If we subscribe to the aspirational premise* that we grow and evolve our societies in order to improve the lives of ALL of the members, there is no longer any rational reason for the continued existence of the republican party. By championing the gains of the few (that greedy trickle down crowd) and the oppression of everyone not in a protected class (eg misguided religious zealots, brazen hatemongers, and the aforementioned stinking rich), they’ve transitioned away from partners in America into direct despoilers of our national soul. Dishonesty and dickishness are not virtues.
The republican party has become an empty shell, lacking any noble purpose, careening erratically from manufactured crisis to whiny excuses for openly criminal acts. They are mostly energized by fear and cruelty. And, the majority of their actions are directly antithetical to the wellbeing of the nation. They have truly become a cult of hate.
Nary a day goes by that they don’t embarrass their roots by making some racist or bigoted statement. Personal integrity is so lacking that those who exhibit it are drummed from the party. No rancid utterance is too abhorrent to shout from the podium; No truth is too obvious to deny; No treason is too awful to commit. They stand for nothing.
I’m struck by just how empty and vapid they have become. Collectively their leaders have not made any substantive proposals in years. It’s all absurd, misdirected culture wars that intentionally misstate facts, self-serving lies, unfounded accusations, and ridiculous, debunked conspiracy theories. We’ve gone well past, “Where’s the meat?” to “Where’s the bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickle, special sauce, and meat?” It’s like they’ve discovered a new spreadable effect that actively repels rational, coherent thought and painted all over the entire party.
So, while we sit and watch them implode, hoist on their own perfidy, we need to remember to get out and vote. They aren’t going away quietly. We need to keep pushing.
*Anthropologists and Sociologists have explained this process starting from way back in prehistory, when we banded together as small family or clan groups to help each other survive. We moved from hunter gatherers to farmers, to eventually artisans, traders, scientists, and even entertainers. We graduated from living in caves, through villages and towns, and to the giant cities of today. Each step increased the complexity of our society. We are all interrelated and interdependent with each other, more and more so with every passing generation. Those who try to divide us into antagonistic camps do a disservice to all of us. They are neither honest nor useful to our future.
GET OUT THE VOTE!
We have the power. We have the ability. We can and we will do this.
Slava Ukraini!
Remember the Children
Screw you, Samuel Alito
Seth takes a Closer Look at the republican’s threadbare Commitment to America and general lack of any discernable ideology that is marginally different from the incessant scheming of tfg.
We’ve got news:
A View from Flyover Country
Its not only the coastal elites who are fed up with loose cannons on the federal bench.
Saint Louis Post Dispatch: Editorial Board: Editorial: Judge in documents case is clearly playing for Team Trump. She shouldn't preside.
First, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Donald Trump appointee, granted the former president’s request for a “special master” to review documents he took from the White House, a baffling decision derided by legal experts across the political spectrum. Worse, Cannon ruled that the FBI couldn’t have access to classified documents, thwarting a probe with national-security implications — another head-scratching stance that an appeals court later overturned in blistering language.✂️
But Cannon wasn’t done carrying Trump’s water. On Thursday, she ruled that Trump could ignore a decision from the special master — whom she appointed at Trump’s request — that would have required Trump’s lawyers to either prove his false claim that the FBI planted documents, or quit claiming it. In other words, said Cannon, Trump is free to continue muddying the case with innuendo without having to back it up.✂️
The Justice Department should ask Cannon to recuse herself, and if she refuses, it should appeal for reassignment of the case. This is too important to leave on the docket of someone whose loyalty is clearly to Trump instead of the law.
Those Lead Filled Shoes Keep on Dropping
Suff we didn’t actually know about exactly how much of a dishonest sleazebag tfg is keeps blasting out of the firehose of court cases he’s drowning in. CPAC CPR isn’t going to work for much longer.
Mother Jones: Russ Choma: 5 Ways the Trumps Allegedly Tried to Conceal Financial Fraud
New York Attorney General Letitia James recently filed a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his adult children, alleging the family had deliberately misled banks, insurance companies, and tax authorities about the value of Trump’s various properties. The heart of that allegation isn’t new—James has been fighting with the Trumps for nearly two years over access to company employees and records. But the case has now revealed an enormous amount about the inner-workings of the Trump Organization. That includes what James says the Trumps did to hide their alleged deceptions.
