dailykos--2020-10-06--Let's Get Out the Blue Tsunami - Good News Roundup, Bluesday, October 6th, 2020

Four weeks .
Twenty-eight days .
Somewhere around six-hundred-seventy-two hours .
And , several lifetimes worth of worry and angst .
Half of what we read opens with , “ If current trends continue ... ” The other half starts with , “ But , in 2016 ... ” The third half begins with , “ Be afraid , be very afraid ... ” There ’ s whiplash in the air .
Most of the media folks want to suck us in with their horse race scenarios .
They want us to watch them blather on about how some Chinchilla @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successfully predicted every presidential election in the last six months .
The tRumpniks SHOUT about their tRumpnado and the impending arrival of the October Surprise slandertrain .
Chicken Little and the Pessimist ’ s Exasperatingly Endless Parade of Enervating Examples of gloom and doom are on the street corners with their sandwich boards and proclamations of the immediate end of life as we know it .
Our egg counters aren ’ t waiting for hatching time .
Russia is trying to disrupt things again .
Measured opinions are drowned out by the frenzy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get worse .
No , not the likely outcome of the election — the level of discordant noise is about to go through the roof .
My advice ?
Limit your television and social media exposure .
Don ’ t let yourself get distracted .
Keep working to maximize our get out the vote effort .
The increasing cacophony surrounding the election is like a fine Algerian table wine — something to sit down and avoid .
Having said all that , tRump getting COVID-19 is a campaign implosion of the highest magnitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walter Reed yesterday , he has damn near assassinated his message of downplay and denial .
That little stunt with the sightseeing trip around the block has already blown up in his face .
Going back to the White House and then pretending to quarantine isn ’ t going to do him much good either .
Don ’ t get me started on the having trouble breathing on the balcony fiasco .
tRump is a colossal failure .
Some part of him knows it , but the rest of him has its fingers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ nananananana .
I can ’ t hear you !
” Whoever gave him enough steroids to make a fool of himself did the country a favor ( and probably committed serious malpractice ) .
The sheer idiocy of saying , “ Maybe , I ’ m immune , ” while being positive for COVID-19 has blown whatever is left of my mind .
Let ’ s get out the vote , shall we .
Let ’ s turn the republican party into the third party also ran collection of inconsequential kooks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is on the case — It ’ s the case of a butt burnt roid-head hallucinating himself into a relapse .
In case you ’ d rather have someone else on the case , Seth Meyers weighted in as well ( recorded before tRump escaped confinement ) .
And it ’ s on to the news , The last few days have been enough to make Democrats believe in God and Republicans believe in science ( h/t to chloris and wherever she found it ) .
Putting the Blame Right Where It Belongs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pretend President to dodge the blame for his massive ongoing bout of malfeasance .
Take away single issue voters and bigots and he won ’ t have much left .
No matter how much time he spends flinging poop , the stuff that sticks is sticking to him .
Vox : Trump has been the biggest source of Covid-19 misinformation , study finds Denial of Visual Evidence Is Hard to Do He ’ s not fooling anybody except someone who wants to be fooled .
Raw Story : Video of Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show him ‘ wincing in pain ’ and ‘ gasping for air ’ : reports In a family of sleazy grifters and crooks , it takes effort to rise up to Donnie ’ s level of gorge raising , disgust inducing , scandalous behavior .
Kimberly hit it out of the park .
The New Yorker : The Secret History of Kimberly Guilfoyle ’ s Departure from Fox As President Donald Trump heads into the 2020 elections , he faces a daunting gender gap : according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thirty percentage points among female voters .
As part of his campaign , Trump has been doing all he can to showcase female stars in the Republican Party , from nominating Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court to naming Kimberly Guilfoyle , the former Fox News host and legal analyst , his campaign ’ s finance chair .
Guilfoyle , however , may not be an ideal emissary .
In November , 2018 , a young woman who had been one of Guilfoyle ’ s assistants at Fox News sent company executives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused Guilfoyle of repeated sexual harassment , and demanded monetary relief .
The document , which resulted in a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement , raises serious questions about Guilfoyle ’ s fitness as a character witness for Trump , let alone as a top campaign official .
Until now , the specific accusations against Guilfoyle have remained largely hidden .
The draft complaint , which was never filed in court , is covered by a nondisclosure agreement .
The former assistant has not been publicly identified , and , out of respect for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The New Yorker is honoring her confidentiality .
Reached for comment , she said , “ I wish you well .
But I have nothing to say.
” The woman was hired in 2015 , just out of college , to work as an assistant for Guilfoyle and another former Fox host , Eric Bolling .
According to a dozen well-informed sources familiar with her complaints , the assistant alleged that Guilfoyle , her direct supervisor , subjected her frequently to degrading , abusive , and sexually inappropriate behavior ; among other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently required to work at Guilfoyle ’ s New York apartment while the Fox host displayed herself naked , and was shown photographs of the genitalia of men with whom Guilfoyle had had sexual relations .
The draft complaint also alleged that Guilfoyle spoke incessantly and luridly about her sex life , and on one occasion demanded a massage of her bare thighs ; other times , she said , Guilfoyle told her to submit to a Fox employee ’ s demands for sexual favors , encouraged her to sleep with wealthy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her naked body , demanded that she share a room with her on business trips , required her to sleep over at her apartment , and exposed herself to her , making her feel deeply uncomfortable .
Is it Spelunking or Debunking ?
Spokesweasel McNinny ran into some facts on her way to a conspiracy theory .
The bruising has been covered up by her tRumpvirus diagnosis .
Still , the depths they descend to generate lies has made debunking their bullshit into a cave expedition .
Wonkette : The Case Of The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mystery Back when Antonin Scalia dropped dead , Barrett said , “ it would be inappropriate for a Democratic nominee to replace the ultra-conservative Scalia in an election year because it would ‘ dramatically flip the balance of power ’ on the Court.
” The hypocrisy quotient is high with this one .
Mother Jones : More Than 1,500 Alums From Barrett ’ s College “ Firmly and Passionately ” Oppose Her SCOTUS Nomination This Stuff Is Off the Parscale Not only has Brad become untethered .
He ’ s also become another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an national administration .
Wonkette : We 're Beginning To See Why Brad Parscale Might Be Going Li ' l Bit Bugf*ck SAD NEWS , everyone .
The Trump campaign has been systematically deleting Brad Parscale 's nasty gross neckbeard from its website , as if it was never there !
The good news is that you are a lot less likely to get a hairball if you go to the Trump website now .
But there are some updates on what is really going on with Brad Parscale , why he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this minute .
And those updates are related to how the Trump campaign is also reportedly going literally bugfuck , because they 're scared Old Dirty Neckbeard is going to cooperate with the authorities and spill Trump campaign secrets and crimes , ALLEGEDLY .
What might he know ?
Oh , just perhaps that he might have lied to Congress about the Trump campaign 's voter suppression efforts in 2016 , for one .
The other day , Channel 4 , from the isles of Britain , reported on an enormous data leak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 , using data firm Cambridge Analytica , they specifically targeted Black voters for `` deterrence , '' i.e .
targeted 3.5 million specific Black voters with social media messages to try to keep them from going out to vote for Hillary Clinton .
Indeed , back in 2016 , the Trump campaign bragged it was running `` three major voter suppression operations , '' one of which was targeted at Black voters .
Brad Parscale was the campaign 's data guru in 2016 , and his neckbearded `` brilliance '' was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stupidly hired him to be his 2020 campaign manager , before that all went wrong .
Just in time for the election there ’ s a new documentary about to release .
Daily Beast : ‘ Totally Under Control ’ : The Infuriating Film Revealing How Trump Royally Botched the COVID Crisis These scamming , grifting republicans are everywhere .
It ’ s like they ’ re another plague .
The Texas Tribune : Who is Ken Paxton , the Texas attorney general accused of bribery and abuse of office ?
