Full Resources Of The US Government

Are the facts in a subsequent press release? https://t.co/gGo40YFPXu

— Schooley (@Rschooley) November 2, 2018

A Brilliant Plan of Unfathomably Stable Genius

Scoop: As of yesterday, BP agents have to ask everyone they catch "did you travel as part of the migrant caravan?"

The northernmost group of the caravan is still 6+ weeks away. https://t.co/DCkdT8a6yA

— Dara Lind (@DLind) November 2, 2018

The Soros tattoo, silly.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) November 2, 2018

Under Cover of Darkness

"In order to avoid escape attempts, the moves are carried out late at night because children will be less likely to try to run away. For the same reason, children are generally given little advance warning that they will be moved." https://t.co/yaZ2eUcTzd

— David Gura (@davidgura) September 30, 2018

From the Times' description—

In shelters from Kansas to New York, hundreds of migrant children have been roused in the middle of the night in recent weeks and loaded onto buses with backpacks and snacks for a cross-country journey to their new home: a barren tent city on a sprawling patch of desert in West Texas.

Until now, most undocumented children being held by federal immigration authorities had been housed in private foster homes or shelters, sleeping two or three to a room. They received formal schooling and regular visits with legal representatives assigned to their immigration cases.

But in the rows of sand-colored tents in Tornillo, Tex., children in groups of 20, separated by gender, sleep lined up in bunks. There is no school: The children are given workbooks that they have no obligation to complete. Access to legal services is limited.

The Week In Review

This Is America, via @sltrib https://t.co/vTaqaDpkoc

— Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) June 1, 2018

Highly Successful Audition

State-run media's newest hire.

Jason Chaffetz is joining Fox News as an on-air contributorhttps://t.co/mvAsiQ1aU7#utpol pic.twitter.com/HdqfVsSLZ5

— Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) June 28, 2017

Jason Chaffetz (R-Narcissist) made false accusations, used bogus statistics, insulted minorities, praised crooks

He's perfect for @FoxNews

— Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) June 28, 2017

Count On It Being Worse

After seeing what made the rounds yesterday...

Some choice tweets (now deleted) by Trump's latest Dept. of Energy appointment. No other President would hire him. pic.twitter.com/CspbWZYpMR

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 23, 2017

... There had to be more examples of such confident self-expression. As Steve M. notes today, not only more short form ...

... But previously published long, threatening screeds against chosen targets. Steve cites this from the Washington Post—

In 2015, he resigned from his post at West Point after writing an academic paper arguing the United States should threaten to destroy Muslim holy sites in war "even if it means great destruction, innumerable enemy casualties, and civilian collateral damage."

Bradford also called for legal scholars "sympathetic to Islamist aims" to be imprisoned or "attacked." He dubbed such academics "critical law of armed conflict academy," or CLOACA, which is also a term for the orifice out of which some animals defecate. He suggested journalists with whom such scholars speak could also be targeted.

Bradford's name didn't ring a bell, but the charming fellow naturally has a history. Steve cites a 2015 piece in The Atlantic—

To suppress this "fifth column"—which is his actual term for fellow academics with whom he disagrees—Bradford offers a range of options. First, he suggests introducing loyalty oaths and firing "disloyal scholars." Next, he recommends charging them with material support of terrorism and even treason. He even suggests treating these American academics as "unlawful enemy combatants," a legal term used to deny Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters the protections of U.S. and international law.

Shocking and extreme as this option might seem, CLOACA scholars, and the law schools that employ them, are—at least in theory—targetable so long as attacks are proportional, distinguish noncombatants from combatants, employ nonprohibited weapons, and contribute to the defeat of Islamism.

Yes, even "the law schools that employ them"—presumably places like Harvard and Yale—could be legitimate military targets. So, too, could their homes, where their families and children live. Even a journalist like myself could be a lawful military target if I happen to quote one of these professors, Bradford argues:

Further, the infrastructure used to create and disseminate CLOACA propaganda—law school facilities, scholars' home offices, and media outlets where they give interviews—are also lawful targets given the causal connection between the content disseminated and Islamist crimes incited.