As part of her suit, James is attempting to prove that the Trumps did in fact try to conceal their efforts to use misleading numbers. The Trumps have argued that they did nothing wrong and have accused James of leading a political witch hunt against them. Here are a few of James’ most eyebrow-raising allegations:✂️
2. Allowing insurers to review Trump’s finances only in person
James says Trump didn’t just use fraudulent statements of financial condition to get loans he didn’t deserve, she charges that he was also dishonest with insurance companies, convincing them to give him more coverage for less. When insurers came asking to see proof of his worth, James says the Trumps often made things difficult, requiring some insurers to only look at financial statements in a person, in a room.
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
Did you know the schadenfreude tree blossoms in October? It’s spreading a beautiful bouquet of comeuppance all over the insurrectionists and other traders swirling around tfg.
Salon: Igor Derysh: Trump attorney lawyers up — and says she’s willing to cooperate with DOJ in Mar-a-Lago case: report
At least one member of former President Donald Trump's legal team has hired her own attorney — and allies are urging another to follow suit, according to The Washington Post. ✂️
Bobb has since hired her own lawyer, Florida-based former prosecutor John Lauro, and "made it known to Trump allies that she is willing to cooperate and be interviewed by the Justice Department," according to the Post. And colleagues have similarly urged Corcoran to hire a criminal defense lawyer because of his response to the subpoena, according to the report, but he has insisted it is not necessary.
Asked if she was negotiating to sit for an interview with the DOJ, Bobb told the outlet, "I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to talk about it."
Just When You Thought He Couldn’t Dig Any Deeper
He nothing more than a caricature of sour grapes rotting on a couch next to a 400 pound guy living in his grandmother’s basement. I wonder where how gets the lawyers to file this dreck. He long ago scraped all the scum off the bottom of the barrel.
Huffington Post: David Moye: Donald Trump Sues CNN For Defamation, Inspiring Twitter Mockery
The $475 million lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, alleges the cable network carried out a campaign of “libel and slander” against the former president and used its influence as a news organization “for the purpose of defeating him politically.”
The suit also names on-air personalities on CNN and said they used the term “the Big Lie” — a term associated with Nazi Germany — to refer to Trump’s repeated, false insistence that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Like Father, Like … — Oh Hell No
The family dynamic they’ve got going on is one to stay away from. I wonder if the republican party is going to demote the advisors who suggested Herschel would be a good candidate for the US Senate. Sure, he’s just as stupid as Ron Johnson, with a hypocrisy level matching Lindsey Graham’s. But, jeepers, he’s what train wrecks go to watch when they want to rubberneck at a disaster.
Axios: Herschel Walker's son accuses father of lying about his past
The son of Herschel Walker, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia, accused his father of "lying" and "making a mockery" of his family after a report alleged Walker had paid for his then-girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009.
What they're saying: "Every family member of Herschel Walker asked him not to run for office, because we all knew (some of) his past. Every single one. He decided to give us the middle finger and air out all of his dirty laundry in public, while simultaneously lying about it. I’m done," Christian Walker tweeted.
- "I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us. You’re not a 'family man' when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence," he continued.
- "I don't care about someone who has a bad past and takes accountability. But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you’re some 'moral, Christian, upright man.' You’ve lived a life of DESTROYING other peoples lives. How dare you."
His son walking away from him might have something to do with this bit of news. The wave of hypocrisy is well past flood stage. There is no prediction on when it is expected to crest.
Daily Beast: Roger Sollenberger: ‘Pro-Life’ Herschel Walker Paid for Girlfriend’s Abortion
Herschel Walker, the football legend now running for Senate in Georgia, says he wants to completely ban abortion, likening it to murder and claiming there should be “no exception” for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
But the Republican candidate has supported at least one exception—for himself.
A woman who asked not to be identified out of privacy concerns told The Daily Beast that after she and Walker conceived a child while they were dating in 2009 he urged her to get an abortion. The woman said she had the procedure and that Walker reimbursed her for it.
She supported these claims with a $575 receipt from the abortion clinic, a “get well” card from Walker, and a bank deposit receipt that included an image of a signed $700 personal check from Walker.
There’s Another Asshole Loose in the Chicken Coop
I have to put in a disclaimer here. In one of my previous incarnations, I did relief work as a volunteer for the American Red Cross. All DeSantis is accomplishing is to siphon money away from where it is urgently needed. I find DeSantis’ private relief fund worse than despicable. I hope this really comes back to bite him in the ass in a bigly way.