What Does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satire to clean the stench of all that tRumpish crap out of your nostrils .
Yeah , it ’ s still about tRump , and it ’ s totally believable .
Oh hell , never mind .
( It ’ s a short article .
If I quoted another paragrah , it would be more than half of the whole thing ) .
The New Yorker : The Borowitz Report : Rule Change for Second Debate Forbids Trump from Attending Let ’ s give clearing that stench another shot , ok ?
GoodNewsNetwork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That Eats Plastic Bottles Six Times Faster than Previous Enzymes Our resident history professor ’ s always interesting history lesson will appear here as soon as I notice he has woken up and posted it in the comment section .
Take it away WineRev > > > » Aww…..the MSM is NOT getting their horserace ?
?
?
Oh , poor babies !
OK part of it is they are too busy waiting for the medical staff at Walter Reed to LIE to them again , so they can check THOSE LIES against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
It is so bad the press should take a “ guilty until proven innocent ” approach with Dr. Colby .
“ Dr .
Colby , good morning.
” / “ Good morning.
” / ’ Can you tell us , is it REALLY morning ?
Would you prove that please ?
” // “ Dr .
Colby , Rachel Maddow , MSNBC news ?
Just to follow up on my colleague ’ s question , if the sun rises in the east in the morning , could you please point east @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dies down and they start looking at the polls again and wondering where their beloved horse race is , its RIGHT HERE esp .
starting at the 1:32 mark… ... ’ pulling away ’ ….. ’ blazing speed ’ ….. ’ running like a tremendous machine !
’ And then “ He laughs at danger/ he fears nothing ( Book of Job ) ” ….cue the Edward Hawkins SIngers and all the Gnus in Gnuville in the choir belting out “ O Happy Day !
” > > > > > Look , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Con man has to Con .
But I have to say , for sheer audacity and speed of response , THIS $ 100 commemorative coin , available in the White House Gift Shop , this shows once again , truly , shaemlessly…….there IS NO BOTTOM !
Sheesh !
October 6ths that sniffed in Good year , scurried under Goofy year and assembled all those nuts , so that your everlovin ’ WineRev can bring those to you on THIS October 6th 1683 Philadelphia , PA Less than a year after the founding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Krefeld , Germany , arrived .
They met with William Penn himself and took advantage of both his promise of freedom of religious practice and his offer of 5000 acres of land to farm .
They went about 4 miles inland from the Delaware River , divided up the land and laid out some streets for a little settlement .
Given where they came from the place picked up the name of Germantown .
They wrote home and other Mennonites followed .
After 1730 their plain folk cousins ( on the other side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By the time of the Revolution in 1775 over 100,000 German speakers lived in Pennsylvania , a good 1/3 of the state population .
1806 Ramdala , Sweden Birth of Andreas Randel , violinist and composer .
A wandering musician gave Randel a violin and he learned to play copying hymns and then by ear on folk songs .
At about 12 his talent got him semi-adopted into a minor noble ’ s house where he was raised as one of the baron ’ s sons .
Had the chance to study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and composition as a student of Returning to Sweden he taught violin and directed choirs in various academies .
Wrote symphonies , a funeral march for a king of Sweden and a wedding jubilee for another .
Several concertos for violin and a good deal of choral work , much of which is being re-discovered .
1846 Central Bridge , NY Birth of George Westinghouse , Jr. inventor , engineer and manufacturer .
Alongside and ( both born 1847 ) and ( 1856 ) , part a wave of great inventors that created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Union navy in the Civil war , he blossomed in peacetime .
Westinghouse held over 400 patents in his life , creating gas shock absorbers , railroad signals , air brakes for trains ( later adapted for semi-trucks and busses ) , electric brakes for subway trains , natural gas pipelines and low-pressure distribution for home furnaces and stoves .
He invented or improved electric generators , hydro-electric power via alternating current , long-distance power transmission ( high-tension wires ) , light bulbs , electric generators , and even electrical transformers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1863 Brooklyn , NY In the interest of public health , improved skin tone and to fight off incrustation on this day opens America ’ s 1st public bath , and a Turkish one at that , complete with steam .
1871 Nashville , TN Fisk University was founded as an all-black university for the advanced education of former slaves .
To raise money to support the school a select group of singers from the university choir began a national tour , the Fisk Jubilee Singers .
With the exception of 1 year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Early on they had difficulties because many hotels and restaurants turned them away on the basis of color ( both South and North ) , but their music began breaking through .
Musicologists were thrilled at what was first called “ slave-song ” singing and worked hard to transcribe and preserve them .
The preservation and popularization of the African-American tradition of spirituals and gospel songs can be traced to Fisk Jubilee .
Their energy and harmonies made them the toast of Europe on several occasions , performing for any crowned heads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , PA ( Would all the Gnusies please wipe their feet out here ?
Thank you .
Now , I ’ ll pull this door open but please walk as quietly as you can up this hall to a seat at one of those long tables…..and no talking , please !
In an orderly , well-organized , carefully sequenced way , preciesly shelved and dusted , on this day ( and keep your voice down ) at a broad gathering as part of the American Centennial ( Sshhhhh ! )
let me whisper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association was founded .
( No applause , please ! )
1927 New York City .
The end of one era and the beginning of another .
The premiere of Warner Bros. feature film , “ The Jazz Singer ” , starring Al Jolson singing and dancing in blackface .
There had been an earlier movie in 1926 ( Don Juan ) that had featured silent scenes , but musical passages synchronized to a record player piping these into the theater .
“ The Jazz Singer ” was supposed to be like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2 non-singing scenes that had also been recorded onto a record .
( Prophetically , he had proclaimed , “ `` Wait a minute !
Wait a minute !
You ai n't heard nothin ' yet ! ''
) so this was the beginning of talking , as well as singing , films .
Studios learned quickly how to encode the soundtrack at the edge of the film in a way it could be picked up and amplified in the theater as sound , ( rather than playing this off of records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were already considered old-fashioned .
1948 Rusinga Island , Kenya It all started here , in the Great Rift Valley of Africa ; or rather , WE started here .
On this day paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey ( of the famed Leakey family ) finds the first partial fossil skull of ( the later named ) proconsul africanus .
The age of the find and the mix of characteristics showed Mary that she is looking as something ( or someone ? )
who had children and grand-children , some of whom have now evolved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of whom have now evolved into……us , homo sapiens .
( Homo ?
Person….ok .
Sapientia….wise/wisdom ?
Some days you wonder if we deserve the adjective….. ) 1955 Kings Park , NY After an act of Congress and a signature from President Eisenhower , Edward E.L. Lyon , a CRNA ( Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist ) ( did you spot the “ RN ” in the middle of the title ? )
became the first male nurse for the modern United States Army .
While male nurses had been the norm in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wave of women entering the profession after the war was so overwhelming that in 1901 by Act of Congress the Army Nurse Corps was designated female only .
The 1947 Army-Navy Nurse Act repeated this but in late 1954 was ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional .
On the day Nurse Lyon was , just like 3500 women in the incoming class to the military .
1965 Brussels , Belgium When a new ambassador takes their post abroad , it is customary for the host country to make a fuss and for the Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some public pomp and circumstance .
Often , this includes the entrance of the ambassador to their own country ’ s national anthem as they step forward and present their credentials to the host country .
On this day ‘ The Star-Spangled Banner ’ was played by a Belgian military band for newly appointed and confirmed Patricia Harris from the United States .
She was the first African-American woman to serve as an American Ambassador .
Yosef 52 ’ s latest guide to how to help get rid of republicans .
Share this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Assume NOTHING .
Prepare for ANYTHING .
GET OUT THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE .
Last night the Shade explored some new ways they ’ ll try to change the subject : The National Embarrassment Continues to Embarrass , Bigly - Evening Shade , Monday