Shocking and extreme as this option might seem, CLOACA scholars, and the law schools that employ them, are—at least in theory—targetable so long as attacks are proportional, distinguish noncombatants from combatants, employ nonprohibited weapons, and contribute to the defeat of Islamism.

As much as I try to keep up, this is one that had escaped my notice until now. But he certainly would be known to people around Trump. In particular, people named "Steve Bannon." Surely, Camp of the Saints' most influential fan would find the height of wit in branding opponents CLOACA.

Steve M.—

Let me say it again: This man has a job in the Trump administration.

Johnny Depp joked about a Trump assassination (and has now apologized) -- but he's not in the government. Neither is Kathy Griffin (who's lost work for her Trump death joke).

Phil Montag, a Nebraska Democratic Party official who made offensive remarks about Representative Steve Scalise, has lost his job. Al Baldasaro, by contrast, is still a New Hampshire state legislator.

An Evergreen...

...The poor have it too easy...

"Maybe rather than getting that new iPhone" Americans "should invest in their own healthcare" - Rep. Jason Chaffetz https://t.co/sxWaRohbEh pic.twitter.com/aEWYikdWiw

— CNN (@CNN) March 7, 2017

Chaffetz telling poor to choose health care over iPhones evokes racist 'welfare queen' lie https://t.co/o8JyTRbJqi via @shareblue

— Oliver Willis (@owillis) March 7, 2017

Forget iPhones, this is the level of animosity Fox News has towards poor people pic.twitter.com/OIVhTu14vk

— Dan Hopper (@DanHopp) March 7, 2017

For the wealthy, smartphones can be a luxury—one of many portals to the digital world. For the working poor, they're more often a necessity.

— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) March 7, 2017

Jason Chaffetz doesn't know:
•What healthcare costs
•What an iPhone costs
•Anything

Oh, wait I forgot to make this a poll.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 7, 2017

Oh, here's someone to help explain...

Hi @jasoninthehouse you seem pretty unclear on the concept. Let me help: My daughter was premature and cost about 1000 iPhones.

— Sarah DiGregorio (@SarahDiGregorio) March 7, 2017

Wheel Of Fortune

One day, Enemies of The People. Next day, fans.

Sure, Trump's speech wasn't ad lib gibberish about his vote totals and inauguration attendance—he fucking read from a teleprompter. And what he read was dystopic immigrant-scapegoating.

Posted without comment pic.twitter.com/b0uoZ37nJ2

— Mazel Tov Cocktail (@AdamSerwer) March 1, 2017

He reads calmly, from teleprompter...

And the pundits go WILD! pic.twitter.com/Z2iMGUkGu0

— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 1, 2017

If Charles Manson gave one interview where he didn't roll his eyes and stick out his tongue would pundits declare a big, meaningful reset?

— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 1, 2017

The usual applies.

The lack of diversity in the american media is really obvious today

— Mazel Tov Cocktail (@AdamSerwer) March 1, 2017

Yup. And how Trump is covered—how Trump's voters are covered—says a lot about who American media feels accountable to. https://t.co/5gEwIz40Jh

— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) March 1, 2017

Mere hours earlier, he had publicly trashed military brass, blaming them for the disaster he had authorized—to show Obama just who "knows more than the generals". With pundits like these, it works.

donald trump just learned that the way to get TV guys to like him is to get troops killed, wonder what he'll do next https://t.co/ux3b5OnZyP

— slackbot (@pareene) March 1, 2017

Grieving widow as the perfect prop.

Welp, at least Trump isn't still abusing power to take advantage of vulnerable women, right?

