All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[Malvolio]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ocasio-co...184420581.html

2 things about this article. Firstly, AOC was not necessarily saying that she had no tech available. Being away from tech could simply mean that she turned off her phone out of respect for her grandmother. Secondly, check out that pic of KellyAnne Conway. Looks like she's been biting her nails. I can't imagine why.

[Tami]

7 People Shot, 1 Killed At Cookout In West Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Seven people were shot during a cookout Sunday afternoon in West Baltimore, police said.

The cookout was on 2500 Edmonson Ave, police said. While it was near a Baptist church in the area, it has not been confirmed if it was connected in any way.

One of the seven victims has died, police said.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Depends on what the state investigations into it turn up. If the NRA are charged with financial crimes or terrorism then yeah, they will probably fall hard. Anything less than that might give them wriggle room for a comeback.

I’ve heard rumors that Wayne LaPierre’s head might be on the chopping block as well.

[JCAll]

I’ve heard rumors that Wayne LaPierre’s head might be on the chopping block as well.

Who would have thought hiring a terrorist like Oliver North to be the president could have gone so badly for the NRA? /sarcasm

[Mister Mets]

Trump's daughter had a Jewish wedding. I would not be surprised if Trump wore a yarmulke in the Temple.

Why would this be relevant in an editorial cartoon in the New York Times International Edition about Trump's relationship with another world leader?

We were specifically discussing abortions in the third trimester, the majority of which are done for the health of the mother, the lack of health of the fetus, or both.

Do you have evidence to support this?

I noted one study. Another piece of information came in a congressional report, quoted in the Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-po...=.99083b597f2b

A Congressional Research Service report published in April 2018 quoted Diana Greene Foster, the lead investigator on the study above and a professor at UCSF’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health as saying “[t]here aren’t good data on how often later abortions are for medical reasons.”

“Based on limited research and discussions with researchers in the field, Dr. Foster believes that abortions for fetal anomaly ‘make up a small minority of later abortion’ and that those for life endangerment are even harder to characterize,” the report stated.

I understand what you were saying. Yes the right tends to fundamentally disagree on what abortion is so there is no reasonable compromise. If you truly believe there is no difference between abortion and killing a baby in it's crib then there is no reasonable compromise you could make with someone who supports it. It's a belief thing. Either you believe it or you don't.

And yes you are right, the argument of abortion being for life threatening instances or major health complications are not what is predominately the leading cause of abortion. I forget what the last statistics on it are but it's definitley consistently been something like 95% of abortions are unwanted pregancy and the remaining are some combination of rape/health complications. So even if you can find common ground on those instances, you would still only have worked a tiny sliver of the issue and still would have everyone fighting over slightly less than all that occur.

Which is why I think it's just better for both sides to win where they can and let it play out because there is no compronise and you can't fundamentally change opinions like that.

It's worth noting that the pro-choice side can also get quite heated on the topic of abortion, since they think it's essential for gender equality.

A lot of disagreements do come down to a belief that the stakes are high, and people will die/ fail to reach their potential if your side doesn't get its way, so I don't think we can function if all we're hoping for is a brief moment of total control of the political process. Compromise and common ground isn't always possible, but it is worth seeking.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, as well as 2018, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of Rebecca Kleefisch, who even as a reporter before entering politics, openly mocked the science behind climate change and chastised poor people for living in apartments while doing a story on lead abatement for living in a roach infested apartment for the “luxuries” they had, like a TV or brand-name speakers. In spite of surviving cancer, thanks in part to her husband’s medical insurance that he receives through the government as a state legislator, Kleefisch has gone on the warpath against the Affordable Care Act, and lied and said it would lead to “healthcare rationing”. Kleefisch has also rhetorically asked if the legalization of gay marriage would lead to people being able to marry their dogs, and rounds out her stupidity by first defending Paul Ryan by claiming you can’t even attempt to categorize rape, and then, seconds later in the same interview, starting to define rape as if it’s “forcible rape” or not. She is truly a couple tacos short of a combination plate.

Kleefisch was rumored to be considering a run against U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin for her seat in Washington, D.C., but apparently the momentum shown by Democrats in special elections scared her off of taking on the cagey incumbent, and instead, she’s ran for re-election as Lieutenant Governor for a third term, staying tethered to a man clearly made half of water, and half of vinegar (but all douche), Gov. Scott Walker. She spent most of the past few years being sent on trips outside of Wisconsin to try and lure manufacturers into relocating to Wisconsin, without any success, and there are whispers that even Scott Walker aides were lamenting that she’s continuing to try to stick to the governor’s ticket like a remora on a shark. Mercifully, both Kleefisch and Scott Walker were turfed out of office in 2018, which isn’t shocking, considering her main campaign strategy seemed to be to be as racist as possible and falsely accuse her African-American opponent, Mandela Barnes, of kneeling during the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick style, without any evidence.

We wish Ms. Kleefisch the finest of “good riddance” greetings.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Barr Threatens To Snub House Judiciary Hearing Over Format Dispute, Sources Say

The attorney general is scheduled to appear before the panel on Thursday, a day after he is to testify at a Senate committee hearing. Imagine if that happened with a Democrat in the Oval Office, Republicans would be screaming bloody murder about what Droopy Dog Barr threatens to do.