Four weeks. Twenty-eight days. Somewhere around six-hundred-seventy-two hours. And, several lifetimes worth of worry and angst.
Half of what we read opens with, “If current trends continue...”
The other half starts with, “But, in 2016...”
The third half begins with, “Be afraid, be very afraid...”
There’s whiplash in the air. Most of the media folks want to suck us in with their horse race scenarios. They want us to watch them blather on about how some Chinchilla farmer in East North South Wankertown has successfully predicted every presidential election in the last six months. The tRumpniks SHOUT about their tRumpnado and the impending arrival of the October Surprise slandertrain. Chicken Little and the Pessimist’s Exasperatingly Endless Parade of Enervating Examples of gloom and doom are on the street corners with their sandwich boards and proclamations of the immediate end of life as we know it. Our egg counters aren’t waiting for hatching time. Russia is trying to disrupt things again. Measured opinions are drowned out by the frenzy of competing click-bait.
It will probably get worse. No, not the likely outcome of the election — the level of discordant noise is about to go through the roof. My advice? Limit your television and social media exposure. Don’t let yourself get distracted. Keep working to maximize our get out the vote effort. The increasing cacophony surrounding the election is like a fine Algerian table wine — something to sit down and avoid.
Having said all that, tRump getting COVID-19 is a campaign implosion of the highest magnitude. Even though he walked out of Walter Reed yesterday, he has damn near assassinated his message of downplay and denial. That little stunt with the sightseeing trip around the block has already blown up in his face. Going back to the White House and then pretending to quarantine isn’t going to do him much good either. Don’t get me started on the having trouble breathing on the balcony fiasco.
tRump is a colossal failure. Some part of him knows it, but the rest of him has its fingers in its ears and is shouting, “nananananana. I can’t hear you!” Whoever gave him enough steroids to make a fool of himself did the country a favor (and probably committed serious malpractice). The sheer idiocy of saying, “Maybe, I’m immune,” while being positive for COVID-19 has blown whatever is left of my mind.
Let’s get out the vote, shall we. Let’s turn the republican party into the third party also ran collection of inconsequential kooks and bigots it deserves to be.
Tyrannis sedito. Sic semper tyrannis.
Up the Resistance
GOTMFV
Colbert is on the case — It’s the case of a butt burnt roid-head hallucinating himself into a relapse.
x YouTube Video
In case you’d rather have someone else on the case, Seth Meyers weighted in as well (recorded before tRump escaped confinement).
x YouTube Video
And it’s on to the news,
The last few days have been enough to make Democrats believe in God and Republicans believe in science (h/t to chloris and wherever she found it).
Putting the Blame Right Where It Belongs
It is getting harder and harder for the Pretend President to dodge the blame for his massive ongoing bout of malfeasance. Take away single issue voters and bigots and he won’t have much left. No matter how much time he spends flinging poop, the stuff that sticks is sticking to him.
Vox: Trump has been the biggest source of Covid-19 misinformation, study finds
Denial of Visual Evidence Is Hard to Do
He’s not fooling anybody except someone who wants to be fooled.
Raw Story: Video of Trump’s return to the White House appears to show him ‘wincing in pain’ and ‘gasping for air’: reports
On Monday, after President Donald Trump returned to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center after days of coronavirus treatment, some observers noticed that the president appeared to still be in considerable pain as he put on a show for the cameras.
There’s Trouble in Pornadice
In a family of sleazy grifters and crooks, it takes effort to rise up to Donnie’s level of gorge raising, disgust inducing, scandalous behavior. Kimberly hit it out of the park.
The New Yorker: The Secret History of Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Departure from Fox
As President Donald Trump heads into the 2020 elections, he faces a daunting gender gap: according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, he trails Joe Biden by thirty percentage points among female voters. As part of his campaign, Trump has been doing all he can to showcase female stars in the Republican Party, from nominating Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court to naming Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host and legal analyst, his campaign’s finance chair. Guilfoyle, however, may not be an ideal emissary. In November, 2018, a young woman who had been one of Guilfoyle’s assistants at Fox News sent company executives a confidential, forty-two-page draft complaint that accused Guilfoyle of repeated sexual harassment, and demanded monetary relief. The document, which resulted in a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement, raises serious questions about Guilfoyle’s fitness as a character witness for Trump, let alone as a top campaign official. Until now, the specific accusations against Guilfoyle have remained largely hidden. The draft complaint, which was never filed in court, is covered by a nondisclosure agreement. The former assistant has not been publicly identified, and, out of respect for the rights of alleged victims of sexual harassment, The New Yorker is honoring her confidentiality. Reached for comment, she said, “I wish you well. But I have nothing to say.” The woman was hired in 2015, just out of college, to work as an assistant for Guilfoyle and another former Fox host, Eric Bolling. According to a dozen well-informed sources familiar with her complaints, the assistant alleged that Guilfoyle, her direct supervisor, subjected her frequently to degrading, abusive, and sexually inappropriate behavior; among other things, she said that she was frequently required to work at Guilfoyle’s New York apartment while the Fox host displayed herself naked, and was shown photographs of the genitalia of men with whom Guilfoyle had had sexual relations. The draft complaint also alleged that Guilfoyle spoke incessantly and luridly about her sex life, and on one occasion demanded a massage of her bare thighs; other times, she said, Guilfoyle told her to submit to a Fox employee’s demands for sexual favors, encouraged her to sleep with wealthy and powerful men, asked her to critique her naked body, demanded that she share a room with her on business trips, required her to sleep over at her apartment, and exposed herself to her, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
Is it Spelunking or Debunking?
Spokesweasel McNinny ran into some facts on her way to a conspiracy theory. The bruising has been covered up by her tRumpvirus diagnosis. Still, the depths they descend to generate lies has made debunking their bullshit into a cave expedition.
Wonkette: The Case Of The Missing Ditch Ballots: A Kayleigh McEnany Mystery
"In the last 24 hours, police in Greenville, Wisconsin, found mail in a ditch, and it included absentee ballots," said the intrepid White House Press Secretary to the vicious reporters assembled in the briefing room that Thursday, September 24. She knew there was rampant ballot fraud. She just knew it! The trouble was proving it to those pesky liberals always looking for "proof" and "objective facts" and "sources other than Gateway Pundit." UGHHHH! "As you know, the President has criticized the mail-in voting process quite a bit over the last few weeks. The other day, he said, 'They found a lot of ballots in a river.' Who is 'they'?" snarked a reporter swathed in a giant, black face mask. A Fox reporter! "There was mail found outside of Appleton and that mail did not include any Wisconsin ballots," Meagan Wolfe, director of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told reporters Thursday. Although the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office said last week that the recovered trays included several absentee ballots, bolstering the president's claims of widespread irregularities with mail-in voting, that Wisconsin ditch stubbornly refused to cooperate and cough up the goods.
Her Fellow Alumni Were Listening
Back when Antonin Scalia dropped dead, Barrett said, “it would be inappropriate for a Democratic nominee to replace the ultra-conservative Scalia in an election year because it would ‘dramatically flip the balance of power’ on the Court.” The hypocrisy quotient is high with this one.
Mother Jones: More Than 1,500 Alums From Barrett’s College “Firmly and Passionately” Oppose Her SCOTUS Nomination