— Schooley (@Rschooley) March 1, 2017

Yes,

Even the Trump White House is surprised how vapid and gullible DC pundits can be. https://t.co/ymiauaskfi

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 1, 2017

In other words,

Abusive Stepdad in Good Mood Last Night; Household Cautiously Optimistic. "Maybe we can be a happy family," Says One of the Battered

— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) March 1, 2017

Theater criticism of a performance perfectly calibrated to this crowd's tastes. That, and relief that things are now "normal"... Since it won't affect them, content of the speech is of no importance.

VOICE... For when it might not play, leaving the concept in the original German.

In 1930s, German prosecutors required to notify Justice Ministry of all Jewish crimes so they could be publicized https://t.co/4ePe0fKeyK

— Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) March 1, 2017

Nationwide Order

Tonight, federal judge issues temporary restraining order, effective nationwide—

Judge James Robart, a George W. Bush appointee, made his ruling effective immediately on Friday, suggesting that travel restrictions could be lifted straight away. He is expected to issue a full written ruling over the weekend.

The Barbarian Conquest, Day 6

To date, no FEMA response to the weekend's record tornado damage and death toll, as Trump-voting states "beg" for help.

Though last night, their leader did promise—

If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!

Using quote marks around his own (well, Bannon's) words spoken during Friday's carnage against history and language.

OK, this explains it: History's Greatest Reporter® Bill O'Reilly had targeted Chicago in his 8-9:00 pm slot last night, provoking Twitler to pop off before 9:30.

Then today, the morning ukase: "I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and...." Reporters later found dual-registrations by such mobile, multi-owner types as Steve Bannon, KT McFarland, Steve Mnuchin, and... Tiffany Trump.

So many things to sign, but all in a day's work. A "temporary " ban on visas and immigration from a list of Muslim countries. Despite the religious exclusion, it seems not all Muslim countries made the list...

 

 

Ian Bremmer

More executive orders signed... To build The Wall—at taxpayer expense; sky's the limit—and to punish "sanctuary cities." Oh, and there's a leaked report of an order being drafted: to revive black sites and torture.

And then it was on to what He likes even better than watching TV: being on TV.

...Now there's a term never before applied to the Chicago PD. Seems a more likely source of gloves-off pointers, for those running future black sites.

Side By Side

After today's guilty verdict, Jamelle Bouie writes this—

On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump took the stage at his eponymous tower in New York City and announced his bid for the White House. His message was clear. "The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everyone else's problems," Trump said.

A day later, in South Carolina, 21-year-old Dylann Roof walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, where members were holding Bible study. Using a .45-caliber Glock handgun and eight magazines of ammunition, Roof shot and killed nine people, including the pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was also a state senator. Before he arrived at the church, Roof posted a manifesto on his website, a racist tirade that expressed his motives. His message was also clear. "Integration has done nothing but bring Whites down to level of brute animals," wrote Roof.

Sentencing set for next month, in federal court. Despite wishes of the families, the death penalty is being sought. All arguments against the death penalty aside, this would only make him a lone wolf, to be put behind us. A rare federal move that should be agreeable even to America's new ownership.

Mainstreaming The Rewrite

LA Times forced to apologize, after readers objections followed a Travel section article on former internment camp National Parks (Tule Lake and Manzanar). This because the paper published wingnut troll complaints about the Parks' "anti-U.S. remake of history." Complete with the usual tropes about "loyalty to Japan," and families living high-hog off the government, while GIs fought for their freedom.

Who knows if publication was OK'd by an ignoramus, or if it was because we need to understand the minds of the poor downtrodden Trump voters. The less than vigorous apology—

Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief and publisher of The Times, said the letters did not meet the newspaper's standards for "civil, fact-based discourse" and should not have been published.

Rewrite Redux

Trump surrogate says it will be no sweat to register Muslims, because Japanese-American internment went so smoothly.

Interviewed by Megyn Kelly, as she cues him to use his inside voice—

KELLY: Come on. You're not — you're not proposing we go back to the days of internment camps, I hope.

