were worse things than dying.

For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.

And when the ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thanked Christ there was no one there waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared
Then they turned all their faces away

So now every April I sit on me porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Renewing their dreams of past glory

I see the old men, all tired, stiff, and sore
The weary old heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question

And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer the call
But as year follows year more old men disappear
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

The Media, Bumfuzzled By Trump's Lies

The media allow Trump's lies to dominate the national conversation. Click here for an article at The Washington Post entitled "Time to Stop Chasing Trump's Lies Down the Rabbit Hole," by Paul Waldman.

In reaction to Trump's preposterous claims about the farce he himself (but no one else) calls "Spygate," surprise! The day after the meeting with the FBI that Trump breathlessly claimed would blow the lid off Washington, no one is talking about the meeting at all. Why not? Because there was nothing there. It was all based on Trump's lies. Here are Trump's first tweets on the subject:

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!

SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!

Waldman says:

This reveals the absurd pattern we’ve fallen into. It goes like this: President Trump makes a ridiculous accusation that almost everyone immediately understands to be false. Then we in the media, because it’s the president, treat that accusation as though it’s something that has to be taken seriously. Then governmental resources are mustered to deal with the accusation. Then Republicans try to twist the mobilization of those resources to give them the answer they’re seeking. But because it’s all based on a lie, they fail once Democrats force some measure of truth to be revealed.

Glenn Kessler and Meg Kelly run through some of the iterations of this maddening pattern. Barack Obama tapped my phones! The Obama administration illegally “unmasked” Americans caught up in surveillance of Russian targets! The Democrats colluded with Russia! The whole Russia investigation happened because of the Steele dossier!

How far can this go? I like Waldman's take on it:

No matter what ludicrous charge Trump makes, the entire political system reacts as though it might be true. If tomorrow the president said that “Robert Mueller” never existed and the person claiming to be him is actually Nancy Pelosi in elaborate makeup, we’d all find ourselves debating whether Mueller is a real person while House Republicans angrily demand that he produce a DNA sample.

He believes that Trump's lies "... should have been greeted with headlines reading, 'President Trump Lies to Public About Russia Investigation.'"

The North Korean propaganda machine regularly lies about the superhuman exploits of the Dear Leader:

So we should treat [Trump's] statements the way we do press releases from the North Korean state news agency. They may be newsworthy in that they show what the regime would like people to believe, but we don’t assume that they have any relationship to actual facts. When they claim that Kim Jong Un could drive at age 3 and win yacht races at age 9, or that his father Kim Jong Il wrote 1,500 books while at university and once sank 11 holes-in-one in a single round of golf, we don’t set about to determine whether they’re true.

Can You Guess? I Knew That You Could!

Jimmy Kimmel plays a "FUN GAME: Can you guess which one of these people is the business partner of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen?"

Bill Maher: "A Spy In The Trump Campaign"?

Bill Maher on Real Time, May 18, 2018:

The latest theory from the bubble, that the FBI has planted a spy in the Trump campaign. No, not a spy; this is just what the FBI does for a living. Trump, sorry, man, you have ties to the American mob, the Russian mob, to Russian hookers, to the Kremlin, to indicted co-conspirators, to goons and shady lawyers and tax evaders and fraudulent businesses and fake charities and bribes and hush money and porn stars. This is what the FBI does: They investigate shady people like you.

Witch Hunt?

Click here for an article at fivethirtyeight.com by , entitled "How Mueller's First Year Compares To Watergate, Iran-Contra And Whitewater (and what those past investigations tell us about where the Russia investigation might go next.)"

I like one particular eye-opening chart contrasting the length of each special counsel and independent counsel investigation and the indictments and guilty pleas obtained in each:



The article was published on May 17, 2018, the date when the Mueller investigation had been in operation for one year. The Whitewater (Clinton) investigation lasted more than seven years, 77% of the time from Clinton's election win to the time he left office. Iran-Contra lasted more than six years; Watergate was just over four.

The article looks in some detail at those three previous major investigations. Here's one comparison it draws:

As the Russia investigation enters its second year, the most important variable may be how long Mueller can keep his job. Watergate, Iran-Contra and Whitewater all had one thing in common: They lasted at least four years. Given the reports that Trump has already twice considered ordering Mueller’s removal, it’s not clear that the investigation can survive that long — at least, with Mueller at the helm.

Robert Mueller v. Ken Starr

Click here for an article by Digby at Hullabaloo entitled "From the columns I wish I'd written file." It's a comparison of the Kenneth Starr and Robert Mueller investigations.