All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tendrin]

So this seems important:

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/envi...lphia-n1115336

PHILADELPHIA — Last May, an air monitor on the border of the East Coast's largest oil refinery recorded a level of benzene, a cancer-causing gas, more than 21 times the federal limit.
In June, an explosive early morning fire rocked the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, terrifying nearby residents. Weeks after the disaster, as PES filed for bankruptcy and wound down operations, another air monitor in the network that rings the facility quietly registered the same sky-high reading for benzene. Long-term exposure to the sweet-smelling chemical has been linked to leukemia, lymphoma and a host of blood and immune system disorders.

[jetengine]

It all stems back to stigmatizing sex thanks to the religious fundamentalism that white conservatives LIKE, as opposed to the kind that they pretend to hate because its brown people doing it under the 'wrong' God's name. And it's ridiculous to make promises to appear at a venue you KNEW had a dancer's pole, to campaign on and take in money from locals based on an appearance at that specific venue, only to then completely change course at the last possible minute for no reason other than to appease the prudery and fundamentalist nonsense that is damaging not just this country, but every country falling to right wing religious fundamentalist repression.

Without a stripper on it, a pole is just a pole. If it is 'cheap, sleazy, or unprofessional' to be photographed near a pole with no one on it, that's on the viewer, not reality. People have a right to be upset at such a blatant bait and switch.

But hey...the club totally asked for this. I mean, did you SEE how they were dressed...?

....no its literally because Strip clubs (rightly or wrongly) have a reputation as cheap, trashy, sleazy places. I wouldnt want a politician doing a speech in a McDonald's for the same reason. Its all about optics not reality which frankly politics is like 50% of.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Republican Senator On Trump Soliciting Foreign Interference: Humans ‘Make Mistakes’

“Things happen,” Richard Shelby of Alabama said, referring to the president’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden. That is easily THE wackiest defense of Trump yet. Oh, WBEEEEEEEE...!

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Virginia GOP Leader: ‘White Supremacist Garbage’ Isn’t Welcome At Pro-Gun Rally

Todd Gilbert called on all Virginians to “stand united in opposition to any threats of violence” after several neo-Nazis were arrested ahead of the event. Trump won't like hearing his biggest fans being dissed.

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‘Knock It Off’: Historian Slams National Archives Censorship Amid Trump Culture Of Lying

Douglas Brinkley suspects federal workers “fearful” of a “vengeful” president blurred out his name from anti-Trump signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March. Talk about pathetic!

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The New York Times Endorses Elizabeth Warren And Amy Klobuchar

The newspaper shocked with two notable endorsements just weeks before the Iowa caucus, the first Democratic primary vote. That makes absolutely zero sense.

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Trump’s Boast About Republican Party Strength Gets A Brutal Fact-Check

The president claims the GOP is stronger and more unified than ever. Critics beg to differ. I wonder what Trump is seeing that the rest of us don't?

[worstblogever]

Even here in the UK you wouldnt have a politician in front of a stipper pole. Its not about how sexy it is, more that it comes off as cheap, sleazy and unprofessional. Not the kind of air you want to give yourself.

I don't know why nobody just thought, "Why not cover the pole with a giant American-flag colored foam ad that says "BUTTIGIEG 2020" all around it.

That's just me thinking, I guess.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” posted a profile of John McGee, a former Idaho state senator whose career came to an abrupt halt after over the course of a few weeks back in 2012. You see, after attending a golf tournament where he had about eight drinks too many, he was found passed out in the road drunk behind the wheel of a stolen SUV with a 20 foot trailer blocking the road, and a blood alcohol level of .15. In the months after the incident, McGee was going to have to make a case to the rest of the Idaho State Senate of why he should keep his job, when news also broke that he had sexually harassed a female staffer who he had flashed his junk at and asked for sexual favors. We’ll at least give the guy credit for giving us a story where we don’t even have to look at their voting record.