When President Donald Trump announced that 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett was his nominee to fill the seat on the Supreme Court vacated after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnaney referred to her as a “Rhodes scholar.” McEnaney may have been wrong about that status—prompting a rare “my bad” from the press secretary—but technically she was also correct. Barrett did graduate magna cum laude in the class of 1994 from Rhodes, a small liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, her nomination was greeted with enthusiasm by college president Marjorie Hass, who said Barrett embodied how Rhodes College put graduates “on a path to professional success at the highest levels.” But last week, more than 1,500 people who describe themselves as “proud Rhodes alumni” sent a strong letter of protest to Hass, outlining their concerns about Barrett’s nomination. The three-page letter frames their objections to Barrett’s record and the way her nomination has been handled as being “diametrically opposed to the values of truth, loyalty, and service” that are emblazoned on the college seal.
This Stuff Is Off the Parscale
Not only has Brad become untethered. He’s also become another potential witness against the criminal enterprise masquerading as an national administration.
Wonkette: We're Beginning To See Why Brad Parscale Might Be Going Li'l Bit Bugf*ck
SAD NEWS, everyone. The Trump campaign has been systematically deleting Brad Parscale's nasty gross neckbeard from its website, as if it was never there! The good news is that you are a lot less likely to get a hairball if you go to the Trump website now. But there are some updates on what is really going on with Brad Parscale, why he might be going literally bugfuck right at this minute. And those updates are related to how the Trump campaign is also reportedly going literally bugfuck, because they're scared Old Dirty Neckbeard is going to cooperate with the authorities and spill Trump campaign secrets and crimes, ALLEGEDLY. What might he know? Oh, just perhaps that he might have lied to Congress about the Trump campaign's voter suppression efforts in 2016, for one. The other day, Channel 4, from the isles of Britain, reported on an enormous data leak from the Trump campaign, about how in 2016, using data firm Cambridge Analytica, they specifically targeted Black voters for "deterrence," i.e. targeted 3.5 million specific Black voters with social media messages to try to keep them from going out to vote for Hillary Clinton. Indeed, back in 2016, the Trump campaign bragged it was running "three major voter suppression operations," one of which was targeted at Black voters. Brad Parscale was the campaign's data guru in 2016, and his neckbearded "brilliance" was a big part of the reason Trump stupidly hired him to be his 2020 campaign manager, before that all went wrong.
Documenting the Diseased Response
Just in time for the election there’s a new documentary about to release.
Daily Beast: ‘Totally Under Control’: The Infuriating Film Revealing How Trump Royally Botched the COVID Crisis
Donald Trump’s personal battle with COVID-19 is the starkest example imaginable that the president has bungled his response to a pandemic that, to date, has claimed over 210,000 American lives. While the commander-in-chief’s infection only warrants a textual coda in Alex Gibney’s Totally Under Control, the tireless documentarian’s latest is a damning account of Trump’s horrid—and criminally negligent—handling of the crisis, from his downplaying of the virus’ seriousness, to his refusal to champion mask-wearing and social distancing, his mismanagement of PPE and ventilator demands, his squabbling with scientists and state governors, his dissemination of false facts and figures, his manipulation of the CDC, his promotion of dangerous “miracle cures,” and his willful disregard for the health and safety of himself and those around him, thus jeopardizing the country’s national security. (Did I miss anything? It’s been a long 2020.) In short, it’s an up-to-the-minute summary of the nightmare Trump has put America through, told in exhaustive, definitive, and infuriating detail. Premiering on Tuesday, Oct. 13 on VOD, Totally Under Control was produced in secret by Gibney and co-directors Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger over the past five months, and it primarily focuses on the initial stages of our ongoing catastrophe. Per the documentarian’s tradition, it’s a sharp and concise report of recent events comprised of conversations with experts (including New York Times reporter Michael Shear, who just tested positive after flying with Trump on Air Force One), archival news clips (including a parade of Trump’s greatest deceitful hits), and digital graphics that complement Gibney’s narrated commentary.
x YouTube Video
Trouble in Texas
These scamming, grifting republicans are everywhere. It’s like they’re another plague.
The Texas Tribune: Who is Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general accused of bribery and abuse of office?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in hot water again. In a letter obtained by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, seven senior aides said they believe their boss is “violating federal and/or state law including prohibitions related to improper influence, abuse of office, bribery and other potential criminal offenses.” The brief letter says the officials reported the violations to law enforcement but did not provide details about the alleged crimes. Separately, Paxton was indicted five years ago on felony charges of securities fraud. There is still no trial date set. The letter with the allegations was sent to the state agency’s director of human resources and signed by Paxton’s first assistant attorney general, Jeff Mateer; Ryan Bangert, Mateer’s deputy; and five other top officials, including the deputy attorneys general overseeing criminal justice, legal counsel, civil litigation, administration and general policy divisions. “Each signatory below has knowledge of facts relevant to these potential offenses and has provided statements concerning those facts to the appropriate law enforcement authority,” the letter reads.
What Does Andy Say?
How about a little satire to clean the stench of all that tRumpish crap out of your nostrils. Yeah, it’s still about tRump, and it’s totally believable. Oh hell, never mind. (It’s a short article. If I quoted another paragrah, it would be more than half of the whole thing).
The New Yorker: The Borowitz Report: Rule Change for Second Debate Forbids Trump from Attending
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a rule change announced on Thursday, the Commission on Presidential Debates said that Donald J. Trump will not be permitted to attend the second debate. “We took a look at the first debate and decided that we needed to tweak the format a bit,” Harland Dorrinson, a spokesperson for the commission, said. “We think this rule change fixes everything.”
Real, Authentic Good News
Let’s give clearing that stench another shot, ok?
GoodNewsNetwork: Scientists Create ‘Super Enzyme’ That Eats Plastic Bottles Six Times Faster than Previous Enzymes
Enzymes produced in the stomachs of certain bacteria found during several high-profile discoveries have been combined by English scientists to create a super enzyme, reducing the time it takes for these chemicals to depolymerize, or breakdown plastic from weeks into mere hours. The new discovery would further triple this speed at which the plastic polymers are undone, providing a serious opportunity to win the fight against plastic pollution in the next few decades, as well as opening the door for scientists to create more synthetic enzymes targeted for specific kinds of plastics.
Musical Interlude
x YouTube Video
WineRev’s History Lesson
Our resident history professor’s always interesting history lesson will appear here as soon as I notice he has woken up and posted it in the comment section.
Take it away WineRev
>>>» Aww…..the MSM is NOT getting their horserace??? Oh, poor babies! OK part of it is they are too busy waiting for the medical staff at Walter Reed to LIE to them again, so they can check THOSE LIES against the LIES coming out of the White House. It is so bad the press should take a “guilty until proven innocent” approach with Dr. Colby. “Dr. Colby, good morning.”/ “Good morning.”/’Can you tell us, is it REALLY morning? Would you prove that please?” //“Dr. Colby, Rachel Maddow, MSNBC news? Just to follow up on my colleague’s question, if the sun rises in the east in the morning, could you please point east?”……….After this cluster of fakery dies down and they start looking at the polls again and wondering where their beloved horse race is, its RIGHT HERE esp. starting at the 1:32 mark…...’pulling away’…..’blazing speed’…..’running like a tremendous machine!’ And then “He laughs at danger/ he fears nothing (Book of Job)”….cue the Edward Hawkins SIngers and all the Gnus in Gnuville in the choir belting out “O Happy Day!”
>>>>>Look, I know Grifters-Gotta-Grift and a Con man has to Con. But I have to say, for sheer audacity and speed of response, THIS $100 commemorative coin, available in the White House Gift Shop , this shows once again, truly, shaemlessly…….there IS NO BOTTOM! Sheesh!
October 6ths that sniffed in this Good year, scurried under that Goofy year and assembled all those nuts, so that your everlovin’ WineRev can bring those to you on THIS October 6th
(PS. Please be extra quiet when you get to the entry for 1876. Thank you!)
