Members of the group, formerly known as the Republican Party, have insisted on pushing wildly unpopular policies and supporting a wildly unpopular leader. They have compromised every principle they ever professed in order to pursue power for power’s sake. The have lost the moral authority to call themselves the party of Lincoln. Hell, old Abe is probably spinning fast enough to power the entire east coast. The only reason they still have any relevance is the insane stubbornness of people unwilling to admit they made a mistake and the astonishing complacency exhibited by non-voters as their rights are eroded.
I take the obvious fact that so many people don’t or won’t pay attention as a personal affront. Half of us are political slackers who can’t be bothered to participate. “I don’t have the time to care about the future I’m leaving to my children” is not a ringing endorsement of civic responsibility. It’s also a reflection of something the right wing has made a significant part of their voter suppression policies — selling the idea that government is bad. The demonization of government by the followers of Norquist, et al has earned them all a special place in the hell I hope exists just so they can go there.
In addition to the slackers, a third of the rest of us participate without paying attention. I’m increasingly convinced this group is several chromosomes short of a full set. After all, these are the folks who want to take earned benefits away from the nasty freeloaders they see in the mirror every morning. For multiple choice questions they pick the stupid answer every time. They put the ‘gull’ in gullible. Their continued belligerent willingness to vote against their own interest because they’ve bought into an obvious con is truly deplorable.
All of that is no reason to hide under the bed waiting for the Redhats to gather us up for the reeducation camps. We, the people are the government. We, the people are the electorate. And we, the people have a job to do. We need to get us more involved one voter at a time. In the immortal words of Walt Kelly, “I have met the enemy, and he is us.” Giving up is not an option.
I will be scarce today, as I will be out haranguing voters to vote for our common future, and not the Fear-Mongerer-in-Chief’s dystopian hellscape.
Don Caron is going to get us started today with a catchy little number. I think I’ve heard the tune before, but I just can’t place it. And, why do I want tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur this early in the morning?
Ok, time for some news.
Trump Spanked with Rolled up Decision.
In today’s big story, tRump will be complaining that the House and the Judiciary are ganging up on him and it’s not fair because reasons. Judge Mehta was worth waiting for: “It is simply not fathomable that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a President for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct—past or present—even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry,”
Vox: A federal judge just ruled Trump can’t block a House subpoena for his financial records
A Washington, DC, federal judge has ruled against President Donald Trump in his fight to block House Democrats from getting his financial records, giving Democrats the first edge in their battle with the White House over congressional oversight.
In a Tuesday ruling, Judge Amit Mehta of the DC District Court decisively ruled in favor of the House Oversight Committee, whose chair, Elijah Cummings had subpoenaed 10 years’ worth of Trump’s financial records from accounting firm Mazars USA back in April.
“To be sure, there are limits on Congress’s investigative authority. But those limits do not substantially constrain Congress. So long as Congress investigates on a subject matter on which ‘legislation could be had,’ Congress acts as contemplated by Article I of the Constitution,” Mehta wrote. “Applying those principles here compels the conclusion that President Trump cannot block the subpoena to Mazars.”
Talking Points Memo: READ: Judge Smacks Down Trump Bid To Halt House Subpoena To Accountant
Judge Amit Mehta begins the opinion by quoting President James Buchanan accusing Congress of investigating him as a means of “furnishing material for harassing [the President], degrading him in the eyes of the country.”
“Some 160 years later, President Donald J. Trump has taken up the fight of his predecessor,” Mehta writes in the opinion, which offers a categorical rejection of the President’s arguments.
Mehta goes into his reasons for immediately issuing a ruling. “Plaintiffs could identify no new argument that they would make if given the chance to do so” after last week’s hearing, he writes, noting that Saturday was the last day for Trump to enter additional evidence into the record. That, Mehta writes, “consisted of news reports of public statements of various Members of Congress.”
Gun Fetishists in Freefall Without Chutes (or Ladders)
Over at the Not Relevant Anymore offices they are not having much fun these days. Between Wayne and Ollie’s little piddle puddle duel and the investigations by the NY-AG, they’ve taken to spanking each other’s bare bottoms with rolled up copies of The American Rifleman. As long as they are busy hemorrhaging money and convening circular firing squads to to display their tRumpian level blamestorming skills, they don’t have any time left to share thoughts and prayers. All the infighting is in addition to the New York review of their tax exempt status, the investigation of them funneling Russian money to the tRump campaign and the ongoing campaign of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas kids to confront the NRA directly over policy.