On this date in 2016, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” posted a Saxby Chambliss, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia who a few months after 9/11, Chambliss told a reporter his plan for security after the terror attacks was to have sheriffs “arrest every Muslim crossing the state line.” After surviving this controversy by having President Bush, still riding on high approval ratings after 9/11, campaigning on his behalf on three separate occasions in the same election cycle. But where things truly got ugly was when Chambliss ran an advertisement that questioned Max Cleland’s commitment to national defense and homeland security, where images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were juxtaposed against photos of Cleland, as if he was supporting terrorists and dictators. This would have been the same Max Cleland who is a Vietnam veteran, and lost three limbs in the conflict while serving his country. The ad was disgusting enough to get massive criticism even from Chambliss' fellow Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Hagel and Sen. John McCain. Meanwhile, as much as a "patriot" as Chambliss liked to pretend to be, he voted against the Zadroga Bill to provide healthcare for 9/11 First Responders. During his career, Chambliss voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, and to attempt to make English the national language and voted for a constitutional amendment to allow government buildings to erect monuments of the Ten Commandments.(both of which the Supreme Court had already voted down as unconstitutional at the time, voted for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton for lying about having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. Chambliss co-sponsored the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, advocated for repealing federal income taxes, and instead, to place a 30% sales tax upon all items purchased in the United States, which. economists called this proposal "foolish", if not "crazy" and even some noted conservative commentators saying, "The national sales tax is crazier, by an order of magnitude, than any other crazy idea I’ve seen at the national level. It’s so crazy that even really crazy right-wingers think it’s pretty crazy." Chambliss also consistently voted to ban same sex marriage, and when asked if he would reconsider his position on the issue, and he offers the bizarre response of, "I’m not gay. So I’m not going to marry one." In June of 2013, during a hearing on sexual assaults occurring within our military against female service members, Sen. Chambliss blamed the phenomenon on "hormones", a disgustingly passé view of things. In August 2014 Chambliss was still willing to go on CBS' "Face the Nation" and defend the use of waterboarding, still insisting that it isn't torture. He retired a few months later.



On this date in both 2017, 2018, as well as in 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” had its first profile of Missouri State Senator David Sater, whose name suddenly turned up in the press a full decade into his career back in 2014 during discussion of an anti-abortion measure in the Missouri state legislature he was sponsoring (an extension of a waiting period for abortions from 24 to 72 hours) that Sater argued against exceptions for pregnant rape victims getting an abortion, blaming them for not just going and getting the "Plan B" pill the day after their rape. That was only somewhat revolting, but became hypocritically disgusting when it was noted by many that David Sater has spent his entire career as a legislator consistently voting against blocking access to Plan B Contraceptives, including once sponsoring a bill to allow pharmacies to refuse to stock it. A few months later, David Sater was continuing to argue against exceptions against rape for his 72 hour waiting period by arguing that getting an abortion after a rape was akin to "knee surgery" that he himself was waiting on. Democrats in the chamber then asked if he needed 72 hours to rethink his knee getting operated on, and Sater admitted he actually didn't. We want to be thorough, here, the stories about David Sater downplaying rape and abortion as akin to his own elective surgical procedures are not the only examples of his extremism, when you look at his voting record, including unconstitutional attempts to pass legislation to allow public prayer in public schools, to drug test welfare recipients, or to attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act or the United Nations' Agenda 21 treaty.

In 2019, Sater submitted SB 562, a bill aimed at establishing work requirements for Medicaid recipients, the majority of whom are on Medicaid because they are disabled to begin with, and unable to work. He simultaneously also submitted SB 561, which was a work requirement bill for food stamp recipients, however Sater decided that if a parent is unable to work, then not only would they lose their allotted food stamps, but so would their children. Because starving someone’s kids is a “great motivator”, in his inhuman logical mind.

David Sater was re-elected to a second four year term in the 2016 to represent District 29 in the Missouri State Senate because... no one bothered to run against him. The only positive note we have on Sater is that this will be his last four-year term in the Missouri state legislature, as he's term-limited in 2020, and it seems this will be the last time we profile this nutter.

[Tendrin]

I don't know why nobody just thought, "Why not cover the pole with a giant American-flag colored foam ad that says "BUTTIGIEG 2020" all around it.

That's just me thinking, I guess.

Let's be fair. When Buttiigieg heard they had a pole, he probably thought they meant something about his numbers in Iowa.

[Tami]

AP sources: Security probe targets Trump’s Russia adviser

WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House adviser on Europe and Russia issues has been placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation, two people with knowledge of his exit said Sunday.

Andrew Peek was escorted off the White House compound on Friday, according to one of those familiar with his departure.

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Rumor inside NSC is that Peek ‘had relations with Russian hookers and could not locate his government cell phone,’ insider source tells me.

Twitter Link

[WestPhillyPunisher]

AP sources: Security probe targets Trump’s Russia adviser



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Twitter Link

More proof of how Caramel Caligula chooses only the bestest people.

[Tami]

This is what worries me about Klobuchar

Democratic Candidates Agree on Climate Change, Except for Role of Natural Gas

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she supports natural gas as a fuel to transition the nation away from coal. It drew criticism from some members of the Democratic Party, but none from her competitors on stage.

Asked why she doesn’t want to ban hydraulic fracturing, Klobuchar said she wants to restore former President Obama’s regulations on methane venting and leaks, but otherwise cast natural gas as a climate solution.

“When it comes to the issue of fracking, I actually see natural gas as a transition fuel. It’s a transition fuel to where we get to carbon neutral,” she said, before describing all the candidates’ climate plans as substantially similar.