1683 Philadelphia, PA Less than a year after the founding of the city 13 Mennonite families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived. They met with William Penn himself and took advantage of both his promise of freedom of religious practice and his offer of 5000 acres of land to farm. They went about 4 miles inland from the Delaware River, divided up the land and laid out some streets for a little settlement. Given where they came from the place picked up the name of Germantown. They wrote home and other Mennonites followed. After 1730 their plain folk cousins (on the other side of a church schism) the Amish began arriving. By the time of the Revolution in 1775 over 100,000 German speakers lived in Pennsylvania, a good 1/3 of the state population.
1806 Ramdala, Sweden Birth of Andreas Randel, violinist and composer. A wandering musician gave Randel a violin and he learned to play copying hymns and then by ear on folk songs. At about 12 his talent got him semi-adopted into a minor noble’s house where he was raised as one of the baron’s sons. Had the chance to study in Paris, both on the violin and composition as a student of Luigi Cherubini. Returning to Sweden he taught violin and directed choirs in various academies. Wrote symphonies, a funeral march for a king of Sweden and a wedding jubilee for another. Several concertos for violin and a good deal of choral work, much of which is being re-discovered. 1846 Central Bridge, NY Birth of George Westinghouse, Jr. inventor, engineer and manufacturer. Alongside Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell (both born 1847) and Nikola Tesla (1856), part a wave of great inventors that created the modern world. A Naval engineer for the Union navy in the Civil war, he blossomed in peacetime. Westinghouse held over 400 patents in his life, creating gas shock absorbers, railroad signals, air brakes for trains (later adapted for semi-trucks and busses), electric brakes for subway trains, natural gas pipelines and low-pressure distribution for home furnaces and stoves. He invented or improved electric generators, hydro-electric power via alternating current, long-distance power transmission (high-tension wires), light bulbs, electric generators, and even electrical transformers on every utility pole in America. 1863 Brooklyn, NY In the interest of public health, improved skin tone and to fight off incrustation on this day Dr Charles H Sheppard opens America’s 1st public bath, and a Turkish one at that, complete with steam. 1871 Nashville, TN Fisk University was founded as an all-black university for the advanced education of former slaves. To raise money to support the school a select group of singers from the university choir began a national tour, the Fisk Jubilee Singers. With the exception of 1 year, they have been touring ever since. Early on they had difficulties because many hotels and restaurants turned them away on the basis of color (both South and North), but their music began breaking through. Musicologists were thrilled at what was first called “slave-song” singing and worked hard to transcribe and preserve them. The preservation and popularization of the African-American tradition of spirituals and gospel songs can be traced to Fisk Jubilee. Their energy and harmonies made them the toast of Europe on several occasions, performing for any crowned heads you want to name. 1876 Philadelphia, PA (Would all the Gnusies please wipe their feet out here? Thank you. Now, I’ll pull this door open but please walk as quietly as you can up this hall to a seat at one of those long tables…..and no talking, please! In an orderly, well-organized, carefully sequenced way, preciesly shelved and dusted, on this day (and keep your voice down) at a broad gathering as part of the American Centennial (Sshhhhh!) let me whisper it to you…. the American Library Association was founded. (No applause, please!)
1927 New York City. The end of one era and the beginning of another. The premiere of Warner Bros. feature film, “The Jazz Singer”, starring Al Jolson singing and dancing in blackface. There had been an earlier movie in 1926 (Don Juan) that had featured silent scenes, but musical passages synchronized to a record player piping these into the theater. “The Jazz Singer” was supposed to be like that, but Al Jolson had ad-libbed dialogue in 2 non-singing scenes that had also been recorded onto a record. (Prophetically, he had proclaimed, “"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You ain't heard nothin' yet!") so this was the beginning of talking, as well as singing, films. Studios learned quickly how to encode the soundtrack at the edge of the film in a way it could be picked up and amplified in the theater as sound, (rather than playing this off of records) and by 1930, silent films were already considered old-fashioned.
1948 Rusinga Island, Kenya It all started here, in the Great Rift Valley of Africa ; or rather, WE started here. On this day paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey (of the famed Leakey family) finds the first partial fossil skull of (the later named) proconsul africanus. The age of the find and the mix of characteristics showed Mary that she is looking as something (or someone?)who had children and grand-children, some of whom have now evolved into some of the apes, and some of whom have now evolved into……us, homo sapiens. (Homo? Person….ok. Sapientia….wise/wisdom? Some days you wonder if we deserve the adjective…..)
1955 Kings Park, NY After an act of Congress and a signature from President Eisenhower, Edward E.L. Lyon, a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) (did you spot the “RN” in the middle of the title?) became the first male nurse for the modern United States Army. While male nurses had been the norm in the profession until the Civil War, the wave of women entering the profession after the war was so overwhelming that in 1901 by Act of Congress the Army Nurse Corps was designated female only. The 1947 Army-Navy Nurse Act repeated this but in late 1954 was ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional. On the day Nurse Lyon was commissioned (a lieutenant) , just like 3500 women in the incoming class to the military.
1965 Brussels, Belgium When a new ambassador takes their post abroad, it is customary for the host country to make a fuss and for the Foreign Minister to welcome the new ambassador with some public pomp and circumstance. Often, this includes the entrance of the ambassador to their own country’s national anthem as they step forward and present their credentials to the host country. On this day ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was played by a Belgian military band for newly appointed and confirmed Patricia Harris from the United States. She was the first African-American woman to serve as an American Ambassador.
1995 Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France On this night Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz had telescope time over in France at this observatory and were studying a star in the Pegasus constellation called 51 Pegasi. The star is a yellow one, close to the size of our sun and about 2 billion years older. After many careful measurements, they were able to announce the first discovery of a planet (an “exoplanet”) orbiting a star other than ours. They named the planet was Dimidium and it is estimated to have a mass about ½ that of our Jupiter, orbiting very close to its star and therefore with temperatures estimated at 1200 C. The discovery earned Mayor and Queloz the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019. May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring. Shalom.
On the Lighter Side
Quote(s) of the Day A fight is going on inside me," said an old man to his son. "It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you." The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, "Which wolf will win?" The old man replied simply, "The one you feed.” — Wendy Mass Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. — Alfred the Great The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance. — Samuel Butler The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human. — Aldous Huxley We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living. If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, brethren! Be careful, teachers! — Martin Luther King, Jr. The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. — Josef Goebbels Required Pet Photo I got yer hamberder right here, asshole! How about I jam it through your damn mask! Closing Notes
To all of our fellow resisters, rounderuppers and gnusies recovering from illness or injury lots of hugs, including {{{{oldhippiedude}}}}, {{{{Msdude}}}}, our Tuesday partner {{{{niftywriter}}}}, {{{{karij}}}}, {{{{ElizabethinNYC}}}}, {{{{Arel1}}}}, {{{{Crankylib}}}} and to our entire {{{{Gnuville}}}} community during this time of uncertainty.
Yosef 52’s latest guide to how to help get rid of republicans. Share this far and wide: Ignore All Polls. Assume NOTHING. Prepare for ANYTHING. GET OUT THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE.
Last night the Shade explored some new ways they’ll try to change the subject: The National Embarrassment Continues to Embarrass, Bigly - Evening Shade, Monday