**********

John Bolton Confirms U.S. Agreed To Pay North Korea $2 Million For Otto Warmbier

The national security adviser claimed, however, that the U.S. never followed through with the payment. Hmm! Something tells me Johnny Warhawk probably lied out his ass about that.

**********

Trump Blasted at Correspondents’ Dinner, His Attacks On Media Called Unpresidential

The head of the White House Correspondents’ Association said his son asked him in tears, “Is Donald Trump going to put you in prison?” The hell of it is, if Trump thought he could jail journalists because they dared to criticize him, he would.

**********

Trump Pushes Dangerous Abortion Lies At Wisconsin Rally

The president falsely claimed Saturday that mothers and doctors discuss whether to “execute” a baby after it’s born, elevating dangerous anti-abortion rhetoric. And his dumber than dirt followers ate up that bullshit. It wouldn't shock me if that rhetoric spurs a few unbalanced loons to attack abortion providers down the road.

**********

Pope Francis, Who Chided Trump’s Border Wall, Gives $500,000 To Migrants In Mexico

The donation will go toward helping those fleeing Central American who have found the U.S. border “closed to them,” the Vatican said. I'm sure Dolt45 won't like being chided by the Pope....right after someone explains to him what being chided means.

[InformationGeek]

Another "loss of confidence" firing. Wonder what he did for Trump to want him gone.

US Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, the commander at Guantanamo, has been relieved of duty "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," a Pentagon press release says

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Another "loss of confidence" firing. Wonder what he did for Trump to want him gone.

Seems like a goodly amount of the speculation by posters centered around the White House wanting to stash illegals at GITMO and Ring said no, thus sealing his fate. God only knows if the real reason will ever be revealed, given this administration's passion for warping and concealing the truth to suit it's own ends.

[Iron Maiden]

Former Indiana senator Richard Lugar has died. The man worked hard to help reduce our Cold War stockpiles and moderate between Republicans and Democrats, and honestly, made me proud to be a Hoosier when he was in office.

One of the old style Republicans, who did not put party over country. Of course, the rise to the Tea-publicans lead to him being primaried because he was too friendly to Obama.

[Malvolio]

Barr Threatens To Snub House Judiciary Hearing Over Format Dispute, Sources Say

The attorney general is scheduled to appear before the panel on Thursday, a day after he is to testify at a Senate committee hearing. Imagine if that happened with a Democrat in the Oval Office, Republicans would be screaming bloody murder about what Droopy Dog Barr threatens to do.

**********

John Bolton Confirms U.S. Agreed To Pay North Korea $2 Million For Otto Warmbier

The national security adviser claimed, however, that the U.S. never followed through with the payment. Hmm! Something tells me Johnny Warhawk probably lied out his ass about that.

**********

Trump Blasted at Correspondents’ Dinner, His Attacks On Media Called Unpresidential

The head of the White House Correspondents’ Association said his son asked him in tears, “Is Donald Trump going to put you in prison?” The hell of it is, if Trump thought he could jail journalists because they dared to criticize him, he would.

**********

Trump Pushes Dangerous Abortion Lies At Wisconsin Rally

The president falsely claimed Saturday that mothers and doctors discuss whether to “execute” a baby after it’s born, elevating dangerous anti-abortion rhetoric. And his dumber than dirt followers ate up that bullshit. It wouldn't shock me if that rhetoric spurs a few unbalanced loons to attack abortion providers down the road.

**********

Pope Francis, Who Chided Trump’s Border Wall, Gives $500,000 To Migrants In Mexico

The donation will go toward helping those fleeing Central American who have found the U.S. border “closed to them,” the Vatican said. I'm sure Dolt45 won't like being chided by the Pope....right after someone explains to him what being chided means.

I wonder if the son of the head of the White House Correspondents Association also asked his father if Trump cowed him into no longer having comedians host the dinner.

[SquirrelMan]

Trump calls for changes to immigration laws, says the border is 'like Disneyland'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...nd/3608274002/

So the president is comparing the borders to Disneyland?

Disneyland has better security than the USA's borders. Disneyland also enforce the rules on their private property.

Disneyland has a Donald who never sexually assaulted anyone.

Too soon?

[worstblogever]

Disneyland has a Donald who never sexually assaulted anyone.

Too soon?

Ironic that the Donald who never wears pants is still less of a serial sexual predator.

[Gray Lensman]

Trump calls for changes to immigration laws, says the border is 'like Disneyland'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...nd/3608274002/

So the president is comparing the borders to Disneyland?

Disneyland has better security than the USA's borders. Disneyland also enforce the rules on their private property.

Most of the illegal immigrants here came in on visas, than skipped out on going home. The system that needs fixing is how they are kept track of rather than the border. And since asylum laws merely require one to be on US soil, the wall/fencing actually makes this easier in the places where it exists, since it isn't always able to be built directly on the border line.

More agents at checkpoints (as well as patrols away from them) seem like a much better answer than trying to rebuild China's ineffective boondoggle across our border. We can ask the Song dynasty how well that worked.....except that we can't, because it didn't work at all.

Now this isn't to say that some kind of barrier isn't needed in certain places, like San Diego - when a city on the opposite side of the border is adjacent to one on this side, then put something up - and they already have there.

[worstblogever]

Does that Donald even have a sexual organ?

It's amazing what you can find on the internet in somehow safe-for-work gifs.



(High end political discussion, we're all having.)