All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Leaders want John Wayne name, statue gone from Orange County airport



I rolled my eyes at this, but then I read what The Duke said and holy ****.......

Damn! That's some seriously repugnant **** there. I had no idea Wayne had those sort of ugly ass viewpoints.

My Mom loved John Wayne's movies, said that he reminded her of her father. However, she never agreed with his politics so I'm not sure how she feels about this issue. I'll have to ask her the next time I speak with her.

I only have two John Wayne movies in my library, McQ (his take on Dirty Harry) and The Green Berets, none of his westerns as I've never been a fan of the genre. By the way, I wonder how Wayne felt about Asians since he played Genghis Khan in The Conqueror? Probably hated them too.

====================

People need to continue talking about this:

White House Was Aware Of Russian Bounties In Early 2019: Report

Top officials were aware a year earlier than previously reported that Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, according to Associated Press sources.

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Carl Bernstein: Trump Was ‘Delusional’ And Outmatched In Calls With Putin And Erdogan

One source described the nature of the calls between Trump and Putin as sounding like “two guys in a steam bath.”

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White House Press Secretary Defends Trump Sharing ‘White Power’ Video

Kayleigh McEnany said Trump shared the video for his “demonized” supporters and claimed the president somehow “did not hear” the white supremacist slogan.

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Ex-Bush Aide Lays Blame For New Coronavirus Spike: ‘This Is Trump’s Plague Now’

“What will happen in July is entirely Trump’s fault,” David Frum argued.

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Think You Won't Get Coronavirus Outside? Think Again.

Some people seem to confuse lower COVID-19 risk with no risk. But the outdoors aren't magic, and you should still take precautions.

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Obama Reportedly Names Racist Trump Insult That ‘Still Shocks And Pisses Me Off’

The former president sounds off on Trump’s coronavirus nicknames.

[worstblogever]

In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of the U.S. Senator from Missouri, Roy Blunt, a man who somehow not only survived being caught up in the Abramoff scandal back when he was a member of the House, but went on to be elected to the Senate in spite of also doing favors for the tobacco industry while being caught dating Abigail Perlman (now Abigail Blunt), a lobbyist for Phillip Morris. Since, the Blunt family have still been repeated subjects of investigation of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who have noted lobbying firms have a habit of hiring Blunt’s wife and two children and corresponding votes to reward this arrangement from Sen. Blunt. But Roy Blunt is most famous for his namesake, the Blunt Amendment, which was an attempt to strip women of having contraception covered by their insurance plans that led to the Congressional testimony of Sandra Fluke, the insults lobbed at her by legendary bloviating ***hole (and friend of Blunt’s) Rush Limbaugh, and the entire framing of the “War on Women” around the 2012 election. In 2013, Blunt also wrote what many critics described as the “Monsanto Protection Act” to allow the corporate agriculture company to plant seeds even if they were deemed genetically or biologically unsafe (and of course, Blunt has also received contributions from Monsanto). We also sifted through Blunt’s voting record, which included voting for the 2013 Government Shutdown while voting against LGBT rights at every opportunity, the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, Disaster Relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, all measures on pay equality and raising the minimum wage, and against Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform (coincidentally, in 1999, Blunt voted to deregulate Wall Street to have a hand in creating the 2008 financial meltdown). Sen. Blunt is the man who used the excuse, "I can barely schedule a call with my son's math teacher yesterday so probably no,” as to why he was opposed to Merrick Garland having a confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. He’s too busy for this whole Senate thing. But let us not forget that Roy Blunt would like to lay the blame for our student debt crisis where it belongs… on the students. Yes, back in April of 2015, Blunt blamed high student debt on “higher living standards” that college students were enjoying these days. I’m sure it was news to all the kids in college out there living off ramen noodles that they’re splurging too much while they’re in school.