Moral politics

Back in the 90s George Lakoff wrote Moral Politics , where he outlined two competing models of the ideal family which correspond to conservative and progressive political systems .
The question which forms these different beliefs is , `` If your baby was crying in the night , would you pick her up ? ''
The Strict Father morality would say no , and the nurturant parent would say yes .
The primary virtue of strict father morality is strength , while for the nurturant parent it is compassion .
This relates to the authoritative vs benevolent gods of Bader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Four Gods .
It 's reflected in , `` From each according to his ability , to each according his need , '' and works vs faith .
With the strict father , you have to earn his favor , but with the nurturant parent , you 're bestowed unmerited grace .
It seems both are good and have to be balanced .
It seems our economy is based on the strict father model .
Also , the Protestant Work Ethic , where you invest your surplus back in the business .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor of a Mexican village how they spent tax revenue and grants from the state .
He replied mostly on fiestas , because they had eight patron saints .
A nurturant parent model would be more redistributive .
But they call that socialism .
There 's a problem with putting an economic value or price on everything , the illusion that the only value is quantitative .
It leads to the belief that economics is the most important thing .
Aesthetic value is important , too .
If we used more of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inequality , we would still have enough to grow the economy .

Back in the 90s George Lakoff wrote Moral Politics, where he outlined two competing models of the ideal family which correspond to conservative and progressive political systems. The question which forms these different beliefs is, "If your baby was crying in the night, would you pick her up?" The Strict Father morality would say no, and the nurturant parent would say yes. The primary virtue of strict father morality is strength, while for the nurturant parent it is compassion. This relates to the authoritative vs benevolent gods of Bader and Froese's analysis, in America's Four Gods. It's reflected in, "From each according to his ability, to each according his need," and works vs faith. With the strict father, you have to earn his favor, but with the nurturant parent, you're bestowed unmerited grace. It seems both are good and have to be balanced.
It seems our economy is based on the strict father model. Also, the Protestant Work Ethic, where you invest your surplus back in the business. To contrast, a researcher asked a mayor of a Mexican village how they spent tax revenue and grants from the state. He replied mostly on fiestas, because they had eight patron saints. A nurturant parent model would be more redistributive. But they call that socialism. There's a problem with putting an economic value or price on everything, the illusion that the only value is quantitative. It leads to the belief that economics is the most important thing. Aesthetic value is important, too. If we used more of the surplus to reduce suffering instead of increasing inequality, we would still have enough to grow the economy.


dailykos--2020-10-07--When did Trump know of his Covid exposure?  More attention should be paid to this Rose Garden event.

Trump , his administration , and his doctors have been publicly unwilling , and contradictory , about identifying when Trump first learned — even if by a preliminary test — that he was , or potentially was , Covid positive .
The most obvious tell here is that the Trump people refuse to answer when Trump last tested negative for Covid .
Some have argued that this is because Trump actually is n't tested regularly , but it also could be that he is tested regularly and the last negative test came back a while ago , with more recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) thereafter .
As to this important inquiry , more attention should be paid to the below video of Trump holding a Rose Garden press event on Monday , September 28 - the day before his debate with Biden and during the same week that Hope Hicks and then President Trump were forced to disclose that they had the Coronavirus .
So , what is so interesting ?
Look at the video below ( have to scroll to about the 20:50 mark ) — this is the first time ever that the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was designed entirely to keep everyone from Trump , and not from each other .
For the first time , Trump had his own podium , and everyone else shared a different podium .
And we are not talking about something presentational , or some perfunctory 6-8 distancing .
Everyone is kept from the President , and ( this is no small consideration ) far enough to be outside the camera shot of Trump .
Give it a look : Let ’ s be clear : who was kept drastically away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch , it is the Vice President , a military general , an administration health official .
Why for the first time ?
This remains unexplained and , to me , it is highly dubious to say that this sudden distancing , the same week the Trump Covid infections came tumbling out , is a mere “ coincidence.
” Remember , there is no evidence that the Trump folks intended to disclose these Covid episodes ; it only became public when a Bloomberg reporter forced the administration ’ s hand .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am suggesting .
Since all of this , the White House started to push the notion that Trump was not tested daily , or all too regularly , As another Kos post noted , the NYT reports : Two officials maintained that Mr. Trump had been tested before the presidential debate , but the White House has yet to affirm that .
White House officials conceded on Tuesday that there had been an impression created that Mr. Trump was getting tested every day , and a reliance on testing as if it were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnostic .
Yet the president himself was not tested every day , according to two people familiar with the practices .
A senior administration official would only say on Tuesday that Mr. Trump was tested “ regularly.
” Mr. Trump himself told reporters in the White House briefing room in July that “ I do take probably on average a test every two days , three days.
” Note what this says : President Trump had been tested before the Biden debate and this Rose Garden appearance , but no representation that such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive .
Instead , the thrust of the WH comments is designed to say the timing of tests is all random and even unknowable , and this not an area to pursue — when it should be the most plainly documented thing .
As I explain this , it sounds complicated .
When did Trump last receive a negative Covid test ?
Why did the WH for the first time on that Monday keep Trump away from every speaker ?
So , what do you think ?
Is everything shown above a mere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so .

Trump, his administration, and his doctors have been publicly unwilling, and contradictory, about identifying when Trump first learned — even if by a preliminary test — that he was, or potentially was, Covid positive. The most obvious tell here is that the Trump people refuse to answer when Trump last tested negative for Covid. Some have argued that this is because Trump actually isn't tested regularly, but it also could be that he is tested regularly and the last negative test came back a while ago, with more recent, undisclosed positive Covid test(s) thereafter.
As to this important inquiry, more attention should be paid to the below video of Trump holding a Rose Garden press event on Monday, September 28 - the day before his debate with Biden and during the same week that Hope Hicks and then President Trump were forced to disclose that they had the Coronavirus.
So, what is so interesting? Look at the video below (have to scroll to about the 20:50 mark) — this is the first time ever that the Trump administration employed serious social distancing — and it was designed entirely to keep everyone from Trump, and not from each other. For the first time, Trump had his own podium, and everyone else shared a different podium. And we are not talking about something presentational, or some perfunctory 6-8 distancing. Everyone is kept yards away from the President, and (this is no small consideration) far enough to be outside the camera shot of Trump. Give it a look:
Let’s be clear: who was kept drastically away from Trump on this Monday? If you watch, it is the Vice President, a military general, an administration health official.
Why for the first time? This remains unexplained and, to me, it is highly dubious to say that this sudden distancing, the same week the Trump Covid infections came tumbling out, is a mere “coincidence.” Remember, there is no evidence that the Trump folks intended to disclose these Covid episodes; it only became public when a Bloomberg reporter forced the administration’s hand.
And I want to be clear about what I am suggesting. Since all of this, the White House started to push the notion that Trump was not tested daily, or all too regularly, As another Kos post noted, the NYT reports:
Two officials maintained that Mr. Trump had been tested before the presidential debate, but the White House has yet to affirm that. White House officials conceded on Tuesday that there had been an impression created that Mr. Trump was getting tested every day, and a reliance on testing as if it were a curative measure as opposed to a diagnostic. Yet the president himself was not tested every day, according to two people familiar with the practices. A senior administration official would only say on Tuesday that Mr. Trump was tested “regularly.” Mr. Trump himself told reporters in the White House briefing room in July that “I do take probably on average a test every two days, three days.”
Note what this says: President Trump had been tested before the Biden debate and this Rose Garden appearance, but no representation that such tests whether or not the tests were positive. Instead, the thrust of the WH comments is designed to say the timing of tests is all random and even unknowable, and this not an area to pursue — when it should be the most plainly documented thing.
As I explain this, it sounds complicated. When did Trump last receive a negative Covid test? Why did the WH for the first time on that Monday keep Trump away from every speaker?