Raw Story: Sarah K Burris: ‘Why not raise it for the Red Cross?': Former Bush strategist questions DeSantis' private hurricane relief fund
In the event of a disaster, a whole host of organizations swoop into the area to help. Everyone from the United Way to the Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and even the Humane Society joins with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deliver water, help people get to shelters, feed folks, help animals and ultimately begin to rebuild their lives.
The work that is done is part of an effort that has existed for decades and gets better and better with each disaster from trusted groups that fall under federal oversight. After an event, most leaders point to such groups to encourage folks to help, but as Hurricane Ian bared down on Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) started his own disaster relief fund, putting his wife in charge of it.
Speaking to MSNBC on Monday evening, former strategist to President George W. Bush, Matthew Dowd, questioned the fund, noting that he was concerned about oversight.
"First off, anytime that everybody raises a concern about leadership during a crisis, Republicans say don't politicize it," said Dowd. So, somebody is critical of Ron DeSantis in a hurricane; they say don't politicize. It the same thing they say after a mass shooting, when somebody brings out the fact that we ought to reduce access to guns, they say, 'don't politicize it.' Of course it is about politics, and of course the governor should be criticized, for any number of things, not the least of which he has spent no time on infrastructure in Florida, and all his time on critical race theory, on transgender issues, threats to businesses."
The Supremes Are Ignoring Lindell
I guess there really is such a thing as a step too far.
AlterNet: Alex Henderson: Supreme Court allows Dominion’s $1.3 billion defamation suit against Mike Lindell to go forward
Mike Lindell is facing a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, and the far-right conspiracy theorist and MyPillow CEO has been trying to get the case thrown out in court. But on Monday, October 3, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.✂️
Lindell asked the High Court to intervene so that he could avoid “long and expensive” court proceedings, but the Court declined Lindell’s request — and the civil case will move forward.
How ‘Bout Dem Russkies
I’m hesitant to provide war coverage in the GNR because — WAR. That said, whatever is bad for fascists is probably good for the rest of us. And Vlad the Imposter is doing his best tfg impersonation. Like Donald, he’s demonstrated the unique ability to step in every cow pie in the pasture, while he’s nowhere near the farm.
Inside the US, Pootin is not garnering actual support outside of RNC headquarters and the on air clown show at Fox News. In Poland he has even less support.
Yer Borowitz Fix
This should hold back your satire shakes for another few days.
The New Yorker: Satire from the Borowitz Report: Boebert Warns That Cancelling Student Debt Could Lead to Rampant Education
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Representative Lauren Boebert blasted President Biden’s student-loan-forgiveness program, claiming that it would lead to “rampant education.”
“This proposal is maybe the most reckless ever set forth by a President,” she said. “It will lead to rampant education and wonton [sic] learning.”✂️
The Colorado lawmaker added that there needed to be “tougher controls” on college students’ purchase of books, including background checks and a ten-day cooling-off period.
They Finally Found a Tree in the Forest
I find the idea of losing species abhorrent. Finding something thought lost always cheers me up.
GoodNewsNetwork: Andy Corbley: Lost for 97 Years, Rediscovered Magnolia Tree Spurs Hope for Rediscovery in Haiti
An expedition team in northern Haiti has rediscovered a magnolia tree that has been lost to science for 97 years.
The team used the tree’s telltale features to find it: beautiful alabaster flowers and uniquely shaped glossy emerald leaves. In a country stricken with widespread habitat destruction, this rediscovery has given conservationists hope that Haiti’s montane forests can be rewilded.
The northern Haiti magnolia (Magnolia emarginata) has been missing since scientists first discovered it in 1925, and is considered critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
“The chances of finding this tree were one in a million considering that so few of Haiti’s forests remain,” said Eladio Fernandez, who led the expedition and is the communications director for Haiti National Trust.
Musical Interlude
On the Lighter Side
I didn't make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row. I decided to stop calling the bathroom "John" and renamed it the "Jim". I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would've put them on my knees.
Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet.
At my age "Getting Lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I came In there for.
h/t LamontCranston
h/t BeeD
Honest Oil Company Ad
In the tradition of Juice Media’s Honest Government Ads
Quote of the Day
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups — George Carlin
By Popular Demand
Pressley sez, “It’s almost time to vote. Let’s get headed to the polls.”
Closing Notes
Here’s an absolutely scorching Eyes of the World from Giant’s Stadium, June, 1991.