And somehow, don’t ask us how, Roy Blunt won re-election in 2016, but only garnered 49% of the vote to do so. That may have had a lot to do with Blunt stoking the fears of Islamophobia by blaming Muslim communities for not doing enough to inform the government about terror suspects that Blunt feels are lying among their ranks, or when he got on Twitter and posted that his opponent, Democrat Jason Kander, didn’t know enough about threats we face like “radical Islam”. (NOTE: Jason Kander is an Iraq War vet and actually fought against Islamic terrorists, so…) Thus, Roy Blunt went back to Washington in January and began signing off on every member of Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. And every judge, no matter how unqualified.

And while pausing on approving Betsy DeVos since she… you know, has never worked as an educator, that might have been the case for some moderate GOP Senators, Roy Blunt was ready to rubber stamp her from the start. After all, DeVos spent a fortune on trying to get Roy Blunt’s son Matt elected Governor of Missouri a couple years back, in the hopes that her bogus voucher schools would become widely used in education throughout the state. To say nothing of all of the money DeVos gave to Sen. Blunt himself. He approves every nominee, no matter how unqualified, no matter how much scandal in their personal background, and every judge, no matter how obviously non-partisan they are.

Blunt voted to approve the nomination of William Barr to be the country’s Attorney General, even though he was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s. He voted against witnesses being allowed in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, then voted to quit him in the Senate in spite of the mountain of evidence showing that he solicited foreign assistance in the 2020 elections.

Roy Blunt still is a fine champion of women’s rights, if you live on Bizarro World. In 2017, he dug in and refused to call for the resignation of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, who was not only embroiled in a case where he was accused of sexual assault and extortion with a mistress… but Eric Greitens was also simultaneously being investigated for breaking campaign finance law and a variety of other ethics charges. On February 25th, 2020, he voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, an insane piece of anti-choice legislation that would ask abortion providers to try to admit aborted fetuses to a hospital if they were “alive” after the procedure, which is medically impossible given the age that abortions can be performed at. He currently is spending important time during a pandemic making sure Confederate statues aren't removed from the U.S. Capitol, because why do anything for the Union when you're still not over the Confederacy?


Blunt remains as crooked as a snake with scoliosis, and will remain in office now, barring any ethics scandal destroying him, until at least 2022.

[Tami]

Rural Ohio Republicans revolt against GOP governor for acting ‘more like a Democrat’ in stopping COVID-19

The state of Ohio has so far avoided the explosive growth in COVID-19 cases that is currently plaguing states such as California, Texas, and Arizona.

Despite this, many rural Ohio Republicans are seething at GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who has earned acclaim from across the country for his leadership in the pandemic.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Republican leaders in Warren County last week sent DeWine a stinging rebuke that said he “overstepped his bounds” in trying to prevent the spread of the disease.

[Tami]

Europe tells the U.S. 'Stay Home'.

[A Small Talent For War]

Damn! That's some seriously repugnant **** there. I had no idea Wayne had those sort of ugly ass viewpoints.

It is surprising that few people really know this since he made no attempt to hide it. He had a pretty interesting life but he was a very ultraconservative staunch Republican known more for his opposition to communism than anything else. Now, it should be noted that communism in Hollywood during the time when Stalin and the Soviet Union dominated international communist movements was much more questionable, exclusionary and subversive than it would be portrayed later - and Stalin apparently did actually send people to assassinate John Wayne in one of the more absurd cases of the Cold War (according to both the FBI and Krushchev) - his rabid persecution of communism did lead him right into opposition of Civil Rights and anti-War movements because he saw them as really being led by communist agitators behind the scenes with their real orders coming from the Kremlin. Probably some truth in some cases, but mostly paranoid perspective - as seen in his pro-HUAC movie, BIG JIM McLAIN.

You see some of this in the movie TRUMBO, but that film is particularly inaccurate and glosses over or ignores any substantial point of view toward the actual politics and positions of any of the characters in the drama.