Sangfroid and Schadenfreude

During the last couple of years , I have been struggling to maintain my sangfroid .
If you are not familiar with this term , it refers to the presence of mind and composure one maintains in the face of danger or in trying circumstances .
We best not be foolhardy in going forward when our circumstances are fraught , with elevated uncertainty and insecurity .
But neither should we be overcome by cowardice or allow a growing agitation and anxiety to deplete our energy or subvert our will .
Our situation , whether we consider it in terms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the nation as such , seems imperiled by so many factors over which we have so little control .
One phenomenon I have observed over the last two decades of our national life is an increasingly robust schadenfreude .
If this term isn ’ t familiar to you , the simplest way to think about it is to see it as the ardent satisfaction or euphoria one feels when one ’ s opponent suffers a loss ; it ’ s the delight we feel after seeing another whom we consider an adversary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is accompanied by moral , social , or even physical injury and humiliation .
We like to think of this as the comeuppance our nemesis gets , the just deserts deserved by deranged and despicable deportment .
With extreme polarization as the characteristic feature of our politics up and down the line , accompanied by factionalism intent on manipulating the political processes to partisan advantage , the zero-sum game of politics produces wave after wave of schadenfreude among the victors and profound discomfort and distress among the vanquished .
The political arena in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level , is full of sadists : those who intend to hurt others and who become extraordinarily excited at the pain and suffering inflicted on others .
In every practical sense , this affliction of playing the zero-sum game where winning entails diminishing the vaunted political rival is evident in both political parties in power , so while there is no honor among combatants , there is shame aplenty to go all around .
At present , we are deeply divided , seemingly intransigent in our opposition to one another and thoroughly unwilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that does not entail a zero-sum calculus .
But we should remind ourselves that we have been more or less divided in various periods throughout our history .
Moreover , our divisions are not limited to the political parties or their ideologies—Republican or Democrat , conservative or progressive , limited government or big government .
We are also divided along the lines of socioeconomic status , racial and ethnic identity , gender and sexual orientation , moral sensibilities , immigration and citizenship , health status , ability , religion , and countless other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to account for the diversity of overarching worldviews , personal and social ethics and the moral decisions that exhibit them .
This diversity also includes a variety of views on the nature of what is ultimate and penultimate , what is real and true , and how it is that we can come to know truth and facticity .
We are confronted with multiple construals—constructions—of what has transpired in our history to bring us to this moment as well as how it is that this history demonstrates , undergirds , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values we take to be axiomatic to meaningful personal and socioeconomic existence .
Invariably , what we take to be our own and our primary group ’ s metanarrative that explains a moral , social , and religious totality will be encountered by another group ’ s metanarrative that will be taken as an intolerable and aberrant ideology that must be squelched .
Coexistence , or modus vivendi , is not an option , for the mere existence of a competing rendering ever lays limits to a metanarrative ’ s capacity to explain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over its claim to ultimacy .
What will it take to neutralize the politics of schadenfreude ?
Given this fact of diversity and the deeply embedded structures that give plausibility and meaning to the competing metanarratives , how can we achieve “ a more perfect union , ” an authentically free and just society where everyone need have no doubt or dissonance about their status as full and equal participants in our democratic society ?
Even as one who identifies with the Christian tradition , I nevertheless know it would not be appropriate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for my tradition in leading the way to resolution .
Though I may believe that the metanarrative I inhabit is ultimate and has the capacity to explain and interpret the world and everyone ’ s place within it , that belief stands alongside , and even over against , the beliefs of others who also claim an ultimacy and comprehensiveness for their worldview .
Indeed , as we know , there are many , many such systems of explanation of what is real and true , authoritative and normative , many religious , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethical systems not only represented in our own society but around the world , and no single system or metanarrative has a legitimate claim to binding universality .
Nor should it have .
There is no warrant for such a claim in a political system such as ours where the fundamental principles of freedom and equality are constitutionally enshrined .
The challenge is not whether one of these metanarratives shall prevail over all others , but whether free and diverse individuals can truly exhibit the equality , peace , and justice required for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Though I may draw on my religious tradition to clarify and justify my position on a matter of public policy , it is inappropriate , given religious freedom codified in the First Amendment , to argue publicly that my position ought to be implemented precisely because it is described or authorized by my tradition and its claim to ultimacy .
Not everyone among us is religious or even Christian , let alone shares my particular hermeneutic on the access and retrieval of the biblical witness related to contemporary policy issues .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socialist or a utilitarian moralist or a Zen Buddhist or an existential atheist to advocate for a policy position for reasons that are peculiar and endemic to their school of thought .
The question , then , is really this : How is a peaceful and just society to exist , endure , and thrive when it is made up of diverse individuals and groups—and their institutions—who do not agree with each other regarding interpretations , authorities , and norms , and whose disagreements are essentially intractable ?
The answer is clearly not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discerned in the pattern of fundamental democratic values of freedom and equality we supposedly all hold and cherish deeply .
No one ideology , philosophy , or theology can legitimately claim the status of normativity and universality .
Rather , sociopolitical and religious traditions are free to offer their belief systems and values and their reasonable justifications to the ongoing conversation regarding the common good and the conditions necessary for flourishing in our society , but they are not free to impose them .
The resolution is most likely to be found in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to include all stakeholders in the conversation and moves toward negotiated compromise and reasonable accommodation .
Thus , the challenge is for Republicans and Democrats , progressives and conservatives , and the adherents of the rich variety of religious traditions among us altogether to enact mutual engagement that extends across social , political and religious boundaries , and is marked by peaceability , mindfulness , self-control , equanimity—in short , sangfroid .

During the last couple of years, I have been struggling to maintain my sangfroid. If you are not familiar with this term, it refers to the presence of mind and composure one maintains in the face of danger or in trying circumstances. We best not be foolhardy in going forward when our circumstances are fraught, with elevated uncertainty and insecurity. But neither should we be overcome by cowardice or allow a growing agitation and anxiety to deplete our energy or subvert our will.
Our situation, whether we consider it in terms of the impact on individuals, communities, or the nation as such, seems imperiled by so many factors over which we have so little control. One phenomenon I have observed over the last two decades of our national life is an increasingly robust schadenfreude. If this term isn’t familiar to you, the simplest way to think about it is to see it as the ardent satisfaction or euphoria one feels when one’s opponent suffers a loss; it’s the delight we feel after seeing another whom we consider an adversary undergo a thrashing, especially when it is accompanied by moral, social, or even physical injury and humiliation. We like to think of this as the comeuppance our nemesis gets, the just deserts deserved by deranged and despicable deportment.
With extreme polarization as the characteristic feature of our politics up and down the line, accompanied by factionalism intent on manipulating the political processes to partisan advantage, the zero-sum game of politics produces wave after wave of schadenfreude among the victors and profound discomfort and distress among the vanquished. The political arena in this country, especially at the national level, is full of sadists: those who intend to hurt others and who become extraordinarily excited at the pain and suffering inflicted on others. In every practical sense, this affliction of playing the zero-sum game where winning entails diminishing the vaunted political rival is evident in both political parties in power, so while there is no honor among combatants, there is shame aplenty to go all around.
At present, we are deeply divided, seemingly intransigent in our opposition to one another and thoroughly unwilling and unable to find a way forward that does not entail a zero-sum calculus. But we should remind ourselves that we have been more or less divided in various periods throughout our history. Moreover, our divisions are not limited to the political parties or their ideologies—Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive, limited government or big government. We are also divided along the lines of socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic identity, gender and sexual orientation, moral sensibilities, immigration and citizenship, health status, ability, religion, and countless other markers. Adding to this, increasingly we need to account for the diversity of overarching worldviews, personal and social ethics and the moral decisions that exhibit them. This diversity also includes a variety of views on the nature of what is ultimate and penultimate, what is real and true, and how it is that we can come to know truth and facticity. We are confronted with multiple construals—constructions—of what has transpired in our history to bring us to this moment as well as how it is that this history demonstrates, undergirds, and justifies the beliefs, attitudes, and values we take to be axiomatic to meaningful personal and socioeconomic existence. Invariably, what we take to be our own and our primary group’s metanarrative that explains a moral, social, and religious totality will be encountered by another group’s metanarrative that will be taken as an intolerable and aberrant ideology that must be squelched. Coexistence, or modus vivendi, is not an option, for the mere existence of a competing rendering ever lays limits to a metanarrative’s capacity to explain anything and casts the shadow of doubt over its claim to ultimacy.
What will it take to neutralize the politics of schadenfreude? Given this fact of diversity and the deeply embedded structures that give plausibility and meaning to the competing metanarratives, how can we achieve “a more perfect union,” an authentically free and just society where everyone need have no doubt or dissonance about their status as full and equal participants in our democratic society?
Even as one who identifies with the Christian tradition, I nevertheless know it would not be appropriate for me to claim some normative status for my tradition in leading the way to resolution. Though I may believe that the metanarrative I inhabit is ultimate and has the capacity to explain and interpret the world and everyone’s place within it, that belief stands alongside, and even over against, the beliefs of others who also claim an ultimacy and comprehensiveness for their worldview. Indeed, as we know, there are many, many such systems of explanation of what is real and true, authoritative and normative, many religious, political, economic, social, and ethical systems not only represented in our own society but around the world, and no single system or metanarrative has a legitimate claim to binding universality. Nor should it have. There is no warrant for such a claim in a political system such as ours where the fundamental principles of freedom and equality are constitutionally enshrined. The challenge is not whether one of these metanarratives shall prevail over all others, but whether free and diverse individuals can truly exhibit the equality, peace, and justice required for a secure and enduring democratic society.
Though I may draw on my religious tradition to clarify and justify my position on a matter of public policy, it is inappropriate, given religious freedom codified in the First Amendment, to argue publicly that my position ought to be implemented precisely because it is described or authorized by my tradition and its claim to ultimacy. Not everyone among us is religious or even Christian, let alone shares my particular hermeneutic on the access and retrieval of the biblical witness related to contemporary policy issues. But it is no less inappropriate for a Marxian socialist or a utilitarian moralist or a Zen Buddhist or an existential atheist to advocate for a policy position for reasons that are peculiar and endemic to their school of thought.
The question, then, is really this: How is a peaceful and just society to exist, endure, and thrive when it is made up of diverse individuals and groups—and their institutions—who do not agree with each other regarding interpretations, authorities, and norms, and whose disagreements are essentially intractable?
The answer is clearly not zero-sum politics. Rather, it is discerned in the pattern of fundamental democratic values of freedom and equality we supposedly all hold and cherish deeply. No one ideology, philosophy, or theology can legitimately claim the status of normativity and universality. Rather, sociopolitical and religious traditions are free to offer their belief systems and values and their reasonable justifications to the ongoing conversation regarding the common good and the conditions necessary for flourishing in our society, but they are not free to impose them.
The resolution is most likely to be found in disciplined and reasoned dialogue that demonstrates the commitment to include all stakeholders in the conversation and moves toward negotiated compromise and reasonable accommodation. Thus, the challenge is for Republicans and Democrats, progressives and conservatives, and the adherents of the rich variety of religious traditions among us altogether to enact mutual engagement that extends across social, political and religious boundaries, and is marked by peaceability, mindfulness, self-control, equanimity—in short, sangfroid.