[worstblogever]

AP sources: Security probe targets Trump’s Russia adviser

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Twitter Link

His name is literally PEEK, and he's soliciting Russian sex workers.

I mean, the unintentional comedy there is something, at least.

[Tami]

“It’s Like a Foreign Language”: Donald Trump’s Encounter With the Constitution Did Not Go Well

On March 1, 2017, nearly six weeks after President Trump had raised his right hand and swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, he struggled to read aloud the words of the founding document. A film crew had come to the White House to record the new president reading a section of the Constitution. Trump chose to participate in the HBO production because he did not want to forgo the chance to be filmed for history, and he knew that as the sitting president he would be the documentary’s most important character.

The documentary, titled The Words That Built America, was directed by Alexandra Pelosi, a daughter of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Her conceit was that the country was starkly divided after the ugliness of the 2016 campaign, but the founding documents remained a unifying force for the nation’s factions. Pelosi and her team had a novel and distinctly bipartisan hook: All six living presidents, as well as six vice presidents, would join in reading the Constitution on camera, and other political figures and actors would read portions of the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Each performance would be edited to create a lively, unabridged reading of the treasured documents that have united the nation for more than two centuries.

On this day Trump seemed stiff and uncomfortable. Though he was technically in his own home, he did not greet his guests. Rather, he stood waiting for someone to approach him. Pelosi moved in to thank Trump for participating in this special history project, but he appeared to have no idea who she was, apparently not briefed on her political lineage or her role as the director. The president asked for some water, and with no staff bringing any to him, Pelosi handed him a bottle of Aquafina from her purse. “I’ve been into the White House,” Pelosi later said of visits to see previous presidents. “There are always protocols. Here there were no rules, no protocol.” She added, “There’s so much wrong with the whole thing. I’m thinking, Isn’t there someone who’s supposed to guard what he’s eating and drinking?”

Meanwhile, a White House staffer gave the other crew members instructions about what they could and could not do with the president. The very first rule was for the makeup artist: Do not touch the president’s hair. On his face, light powder only. The next instruction was for the technical crew: Could they make the lighting a little more orange? The president preferred a warm glow on camera. The mention of “orange” struck some in the room as an odd choice. Outside the bubble of the White House, late-night TV show hosts and cartoonists had been mocking the perpetually orange hue of Trump’s skin.

Pelosi had let presidents and vice presidents choose the portion of the Constitution they wanted to read. Many were wary of reading the section on the rules for impeachment or foreign emoluments. Trump had selected the opening of Article II, the part of the Constitution that addresses a president’s election and the scope of his or her power. It would normally have been the perfect selection for a president—but was an ironic one for Trump, who had spoken of his desire to exercise his executive power as much as possible, including by threatening Congress and challenging the judiciary.

With LED lights on stilts in front of him, Trump took his seat. “You’re lucky you got the easy part,” Pelosi told him cheerfully. “It gets complicated after this.” But the president stumbled, trying to get out the words in the arcane, stilted form the founding fathers had written. Trump grew irritated. “It’s very hard to do because of the language here,” Trump told the crew. “It’s very hard to get through that whole thing without a stumble.” He added, “It’s like a different language, right?” The cameraman tried to calm Trump, telling him it was no big deal, to take a moment and start over. Trump tried again, but again remarked, “It’s like a foreign language.”

[WestPhillyPunisher]

“It’s Like a Foreign Language”: Donald Trump’s Encounter With the Constitution Did Not Go Well

A “foreign language”? Did I miss something? I mean, all Trump had to do was read a passage from the Constitution, right? And he couldn’t get that right! Jesus! Talk about an unmitigated moron!

[PwrdOn]

Happy MLK Jr. Day!

[jetengine]

Happy MLK Jr. Day!

Tbf considering how monstrous Trump is its kind of irrelevant if their a moderate or a progressive, just ANYONE competent.

[Tami]

Trump Legal Team Asks Senate for Speedy Acquittal in Impeachment Trial

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s legal team called on the Senate on Monday to “swiftly reject” the impeachment charges and acquit him, arguing that lawmakers would “permanently weaken the presidency” by removing him from office over what it characterized as policy and political differences.

In a 110-page brief submitted to the Senate the day before his trial begins in earnest, the president’s lawyers advanced their first sustained legal argument since the House opened its inquiry last fall, contending that the two articles of impeachment approved largely along party lines were constitutionally flawed and set a dangerous precedent.

Mr. Trump’s lawyers insisted that neither of the two charges lodged against Mr. Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — is valid, because they do not state any specific violation of the law. They maintained that the accusations in effect seek to punish the president for foreign policy decisions and efforts to preserve executive prerogatives.