OK, so what to make of the 24 hour BuzzFeed story extravaganza? To recap, BuzzFeed's two reporters, Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier, put out a story late Thursday night with this lede: "President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials … [Read more...] about What to make of the disputed Buzzfeed “bombshell” report on Cohen/Trump
Another Day, Another Trump Disaster, And Another, And Another…Beetlejuice Government?
It’s as if the country’s being run by Beetlejuice. by Michael Winship I’ve been trying to write something about the events of the past few days for the last week and a half, and every time I set out to achieve editorial brilliance, or at least try to keep typos and the splitting of infinitives to a minimum, something else wacky happens and it’s back to square one. I’d … [Read more...] about Another Day, Another Trump Disaster, And Another, And Another…Beetlejuice Government?
The Hathora (Hammer) Group and the Me Too Movement
Note: A victim of a crime is a victim only, without blame or shame, a victim only. Recently someone I know approached me with his experience of being at the receiving end of the Me Too Movement, an experience which devastated his life as he felt wrongly accused. I do not know the merits of the case, but it did get me thinking some. Me Too Movement, is real and here to … [Read more...] about The Hathora (Hammer) Group and the Me Too Movement
El Chapo trial shows why a wall won’t stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border
An artist’s sketch of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán at a 2018 pretrial hearing in a Brooklyn Federal courthouse. Elizabeth Williams via AP, File Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong Leer en español. The trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera has exposed just how powerful Mexico’s cartels really are. The trial has now … [Read more...] about El Chapo trial shows why a wall won’t stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border
Cartoon: Mitch McConnell
Pelosi seizes initiative in trench warfare with Trump
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is driving President Trump nuts -- a very short drive indeed -- by doing something he simply cannot abide: She's stealing the spotlight. She is also seizing the initiative in the trench warfare over Trump's government shutdown and his imaginary border wall, audaciously telling the president that the State of the Union address should … [Read more...] about Pelosi seizes initiative in trench warfare with Trump
Game, Set and Match?
If Trump specifically directed Cohen to conceal the true status of Trump Moscow in his Congressional testimony, that is subornation of perjury, a crime. It’s the kind of crime Congress can’t ignore. It would have to be that precise and there’s got to be corroborating evidence. Cohen vs Trump won’t do it. Wait! There’s More! Prior to his testimony, Cohen filed a written … [Read more...] about Game, Set and Match?
Male or female, who cares? Take responsibility for your kids.
Traditionally, women raised children while men went into the workforce, but this "Leave it to Beaver" scenario has become antediluvian. Nowadays, both men and women share equal responsibility for raising the children and bringing home the bacon. However, the legal field changes approximately as quickly as a snail can travel, and as a result, many family courts still exhibit … [Read more...] about Male or female, who cares? Take responsibility for your kids.
(FINAL UPDATE) ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills Four U.S. Personnel in Syria
FINAL UPDATE: The fourth American killed in the suicide bombing in Syria on Wednesday has been identified. She is 27-year-old Ghadir Taher, an Arabic interpreter and naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated to the United States from Syria in 2001. The Stars and Stripes: Born and raised in Damascus, Ghadir Taher became a naturalized U.S. citizen after … [Read more...] about (FINAL UPDATE) ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills Four U.S. Personnel in Syria
Trump’s Wall: A Sign of Failure
According to unofficial and somewhat dated reports, one of Qin Shi Huang’s major campaign promises to the hordes when running for emperor of a unified China was to (re)build a “Great Wall of China” which, he promised, the XiongNu to the North would pay for. Qin’s battle cry was “Build that Wall” "Build and move on." Of course, the XiongNu never paid for the earthen … [Read more...] about Trump’s Wall: A Sign of Failure
Putin Winning (Cartoon)
How Much Can America Take?
It never stops. There’s never a day that goes by where there’s not a major dust-up over something generated by Trump. Dominating the airways, he cannot keep his mouth shut and his words carry us from one bizarre situation to another. Though there’s always something new that has arisen or that’s on the horizon, there are certain phrases that are repetitive, either on Twitter, … [Read more...] about How Much Can America Take?
Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity
[ Title cite: Ecclesiastes 1:2] Hannity, Hannity, fatter than a Manatee... ~ John Cleese, from a poem by Yes, Virginia, this IS a fisking, but a needed and almost never seen in my writings, fisking of a Lonesome Rhodes sort of display in the mass media that ought to shock us, both as an absurdist but dangerous defense of the Madness of Donald Trump, and as a … [Read more...] about Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity
Another of the Last ‘Code Talkers’ Dies
I have always been fascinated by and admired a group of brave men who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II: Native Americans who used their ancient Navajo language as an unbreakable code to transmit secret messages, stymieing the enemy. From a 2008 CIA piece: The Navajo language seemed to be the perfect option as a code because it is not written and very few … [Read more...] about Another of the Last ‘Code Talkers’ Dies
Fast Food Traitor (Cartoon and Column)
I drew this because too many people asked me to do a hamburger cartoon. In case you didn’t watch the news, Putin, I mean Trump hosted Clemson University’s football team for winning the national championship. Since there’s a government shutdown and the staff of the White House is depleted, Trump served fast food. There were Big Macs, pizza, Whoppers, and other fast food junk … [Read more...] about Fast Food Traitor (Cartoon and Column)
The politics of fear: How fear goes tribal, allowing us to be manipulate
White nationalists clash with protesters at the Aug. 12, 2017 Charlottesville, Va. rally that turned deadly violent. Steve Helber/AP Photo Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University Fear is arguably as old as life. It is deeply ingrained in the living organisms that have survived extinction through billions of years of evolution. Its roots are deep in … [Read more...] about The politics of fear: How fear goes tribal, allowing us to be manipulate
Please help Donald Trump find work during the shutdown
WASHINGTON -- President Trump needs a job. The government is shuttered, and the president has nothing to do. "I am in the White House waiting for you!" he tweeted plaintively to Democrats on Saturday. "I'm in the White House, waiting," the underemployed executive tweeted again on Sunday. "I've been waiting all weekend," he tweeted on Monday. "I am all alone (poor … [Read more...] about Please help Donald Trump find work during the shutdown
Theresa May Brexit deal hammered in parliament, but be wary of prospects of a new ‘consensus’ approach
Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey Another day, another record. The 230 majority against the motion to approve Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement on the UK’s exit from the EU smashes pretty much any parliamentary record one cares to discover. That May’s immediate response was to make time for the house to debate and vote on Labour’s motion of no-confidence in her the … [Read more...] about Theresa May Brexit deal hammered in parliament, but be wary of prospects of a new ‘consensus’ approach
Tantrum (Cartoon)
6 Tips for Preparing Heavy Equipment for Winter
Heavy equipment can be challenging to maintain throughout the year. In the winter, when temperatures drop and snow starts to fall, it becomes even more difficult. In the immortal words of Ned Stark, winter is coming — and it's expected to get worse as climate change continues to ravage our planet. If you keep a fleet of heavy machinery, what can you do to prepare it for the … [Read more...] about 6 Tips for Preparing Heavy Equipment for Winter