Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post has perhaps the best characterization of what E.J. Dionne Jr calls “unforgiveable recklessness”: the GOP tax bill. Marcus recalls Fiddler on the Roof’s “Sunrise, Sunset,” and sees “sunrise” in the phasing-in of provisions such as the eventual total elimination of the estate tax, while at first just doubling the size of estates exempt from … [Read more...] about The GOP’s Version of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
TEAM EFFORTS: A Feel Good Story
The abalone shell has nothing to do with the post. They just make me feel good and I have had them around me all my life. When I was at university in the seventies I met “Red”. Red had a challenging case of cerebral palsy or CP. He went from class to class and back home in a golf cart because walking the quarter mile was nearly impossible on a regular basis. Red … [Read more...] about TEAM EFFORTS: A Feel Good Story
Who will stand up to unforgivable recklessness?
WASHINGTON -- The GOP bill that should be called the Cut Taxes on President Trump and Other Very Rich People Act of 2017 always had a secondary purpose: to jack up the deficit so Republicans could later cry out in horror, "Look at that awful debt!" They'd then use the pools of red ink they created to justify deep cuts in social programs. But people who call themselves … [Read more...] about Who will stand up to unforgivable recklessness?
At climate talks, Canada steps up while the US steps down
During this week's UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany, Canada announced its plan to completely phase out the use of coal in power plants. This move runs in stark opposition to the US' current official stance on coal, as the Trump administration pursues a revival of the industry. Canadian Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is… … [Read more...] about At climate talks, Canada steps up while the US steps down
An absolutely not-made-up dossier on Trump’s early years
WASHINGTON -- "I just asked him again, and he said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they're saying he did. … I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it. … I think he's very insulted by it, if you want to know the truth. … I think that he is very, very strong in the fact that he didn't do it. … President Putin very strongly, … [Read more...] about An absolutely not-made-up dossier on Trump’s early years
Oceans drowning in plastic: UN Climate Change Conference
Ocean protection is crucial in fighting climate change – that is one of the key messages emanating from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. Presiding over the conference for the first time is the Pacific island of Fiji – itself no stranger to the devastation caused by climate change including storms and sea-level… … [Read more...] about Oceans drowning in plastic: UN Climate Change Conference
Some Personal Thoughts…
When I got up this morning, I found my dear wife, who never used to get too excited about “politics,” despondent and depressed to the point that I had to console her. She had been watching the latest shenanigans and Machiavellian going-ons -- to put it mildly -- in our government and, to be frank, in our beloved country, such as, most recently, in the state of Alabama. As … [Read more...] about Some Personal Thoughts…
Your One-Stop Guide to Planning a Political Brouhaha
Today's political climate has many wondering what they can do to become more involved. Last Tuesday's special state elections show that the desire for real political change is there — the job now is to carry that momentum forward to 2018 and beyond. Spurred on by Tuesday's victories, many who normally would not think of running for political office are considering giving it … [Read more...] about Your One-Stop Guide to Planning a Political Brouhaha
Trump Repudiation
Trump may pass it off as fake news but last week’s election was a frank repudiation of Trump, his actions and policies. More Americans are seeing that he is a dangerous blowhard and are punishing Republicans across the nation for supporting him. But what does this mean for 2018 and for the GOP agenda for tax reform? Could Republican leaders approach Democrats to try and craft … [Read more...] about Trump Repudiation
In Asia, Trump Brings America to the Brink
Embed from Getty Images by Maryla Król The threat of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions is, of course, already dominating Donald Trump’s presidential tour of Asia, which started this weekend. The trip – which includes stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines – is Trump’s first tour of the turbulent region and culminates with a major regional … [Read more...] about In Asia, Trump Brings America to the Brink
Interview with Mark Fallon
In his more than thirty years as an NCIS special agent and counterintelligence officer, Mark Fallon has investigated some of the most significant terrorist operations in US history, including the first bombing of the World Trade Center and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole. Soon after the September 11th attacks, Fallon was named Deputy Commander of the newly formed Criminal … [Read more...] about Interview with Mark Fallon
Maximum Bob Prepares To Lower A Very Big Boom On Those Unbelievable Flynns
A suspension of belief, as well as a vivid imagination, is sometimes required when grappling with the Russia scandal and its cast of characters. This is not because press accounts are not to be believed. They have been quite accurate. It is because some of the things that these characters have said and done are so unbelievable, and no more so than with Michael Flynn and his … [Read more...] about Maximum Bob Prepares To Lower A Very Big Boom On Those Unbelievable Flynns
One Year Later: The Political Cancer Metastasizes
by Neal Gabler Exactly one day short of one year after the election of Donald Trump, the fog finally seemed to lift and the skies brightened. On Tuesday, voters rejected Trumpism in New Jersey and in Virginia, where establishment Republican Ed Gillespie embraced Trump’s racism and nativism, indicating how deeply the president’s poison has penetrated even the precincts of the … [Read more...] about One Year Later: The Political Cancer Metastasizes
Cartoon: Scamalot
I said it in a blog post a few days ago, and I’m gonna say it again. I’m old enough to remember when protecting American from Russia was a part of the Republican Party’s platform. And, I don’t think I’m that old. Like Trump, when John F. Kennedy took office critics questioned if he was up to the task. People worried he was too young, inexperienced, and that a much more … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Scamalot
Will Mohammed bin Salman be Arabia’s Vladimir Putin?
If the events unfolding in Riyadh are any indication of what Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) will be like as a king, we are in for a bumpy ride for years ahead. The shake-up of the decades-old Saudi power consensus, as well as the presumably forced resignation of Saad Hariri in Riyadh, all mean… … [Read more...] about Will Mohammed bin Salman be Arabia’s Vladimir Putin?
Democracy and Old School Technology
Democratic procedures and modern electronic screen technology are not a good mix, for at least two reasons. First, after the 2016 election it is reasonable to conclude that the hard copy/paper method of voter record keeping is better than electronic record keeping, for two good reasons: privacy and vote count accuracy. Electronic records get hacked all the time, and no matter … [Read more...] about Democracy and Old School Technology
Trump’s real constituency: The Super Rich
WASHINGTON -- The focus on President Trump's political strength among white working-class voters distracts from a truth that may be more important: His rise depended on support from rich conservatives, and his program serves the interests of those who have accumulated enormous wealth. This explains why so few Congressional Republicans denounce him, no matter how close he … [Read more...] about Trump’s real constituency: The Super Rich
Trump goes belly up in China
Donald Trump has dumped all his macho stump rhetoric about China and morphed into a wimp. Since he probably never believed what he spouted in 2016, and it was all just performance art, his 2017 obsequity on Chinese soil is surely a shock to absolutely nobody. Lest we forget, Trump has been in Asia this week while the Republicans back home have been busy sifting the ashes of … [Read more...] about Trump goes belly up in China
Delhi smog shortening lives, say doctors as hospitals fill up
In the emergency ward of a Delhi hospital, men and women gasp for breath as they wait to be treated for symptoms triggered by the choking blanket of smog that descended on the Indian capital this week. Doctors at the government-run Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute say patient numbers have more than tripled since pollution levels spiked… … [Read more...] about Delhi smog shortening lives, say doctors as hospitals fill up
Roy Moore and Republicans, taking the Bible literally but not seriously
WASHINGTON -- So President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and fellow Republicans think Roy Moore, the GOP Senate nominee from Alabama, should quit his Senate run only "if these allegations are true." If true? Four women, on the record in The Washington Post, say Moore, when he was in his 30s, tried to date them as teens, and one of the women says he had sexual … [Read more...] about Roy Moore and Republicans, taking the Bible literally but not seriously