HIGBIE: No, no, no. I'm not proposing that at all, Megyn, but what I am saying is we need to protect America from —

KELLY: You know better than to suggest that. I mean, that's the kind of stuff that gets people scared, Carl.

HIGBIE: Right, but it's — I'm just saying there is precedent for it, and I'm not saying I agree with it, but in this case I absolutely believe that a regional based —

She tops it off with this—

KELLY: You can't be citing Japanese internment camps as precedent for anything the president-elect is gonna do.

The language is completely calculated, always. Here, it's Japanese internment, to imply that America's concentration camps were filled with war-time enemies. To obscure the truth: they they were families of ordinary citizens, deprived of homes, businesses, and freedom.

Certainly, they floated this after 9-11. And camp survivors were quick to oppose post-9/11 discrimination against Muslims, recognizing as they did that those who would exploit the situation were directing fearful citizens to find scapegoats in other, vulnerable citizens.

Great rewrite job now, when direct survivors of America's camps will not be with us for many more years.

Impresario

Shakezula, on media reaction to Steve Bannon's being named Trump's Karl Rove—

In the Trumpnited States of MAGAmerica, a president who makes a white supremacist one of his top advisers is not divisive. Noting that the white supremacist advising the president is in fact a white supremacist is divisive and irresponsible. So everyone should shut up.

Trump spoke not only to a dying demographic of elderly whites. Through his social media enabled bullying and vulgarity, Trump also spoke the language of young enraged white men. Like neo-Nazis and Klansmen, they may have not have voted in the past, but they turned out last week.

That there were no longer norms of behavior was obvious throughout this, the first Twitter election. But I hadn't made the connection between likely Trump voters and the last few years of reports about the behavior of young male gamers. Some have immersed themselves in social media campaigns to terrorize women; others joined a chorus that cheered on threats of rape and death.

I wonder if anything will ever come out about Bannon's previous gaming business ventures, immediately prior to his taking over Breitbart. If he wasn't directly involved in encouraging online terror, he was positioned to see marketing opportunity. Mother Jones noted this in September—

... he took over at Breitbart News in 2012. Bannon may have applied his web knowledge gained from his time at IGE and Affinity to Breitbart News, which he transformed into the preeminent destination for the internet-savvy, meme-centric alt-right—in part by stoking the anger behind Gamergate, which saw harassment of female gamers by their male peers.

How could they not have been thrilled to turn out for President Sexual Predator.

White Riot

Since the 9th Shaun King has posted sickening reports from around the country. His twitter feed is now filling up with trolls, but this is a sampling from the last three days.

Heartland Values

Via tengrain: a Midwesterner makes some points to the insularity of his Trump-voting hometown, with its fear of people they've never encountered. Patrick Thornton says of his hometown, and the like—

I'm from the rural midwest. All of this talk about coastal elites needing to understand more of America has it backwards.

My home county is 97% white. It like a lot of other very unrepresentative counties went heavily to Donald Trump.

My high school had about 1,200 students. Two were Asian. One was Hispanic. Zero were Muslim. All the teachers were white.
...
Many rural Americans have isolated themselves from the rest of the country. They live in very unrepresentative areas.
...
Here it is in sharp relief: My HS had more sexual predator teachers (convicted!) than minority teachers. That's a rural American story.

They-a Culpa

Mea culpa is indeed appropriate, but not the kind instinctive for the NYT. That is, "How did we get this so wrong?" hand-wringing, along lines of, Perhaps we really are a liberal, elitist media who were uncomprehending of The Heartland.

It could so easily be dispensed with—if the editors bothered to look at their own goddamn reporting, of four months ago.

Sticking To Basics

Government forcing Border Patrol, Trump says, into "letting people pour into the country so they can go and vote".

Also: "The Republican nominee for president believes that African-Americans who are innocent should nonetheless be in prison".

