All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[PaulBullion]

All moral judgments depend on people telling themselves stories about why X is wrong and Y is right. It doesn't matter whether they take the form of philosophy or religion, although religion has the advantage of not having to justify opinions according to logic.

And then we get the people who think they've justified their opinions philosophically, when all they're doing is repeating their prejudices, with no understanding of where they came from.

If you look at the reality of slavery and consider it a philosophical argument if that is right or wrong, instead of an absolute truth, there is a lack of good in you.

[Tendrin]

Deciding not to vote because not enough will change in some ways ignores how many things will change in others that will effect a lot of people. Vote for the changes you can effect, not for the ones you wish you got, and fight like hell to make those things possible.

We've seen what happens when too many people think 'eh, it makes no difference to me'. It might not make a huge difference to them, or to things they care about on some issues, but your own lived experience is not the entirety of the world. The people who are suffering now because of what Trump's unleashed are just as much their responsibility as they are those who voted for him enthusiastically knowing what he was.

Anyway, we're going to see the GOP attempting to hang 'racism' around Trump's neck and declare his 'politics of racial divsiion' to be purely 'something of Trump'.

This is the out the GOP is going to offer its own members in the aftermath.

[Dalak]

Non-Combatants killed in drone strikes.

If Romney said anything that pointed to that he planned to potentially kill many more non-combatants, I don't really recall seeing it. However, I also did not see anything that pointed to that he was intent on a departure from the Bush/Obama approach up until that point.

That one similarity, which you even say would be lopsided by 'many more non-combatants' on one side, is enough for you to refuse to vote? Do you have a replacement strategy allowing them to get rid of drone strikes while still killing actual terrorists or (Like R's and Obamacare) do you just not like em and think they should be scrapped with nothing to replace that tactical ability?

I'm not for killing civilians, but I do think that having those real assholes afraid to go outside under an open sky is a comforting thought. However with the rise of hacking and this administration's lack of focus on actual electronic security aka 'cyber' I'm worried about the security of the drones out there more and more so it is a concerning prospect. So all in all the issue of drones and drone strikes is an important one, but since they (like Nukes) aren't going away you actually have to decide who is a better Commander in Chief and vote for that person to run them since 'None of the Above' can't govern the country, command the military, or launch nukes on a whim.

Add on since someone can't edit posts: How could Obama executive order away Torture in a way that couldn't be undone by Trump the day he came into office? I ask that since there was no legislative way to do it what with the unprecedented obstructionism he faced.

[PaulBullion]

And let's not forget that under Trump, as many civilians were killed by drone strikes in 9 months as were killed under Obama in 8 years. Clearly, Obama showed some restraint that was not a given. But his critics never saw that.

[Gray Lensman]

If you look at the reality of slavery and consider it a philosophical argument if that is right or wrong, instead of an absolute truth, there is a lack of good in you.

I remember a quote from somewhere saying that if slavery wasn't evil then nothing was.

[PaulBullion]

Deadbeat dad continues to stun the world by making sense:

[WestPhillyPunisher]

California Gets Federal Emergency Declaration From Trump As SoCal Fires Rage

California raised its fire threat level to “purple” on Friday, a never-before-used color. Stop me if I've missed something, but has Cheeto Jesus addressed the California wildfires, or has he been too busy stumping for the Alabama Diddler to notice, or care (remember, the state voted for Hillary in the election, and Trump never lets compassion get in the way of his vindictiveness)? Meanwhile....

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California Governor Says Trump Is Courting The ‘Wrath Of God’ By Ignoring Climate Change

Jerry Brown rips the president’s “reckless disregard for the truth” as his state burns. Meanwhile, in the Sunshine State....

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Donald Trump Attacks Roy Moore’s Accuser At Florida Rally

The president also told the crowd to “Get out and vote for Roy Moore” for Senate. Yes, get out and vote for a serial pedophile. Meanwhile....

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Ex-Fox News Anchor Juliet Huddy Says Trump Kissed Her On Lips After A Lunch

The former “Fox & Friends” co-host says she assumed they just “went the wrong way.” Right. Gotcha.

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U.S. Olympians Cheat, Too. They Just Cheat With An American Accent.

In Russia, doping is a state matter. In America, it’s privatized and corporatized.

[PaulBullion]

Donald Trump Attacks Roy Moore’s Accuser At Florida Rally

The president also told the crowd to “Get out and vote for Roy Moore” for Senate. Yes, get out and vote for a serial pedophile. Meanwhile....
d.

If you wanna call that a crowd. As many empty seats as at the tree lighting ceremony.

[numberthirty]

California Gets Federal Emergency Declaration From Trump As SoCal Fires Rage

California raised its fire threat level to “purple” on Friday, a never-before-used color. Stop me if I've missed something, but has Cheeto Jesus addressed the California wildfires, or has he been too busy stumping for the Alabama Diddler to notice, or care (remember, the state voted for Hillary in the election, and Trump never lets compassion get in the way of his vindictiveness)? Meanwhile....

**********

Honestly, I think that the guy is too dense to even consider the opportunity he has there.

While I don't know if the has the sense to get whatever "Infrastructure" is in his mind off of the ground, there might just be enough support to at least try to address that the current situation will probably be the new reality in that state going forward. Even though the chance that you can make some sort of a huge dent in just how quickly things can get out of hand feels unlikely, it seems like any sort of an improvement in being able to deal with wildfires would be an actual achievement.

[Tami]

Trump dossier work began as Russian hack of DNC became known

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/w...-1112886339870

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Honestly, I think that the guy is too dense to even consider the opportunity he has there.

While I don't know if the has the sense to get whatever "Infrastructure" is in his mind off of the ground, there might just be enough support to at least try to address that the current situation will probably be the new reality in that state going forward. Even though the chance that you can make some sort of a huge dent in just how quickly things can get out of hand feels unlikely, it seems like any sort of an improvement in being able to deal with wildfires would be an actual achievement.