[Tami]

Al Franken @alfranken
Once again the question the Trump WH must answer is: “What could the president have plausibly not known and when could he have plausibly not known it?”

This made me laugh

[Tami]

Carl Reiner passed away. RIP

Carl Reiner, just hours before he died, tweeted a scathing critique of @realDonaldTrump

As I arose at 7:30 this morning, I was saddened to relive the day that led up to the election of a bankrupted and corrupt businessman who had no qualifications to be the leader of any country in the civilized world...

Twitter Link
.

[MacrossPlus]

Well, it looks like dissent is pretty much illegal in Hong Kong now

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Fox News host: Trump is bleeding support and ‘might drop out of the race’

Fox News host Trace Gallagher suggested on Monday that President Donald Trump “might drop out” of the 2020 presidential race.

Gallagher made the remarks after a Fox News report speculated that Trump could exit the race “if his poll numbers don’t improve.”

“President Trump’s poll numbers declining in recent weeks amid criticism of his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” the Fox News host said, “which is leading some speculation that if his support keeps falling, the president might drop out of the race.”

I don't know why people have been saying of late that Trump might drop out of the race, plain and simple, that's NOT happening. As I've said for the longest time, Trump's ego won't allow him to quit, also, the presidency is the only thing keeping him from a date in court. As I saw somewhere on Twitter, Trump isn't campaigning to be reelected, he's campaigning to stay out of prison.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Fair enough, but I still think he’s a super creepy dude.

Wait, you think he is actually an OCCULT leader?

[Tami]

Fox News host: Trump is bleeding support and ‘might drop out of the race’



I don't know why people have been saying of late that Trump might drop out of the race, plain and simple, that's NOT happening. As I've said for the longest time, Trump's ego won't allow him to quit, also, the presidency is the only thing keeping him from a date in court. As I saw somewhere on Twitter, Trump isn't campaigning to be reelected, he's campaigning to stay out of prison.

Trump's ego can't handle losing
His ego is taking a bruising
From both sides he's being attacked
Being called a weak, timid little hack
To sooth his need for attention
He calls his base to a convention
Gathers them up to praise him
Which the pandemic then slays them
He whines when no one shows
They care more for their own health
than his fragile ego

[The no face guy]

Wait, you think he is actually an OCCULT leader?

Well he is de facto a white nationalist, which is pretty evil. It was a Freudian slip of the tongue, I meant to say cult leader, but I find him so creepy I unintentionally wrote occult.

You seem like a bit of a fan boy of his. I suggest you read his twitter account more closely, and read why he is banned. I myself am ashamed he's Canadian.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattper.../#1a5a86665ff1

[The Cool Thatguy]

Fox News host: Trump is bleeding support and ‘might drop out of the race’



I don't know why people have been saying of late that Trump might drop out of the race, plain and simple, that's NOT happening. As I've said for the longest time, Trump's ego won't allow him to quit, also, the presidency is the only thing keeping him from a date in court. As I saw somewhere on Twitter, Trump isn't campaigning to be reelected, he's campaigning to stay out of prison.

If Trump were smart, he'd drop out and then bless a guy who'd promised not to prosecute him. But even if that happened, I don't think there'd be anyone he could use as a puppet like that with a chance of winning

[Kirby101]

Well he is de facto a white nationalist, which is pretty evil. It was a Freudian slip of the tongue, I meant to say cult leader, but I find him so creepy I unintentionally wrote occult.

You seem like a bit of a fan boy of his. I suggest you read his twitter account more closely, and read why he is banned. I myself am ashamed he's Canadian.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattper.../#1a5a86665ff1

maninthemacintosh1606 did compare him to Satan. I don't think he is a fan, just correcting the cult / occult thingy.

[wjowski]

Leaders want John Wayne name, statue gone from Orange County airport



I rolled my eyes at this, but then I read what The Duke said and holy ****.......

We have enough problems with cowardly pampered draft dodgers in the White House.