One Thing So Unlike The Other

Yesterday: Trump's awkward photo op in Louisiana flood zone. Steve M. picks this up, from Guardian coverage: a local holds forth on Trump's visit and on, uhh, other subjects—

"This is his stomping grounds," said Greg Patterson, who was cleaning muck from his store called the Pit Stop. The idea that a billionaire from Manhattan could describe the working-class corner of Louisiana as "his stomping grounds" did not strike Patterson as contradictory.

"We've got 2,000 houses damaged just in this area alone," he said, stretching his arm out to the south. "These people are already back in their homes, working to repair them. It's not like down in the Ninth Ward."

...

"I mean that's a bunch of government-owned housing," Patterson said. "Nobody here is looking for handouts or waiting on the government. These are Trump's people."

As the Guardian's reporter adds, there have been over 60,000 applications for FEMA aid.

Steve notes—

Of course, people like Patterson might literally believe that they can accept aid from FEMA, or handouts from Trump, and still be "self-sufficient" -- unlike Those People in New Orleans -- because, well, y'know.

In Comments, Jon Gallagher adds—

"Those people" in the Ninth Ward were not coping with a flooded river (and just in case you live by a river and don't know this: RIVERS FLOOD, IT'S WHAT THEY DO!).

The Ninth Ward was coping with the failure of a canal built through their neighborhood by the US Army Corps of Engineers to carry shipping traffic between the Mississippi Rive and Lake Pontchartrain. In other words, they weren't building houses in a flood plain, then expecting the government to bail them out when the inevitable happens, like white folks do. The government brought the flood to them, and could barely lift a finger to help them.

So, hey hard working Mr Greg Patterson, consider taking responsibility for your own self, and move out of the flood plain. The Mississippi has a tendency to move whenever and wherever it it wants (see "The Control of Nature", John McPhee, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_Control_Act_of_1928, and http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/what-weve-done-to-the-mississippi-river-an-explainer/239058/) and we taxpayers have been on the hook for decades to keep you and yours dry. Now that Global Climate Change (that you probably don't believe in) is well past its tipping point, you need to move to higher ground.

Obama, who happened to be on vacation, postponed visiting the area—just as Governor Edwards had requested, to avoid the strain on services that would be caused by having to provide the necessary security. On that topic of media comparisons of Obama to a previous vacation from the White House, Steve notes—

... In the current flooding, 13 people are dead and 40,000 homes have been damaged. In Katrina, at least 986 people died and 1 million homes were damaged. The current flooding is horrible, but Bush was faced with a much worse disaster, and dealt with it inadequately. In the current crisis, the heads of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security have been to flood zone, 20 parishes have already been declared federal disaster areas, and quite a bit of assistance is already being provided. If the federal response turns out to be insufficient, that's a reason to grumble about the president. But that's not what we're hearing. We're hearing payback for the criticism of Bush's apparent indifference to Katrina.

Also, tengrain here, on what is and is not "Katrina."

Going With Tradition

Trump adviser Joseph Schmitz had anti-Semitic history at Defense Department. The quotes obtained by McClatchy are doozeys—

"His summary of his tenure's achievement reported as '... I fired the Jews,'" wrote Meyer, a former official in the Pentagon inspector general's office whose grievance was obtained by McClatchy.

...

"In [Schmitz's] final days [as inspector general], he allegedly lectured Mr. Crane on the details of concentration camps and how the ovens were too small to kill 6 million Jews," wrote Meyer, whose complaint is before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

Schmitz comes by this as a birthright; his father was notorious as national director of the John Birch Society; Orange County Congressman; and one-time presidential candidate (he replaced George Wallace on the American Independent Party ticket, after the assassination attempt on Wallace). His political career was ended in a sex scandal that included child abuse accusations against the woman whose child he fathered (and refused to support).

Pretty much an equal opportunity bigot, though Jews came in for special attention; links and quotes from Schmitz père in Steve M.'s post.