I agree with everything you said. However, I don't think Trump is being dense, I maintain he's being vindictive because he lost California in the election to Hillary and ignoring the disaster is his revenge. And with the state's Democratic governor having ripped him, along with what appears to be Trump's blatant disdain for the state, look for a slow response from the government for help. Hey, if I'm proven wrong, I'll come right out and say so, but I suspect that won't be the case.

[aja_christopher]

Non-Combatants killed in drone strikes.

If Romney said anything that pointed to that he planned to potentially kill many more non-combatants, I don't really recall seeing it. However, I also did not see anything that pointed to that he was intent on a departure from the Bush/Obama approach up until that point.

And let's not forget that under Trump, as many civilians were killed by drone strikes in 9 months as were killed under Obama in 8 years.

You can't say you weren't warned in advance:



Next time -- vote "against" the people advocating what you claim to dislike.

[worstblogever]

It was on this day in both 2014 as well as 2015, that we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of South Dakota State Senator Phil Jensen, a man who drew national headlines back in March of 2013 for producing legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate against whoever they want, Civil Rights Act be damned. Jensen actually tried claiming that if a bakery owned by the KKK tried discriminating against an African American, that the matter would take care of itself, because customers would be too offended to patronize such a place. This logic, of course then fails to understand everything about the Jim Crow era South. Anyway, South Dakota Republicans threw Jensen under the bus for his remarks, but have never said anything about other extreme legislation he's produced or supported, including drug testing welfare recipients, an unnecessary ban on Sharia Law in the United States, and an attempt to criminalize abortions as "attacks on a fetus". More recently, he has become obsessed with transgendered citizens, sponsoring as many transphobic bills as he can to limit their access to public bathrooms as well as high school locker rooms, while also co-sponsoring a "religious freedom" bill to try to make it legal to discriminate against the LGBT community. Believe it or not, Phil Jensen is enough of a crazy ***hole that we accidentally profiled him twice within a year, on May 15th.


Jerry Sonnenberg

It was one year ago today that "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" first profiled Jerry Sonneberg, a member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 1, in what is most of rural eastern Colorado. Sonnenberg was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives for eight years from 2007-2015, and when he was term-limited in 2014, he successfully got himself elected to the upper chamber. Sonnenberg drew some attention back in 2011, when he had a meltdown and began screaming profanities at a medical marijuana advocate at the state capitol, and literally shredded up the written amendment that legislators had been working on because he was outraged that someone had dared to film him while he was negotiating with lobbyists (which was their right). Sonnenberg then claimed the cameraman had spit on a lobbyist during their exchange with the cameraman (which was false, because DUH, they filmed their exhange). Through the years, Jerry Sonnenberg has developed a reputation as being staunchly anti-gay rights, and perhaps the best measuring stick to determine that would be that he has voted against bans on gay conversion therapy on minors when Colorado Democrats have attempted to do away with the ridiculous practice back in April of 2015. Sonnenberg is an anti-abortion radical as well, co-sponsoring a bill to attempt to redefine what a "person" is in the legal definition of assault and murder so that it included "fetus" as a person. Y'know, to just outlaw all abortions as "murder", because that's constitutional. Mind you, he's so "pro-life" that he voted against Colorado's attempts to repeal the death penalty in 2009. He also co-sponsored legislation while in the Colorado House of Representatives to attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act back in 2012.

But hands down, perhaps the most disgusting moment from Jerry Sonnenberg came in January of 2016, not long after President Obama announced several executive orders on gun control, after seeing Republicans in the Senate block all gun control legislation since the Newtown Massacre. Reflecting on several mass shootings, the president thought of the victims, and became emotional, with a tear running down his face. Sonnenberg thought it was a great time to be a partisan troll, so he got on social media to share a picture of a gun being lubricated with "Obama tears".

Anyway, we don’t have too much of an update on Jerry Sonnenberg, except for his vote against a bill to set regulations in youth corrections facilities, because he’s apparently comfortable with abusive conditions being placed on minors in custody. Sonnenberg won office without being challenged by a Democrat or primary challenge in 2014, and his seat is up again in the 2018 mid-terms. While it would be difficult for a Democrat to unseat him in a conservative-leaning district, should he win, Sonnenberg would be term-limited from the Colorado State Senate in 2022. Hopefully, the people of Colorado don’t have to wait that long.

[Tendrin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V4I...sQ-PLKCM6-P1-6

Watch it.

[Tami]

Clever parody video, Tendrin.

Child marriage has become less common in America. But it still exists

Surprisingly, opponents of a ban on child marriage can be found across the political spectrum. On the right some libertarians and religious conservatives argue that marriage should be a choice made apart from the state; that married minors can reduce the number of single mothers on welfare; and that religious customs and practices need to be protected. On the left, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood have also defended the practice in the past because banning it would intrude on the right to marry.

Despite these arguments against a federal law, the federal government has been a staunch campaigner against child brides in the developing world. In 2012, Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, went on an 11-day tour of Africa. After meeting Graça Machel, Nelson Mandela’s wife, a campaigner against child marriage, Mrs Clinton affirmed America’s commitment to ending the practice. Marriage before the age of 18, she said, means girls are less likely to get an education and “more likely to encounter life-threatening health problems, which short-changes and short-cuts them and sometimes their lives.”

Africa has made progress since Mrs Clinton’s visit. This year Malawi banned marriage under 18. Gambia and Tanzania both outlawed it in 2016. For good or ill, developing countries see America as a role model. When Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch researched a report on child marriage in Nepal, several Nepalese asked her why they should abolish child marriage when it was allowed in America.