dailykos--2020-10-09--Prescience from the past century -

Prescience from the past century -

Octavia E. Butler wrote “ Parable of the Talents ” in 1998 and included the following ; Choose your leaders @ @ @ @ @ To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward @ @ @ @ @ by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool .
@ @ @ @ @ thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen .
To be @ @ @ @ @ to ask to be told lies .
To be led by a tyrant is to @ @ @ @ @ love into slavery .

Octavia E. Butler wrote “Parable of the Talents” in 1998 and included the following;
Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.
To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen.
To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.


dailykos--2020-10-09--Liberate America. Vote trump Out. Then Lock Him Up!

Nero , Caligula , King George III , Napoleon , Jackson , Stalin , Hitler , Mussolini , Castro , Hussein , and Bin Laden .
These are a few of the men that history has recorded as being authoritarian murderers .
Of course , we fought the American Revolution with George Washington ’ s help to end King George III ’ s stranglehold on our necks over two hundred years ago .
And unfortunately , we ’ re still fighting to end the ripple effects of Bin Laden ’ s 911 carnage .
It amazes me to see that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eligible to be a part of this infamous F list of authoritarian murderers .
Of course , trump is such a narcissist to believe that he should be a member of history ’ s A list that includes Washington , Hamilton , Lincoln , the Roosevelts , Churchill , Eisenhower , Kennedy , King , Johnson , Mandela , and Lewis .
That might occur in an alternate reality ( note the likely true origin of Conway ’ s alternative facts meme ) , but it will never happen in our reality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ How many more people will America allow trump to harm , to infect , and to kill before he is removed from office ?
There is no limit to the documentation of his criminal and immoral acts against us , no end to his lies and misrepresentations , and yet even after the immoral separation of immigrant families , the slurs against Latinos , the stoking of racial hatred , and even the encouragement of white nationalists to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmer , this sorriest excuse for an American President continues his mockery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piles up more and more points to join the F list of authoritarian murderers .
It ’ s time to liberate America from this sick and twisted despot .
It ’ s time to vote him out of our most sacred office .
And it ’ s time to lock him up for all his crimes against humanity .

Nero, Caligula, King George III, Napoleon, Jackson, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Castro, Hussein, and Bin Laden. These are a few of the men that history has recorded as being authoritarian murderers. Of course, we fought the American Revolution with George Washington’s help to end King George III’s stranglehold on our necks over two hundred years ago. And unfortunately, we’re still fighting to end the ripple effects of Bin Laden’s 911 carnage. It amazes me to see that America has allowed President trump to become eligible to be a part of this infamous F list of authoritarian murderers.
Of course, trump is such a narcissist to believe that he should be a member of history’s A list that includes Washington, Hamilton, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Churchill, Eisenhower, Kennedy, King, Johnson, Mandela, and Lewis. That might occur in an alternate reality (note the likely true origin of Conway’s alternative facts meme), but it will never happen in our reality.
The only question that remains is: How many more people will America allow trump to harm, to infect, and to kill before he is removed from office? There is no limit to the documentation of his criminal and immoral acts against us, no end to his lies and misrepresentations, and yet even after the immoral separation of immigrant families, the slurs against Latinos, the stoking of racial hatred, and even the encouragement of white nationalists to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmer, this sorriest excuse for an American President continues his mockery of America and its allies, and piles up more and more points to join the F list of authoritarian murderers.
It’s time to liberate America from this sick and twisted despot. It’s time to vote him out of our most sacred office. And it’s time to lock him up for all his crimes against humanity.


dailykos--2020-10-09--Justices Breyer and Scalia debate each other.  On TV.  Fairly and politely.

As we all begin to turn our attention to the Supreme Court again , I came across the below YouTube video of a 2009 debate between US Supreme Court Justices Breyer and Scalia .
It is a breath of fresh air and I believe it is unthinkable today .
( Scalia may deserve some credit for this as he seemed to enjoy such public debates and there are other videos up , such as him semi-debating RBG. )
.
You certainly wo n't see this level of candor in a confirmation hearing .
So , if you enjoy all things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you give it a play .
I will say that Justice Stephen Breyer has been overlooked , and to a degree ( no doubt he doesn ’ t care ) overshadowed by RBG .
Breyer was long thought of as an obvious Democratic Supreme Court nominee .
He is sort of ostentatiously an “ old time ” intellectual , and a progressive leaning intellectual .
And in that vein , his few prior public appearances ( and book tours , CNN , etc . )
have sometimes made him look like an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not .
He is smart , patient , polite .
.
.
and devastating .
Just watch .

As we all begin to turn our attention to the Supreme Court again, I came across the below YouTube video of a 2009 debate between US Supreme Court Justices Breyer and Scalia . It is a breath of fresh air and I believe it is unthinkable today. (Scalia may deserve some credit for this as he seemed to enjoy such public debates and there are other videos up, such as him semi-debating RBG.). You certainly won't see this level of candor in a confirmation hearing. So, if you enjoy all things Supreme Court related, I strongly recommend that you give it a play.
I will say that Justice Stephen Breyer has been overlooked, and to a degree (no doubt he doesn’t care) overshadowed by RBG. Breyer was long thought of as an obvious Democratic Supreme Court nominee. He is sort of ostentatiously an “old time” intellectual, and a progressive leaning intellectual. And in that vein, his few prior public appearances (and book tours, CNN, etc.) have sometimes made him look like an effete, academic type.
But he is not. He is smart, patient, polite . . . and devastating. Just watch.