Rolling Stone: Leaked Documents Reveal ‘Mindboggling’ Spending at the National Rifle Association
Excessive spending at the National Rifle Association is “draining NRA cash at a mindboggling speed” and poses “an existential threat to the financial stability” of the gun group, according to slate of leaked documents that have spurred calls for the resignation of CEO Wayne LaPierre.
Perhaps the most striking documents are memos signed by now-former NRA president Oliver North. A letter dated April 18th outlines what North describes as “excessive” billing by the Brewster law firm. He calls for an “outside independent examination” of payments to the firm, on advice of the NRA board’s lawyer. (North has been since deposed as NRA president. The NRA board lawyer has also reportedly been dismissed.)
“The Brewer invoices are draining NRA cash at a mindboggling speed,” North writes, adding that the payments to Brewer “pose an existential threat to the financial stability of the NRA.” The letter alleges that, over the previous 13 months, Brewer billed the NRA “more than $18.5 million net after reimbursements.” Payments in the first quarter of 2019 alone allegedly approached $9 million, or “$97,787 per day, seven days a week, every day of every month.” The letter adds: “$97,0000 + a day is a stunning amount of money for any organization to pay.”
Wonkette: NRA's Dana Loesch Got Paid A Million Dollars To Make Videos Watched By A Thousand People Each
Let's say that Dana Loesch commands top dollar CPMs (cost per thousand ads shown). Let's say she gets a thirty dollar CPM. (Wonkette's were less than a dollar when we finally pulled the plug on ads. Once again: THANK YOU!) Her highest earning video would have made $231 -- before Youtube takes its cut.
But she certainly can see what rakes in the big big GIGANTIC big seven-thousand-views: Yelling at women of color. Don't think she hasn't noticed!
Now, of course Ackerman McQueen isn't charging the NRA $40 million per year just to run NRA-TV. They also have to pay for Wayne LaPierre's suits.
It’s Official — Eat Your Damn Broccoli
I like broccoli, and now I’m really happy about it.
Science Daily: Natural compound found in broccoli reawakens the function of potent tumor suppressor
Long associated with decreased risk of cancer, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables -- the family of plants that also includes cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, Brussels sprouts and kale -- contain a molecule that inactivates a gene known to play a role in a variety of common human cancers. In a new paper published today in Science, researchers, led by Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, Director of the Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, demonstrate that targeting the gene, known as WWP1, with the ingredient found in broccoli suppressed tumor growth in cancer-prone lab animals.
"We found a new important player that drives a pathway critical to the development of cancer, an enzyme that can be inhibited with a natural compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables," said Pandolfi. "This pathway emerges not only as a regulator for tumor growth control, but also as an Achilles' heel we can target with therapeutic options."
A well-known and potent tumor suppressive gene, PTEN is one of the most frequently mutated, deleted, down-regulated or silenced tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. Certain inherited PTEN mutations can cause syndromes characterized by cancer susceptibility and developmental defects. But because complete loss of the gene triggers an irreversible and potent failsafe mechanism that halts proliferation of cancer cells, both copies of the gene (humans have two copies of each gene; one from each parent) are rarely affected. Instead, tumor cells exhibit lower levels of PTEN, raising the question whether restoring PTEN activity to normal levels in the cancer setting can unleash the gene's tumor suppressive activity.
Hannity Insanity
Seth McFarland’s Family Guy Drinking Club takes on Hannity. Hilarity ensues. Spoiler: Family Guy wins.
Nigel Farage Appears to Be Quite Shaken
In international news, one of tRump’s besties is not doing so good. May he vanish back into the obscurity from whence he slithered never to be seen again.
The ground is shaking under Nigel Farage’s political future. He’s trying to milk his contacts for support, but he’s drowning in bad press (and banana and salted caramel from Five Guys)
BBC: Leave.EU founder confirms he funded Nigel Farage in year after referendum
Nigel Farage received £450,000 from the founder of pro-Brexit group Leave.EU in the year after the Brexit referendum.
Items paid for by Arron Banks included Mr Farage's London home, his car and trips to the US to meet Donald Trump.
Speaking at the launch of the Brexit party campaign in Scotland, Mr Farage said he did not declare it to the European Parliament because he was about to leave politics and had been seeking a new life in the US.
And there’s more:
The Guardian: Electoral Commission to visit Brexit party offices over funding concerns
The Electoral Commission has said it will attend the offices of Nigel Farage’s Brexit party to “review its systems” after Gordon Brown urged them to investigate concerns over the legality of the party’s funding.
The former prime minister told a Labour rally in Glasgow the commission had the powers to carry out live investigations during elections, and issue interim statements on whether it believes there are unanswered legal questions about party funding.
Brown said there were clear risks democracy was being damaged if the Brexit party was allowed to accept foreign and untraceable donations via the online payments service PayPal. Political gifts of under £500, whether made via PayPal or another route, do not have to be declared.
And then there’s this:
Farage is whining over spilt milk.
The Guardian: Nigel Farage doused with milkshake in Newcastle
Nigel Farage has been hit by a milkshake in Newcastle city centre, after a spate of similar incidents against far-right candidates in the European elections campaign.
The Brexit party leader appeared to be furious after the incident and was heard to mutter, “it’s a complete failure, you could have spotted that a mile off” as his security team led him away.
Last week police asked a McDonald’s restaurant near an Edinburgh venue where Farage was speaking not to sell milkshakes because of concerns protesters might throw them.
Updating Some Numbers as of 7PM 5/20/2019
The STATEMENT BY FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS now has 916 signatures.
Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice.
Devon Nunes’ Cow has 629,763 followers. Nunes has 473,544
Musical Interlude
In Memorium
Doris Day passed away last week at 97. She was a champion defender of pets.
Short Takes
The EPA has rules the space between Donald tRump’s ears to be a toxic wastedump and has designated Superfund monies for the cleanup.
There is a saying — There are no atheists at Fox News. Interestingly, protestations aside, none of them appear to follow the tenets of any major religion either. Speculation is that they worship some combination of money, power and Murdoch.
tRump is like a box of feces; you always know what he’s full of.
When you get to the bottom of the barrel there’s a spongy layer of rotting punky slime that permeates into the wood. That’s what you get rid of when you scrape the bottom of the barrel. It’s also where republicans get their candidates and appointees.
It turns out tRump is ruining farmer’s lives because he can’t spell. He wanted to do something to make people think he was a tariffic (sic) person.
Recently 56% percent of respondents to an education survey were opposed to teaching Arabic numerals. Those same 56% were also deemed to stupid to be trusted with sharp objects.
Republicans can’t spell honesty if you spot them the “h”, the “o”, the “n”, the “e”, the “s”, the “t”, the “y” and an instruction manual,
There’s been a lot of trouble with the tRump pinata. People love smashing it to bits. However, because of truth in advertising laws, no one is happy about the stinky candy substitute.
The Tuesday Contest
I was too busy too come up with a limerick contest this week (I forgot). So, how about sharing your best interpretation of MAGA instead. As always the winner will receive an exciting Noprize from the International Noprize Committe and be invited to Stockholm to accept their award (no expenses paid). My favorites is Making Attorneys Get Attorneys. I expect that to be my former favorite by the end of the day.
Required Pet Photo
Today’s Quote(s)
The dipstick in the White House is trying to keep secrets. Lots of folks have weighed in on this over the years. Here are a few.
The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. . . . To cover with the veil of secrecy the common routine of business, is an abomination in the eyes of every intelligent man. — Patrick Henry
Secrecy – the first refuge of incompetents – must be at a bare minimum in a democratic society, for a fully informed public is the basis of self-government. — U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Operations, 1960
The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. — John F. Kennedy
Secrecy begets tyranny. — Robert A. Heinlein
Closing Notes
Our friend, the indefatigable Yosef52, has some suggestions for how you can make a difference. He also has A Modest Suggestion for the House Democrats from a Pis*ed Off Democratic Activist
Abrazos muy fuertes para {{{{oldhippiedude}}}} y {{{{Msdude}}}}
{{{{niftywriter}}}} my every other Tuesday partner.
I’ll be standing out in front of the polls today, promoting our candidates and giving as much subtle ridicule to the republican candidates as I can get away with while still being civil. That means I won’t be here, so please feel obliged free to stand in for me and thank everyone on my behalf. I’ll try to check in in the afternoon when I break for lunch (and a nap).
#BeButter everyone.
Someone asked me why I have the Dead play us out whenever I do a GNR. I could put on my fanboy hat and say something inane like they are the greatest band in history and let it go at that. But it’s more of a personal appreciation of them because they taught me to appreciate so many varied styles of music. From bluegrass to jazz, classical to fusion, traditional to experimental; they turned me on to so much. Couple that with the activism and I’m just plain grateful. Today’s selection is from Madison Square Garden, Sept 10, 1991 with Bruce Hornsby on keyboads and Branford Marsalis on sax.
Disclaimer: If you did a spit take on your keyboard, I’m not paying for it. Stop asking.