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

[Kirby101]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/p...ribery-n847616

It is no wonder Bibi and Trump get along so well. Two corrupt, loathsome peas in a pod.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Has anybody pointed out that Trump wants to slash food stamps & reinstitute food rations (you know, government cheese)?

Like, as a low income person, I hate having to use them because I'm unemployed & rather make money for groceries, but giving standard issue rations to poor people doesn't sound very American.

I’m old enough to remember eating government cheese. Hardly a pleasant experience if memory serves. Funny thing, Republicans constantly bitch about wanting government OUT of the lives of the people, yet they cook up this scheme which would basically do the exact opposite, never mind taking the decision about how people choose to feed themselves out of their hands.

!!!

Breaking news: After months of investigations, Israeli police have recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted in two corruption cases.

Israeli police recommend indictment of Netanyahu on corruption charges

The Israeli prime minister is accused in two cases involving alleged bribery and political favors.

Look for Trump to tweet full throated support for Netanyahu, otherwise, he risks losing the Jewish vote. Given his less than stellar poll numbers, he ain’t got much in the way of leeway to keep his orange head above water.

[PaulBullion]

The failing New York Times has hired blogger Quinn Norton, who has repeatedly posted online that she is friends with several neo nazis.

[Mister Mets]

Has anybody pointed out that Trump wants to slash food stamps & reinstitute food rations (you know, government cheese)?

Like, as a low income person, I hate having to use them because I'm unemployed & rather make money for groceries, but giving standard issue rations to poor people doesn't sound very American.

What is the American way of the government feeding poor people?

The failing New York Times has hired blogger Quinn Norton, who has repeatedly posted online that she is friends with several neo nazis.

Fact-check: true!

https://twitter.com/quinnnorton/stat...82444515532800

[worstblogever]

What is the American way of the government feeding poor people?

Because Republicans insist we're a Christian nation, and that's what Jesus said people should do.

Excuse me while I snicker at your party's hypocrisy.

[Malvolio]

I’m old enough to remember eating government cheese. Hardly a pleasant experience if memory serves. Funny thing, Republicans constantly bitch about wanting government OUT of the lives of the people, yet they cook up this scheme which would basically do the exact opposite, never mind taking the decision about how people choose to feed themselves out of their hands.



Look for Trump to tweet full throated support for Netanyahu, otherwise, he risks losing the Jewish vote. Given his less than stellar poll numbers, he ain’t got much in the way of leeway to keep his orange head above water.

On his Sirius XM radio show today, John Fugelsang talked about how many conservative pundits like to complain about people on food stamps having "luxury" items, like cel-phones and microwave ovens. Because, you know, you're supposed to sell off all of your possessions before you ask for government assistance. Because it's so easy to sell all of your stuff, and get a decent payday out of it. I mean, let's say you buy a $600 television, and a year later, you lose your job. Where do you think you're going to be able to sell that $600 television for anything more than $200?

[wjowski]

Has anybody pointed out that Trump wants to slash food stamps & reinstitute food rations (you know, government cheese)?

Like, as a low income person, I hate having to use them because I'm unemployed & rather make money for groceries, but giving standard issue rations to poor people doesn't sound very American.

Not to mention it's actually more Intrusive Big Government (tm) than our current program.

[Ragged Maw]

I’m old enough to remember eating government cheese. Hardly a pleasant experience if memory serves. Funny thing, Republicans constantly bitch about wanting government OUT of the lives of the people, yet they cook up this scheme which would basically do the exact opposite, never mind taking the decision about how people choose to feed themselves out of their hands.

Not true. There will still be plenty of "options". For example, there's hunting rats and other small animals, rummaging through garbage, getting arrested and living off prison food, cannibalizing the corpses of their brethren during particularly harsh winters, etc. </sarcasm>

[BeastieRunner]

What are they going to do when said person is at work and then going to night school or weekend school or working a second job and that stuff spoils or gets stolen? Probably tell them tough luck and wait for the next shipment, if any.

The GOP is now the Grand Ol' Assholes.

[JCAll]

Not to mention it's actually more Intrusive Big Government (tm) than our current program.

No, they'd outsource it to some corporation to give a buddy a nice government contract.
Enjoy your prepackaged prison food rations, courtesy of the free market.

[InformationGeek]

The failing New York Times has hired blogger Quinn Norton, who has repeatedly posted online that she is friends with several neo nazis.

HEY! Speaking of the New York Times, check out this newest hot take! I won't share a quote from it, just the title:

Can women be trusted on abortion? Two men weigh in.


....I got nothing. Ladies, would you care to say what needs to be said about this?

[InformationGeek]

Special Election in Florida's House District 72 tonight and it went blue, when during the election, it went for Trump (51-46).

[BeastieRunner]

Special Election in Florida's House District 72 tonight and it went blue, when during the election, it went for Trump (51-46).

I read about that. They switched to mail in ballots and bam ... team switch.

[Iron Maiden]

And probably will lead to a complete news blackout on news about Florida on Fox News. Methinks I might copy a couple of those Blue Wave gifs.

[worstblogever]

Three years ago, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Greg Collett, a three-time losing candidate for the Idaho State Senate who has the chutzpah to campaign against the Affordable Care Act and government being involved with insurance while simultaneously having his ten children on Medicaid. He responded to criticism for this from both the right, and the left, by going online to cite Mormon doctrine to defend his stunning hypocrisy. Not to be limited to kooky on just one issue, Collett also claims that "public education is one of the planks of the Communist Manifesto". After quickly making himself the butt of many jokes, he faded from view in Idaho politics.



In both 2016, as well as in 2017, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published its profiles of Missouri State Senator Andrew Koenig (who should still not be confused with the actor who played Boner on the TV show "Growing Pains" and then would eventually take his own life in 2010.) In his nine years in the Missouri state legislature, Koenig has been involved in some of the dumbest efforts that body has seen in that time frame, first as one of the co-sponsors of HB 283, Missouri's "Birther Bill" back in 2011, hanging out with Orly Taitz and later Koenig also supported a bill to prohibit compliance with the United Nations Agenda 21 environmental treaty a few years ago, apparently because he's another one of those conservatives who believe it's a secret plot for global domination. In May 2014, that Koenig sponsored HB 1587, a bill to prevent teachers from misinforming students about "scientific controversies," specifically citing "the theory of biological and hypotheses of chemical evolution" as controversial. That got him mentioned on the Colbert Report... but believe it or not, that's not the only time Koenig was raked over the coals by Colbert, as he also did in 2012 for trying to place a ban on school teachers from talking about being gay, at all.

Hell, Koenig's response to the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of Michael Brown was to vote for a bill to make it easier for police officers to declare their use of deadly force was justified. But don't worry, he doesn't want the police state to get to restrictive, as he also put out a nullification bill that would prohibit Missouri law enforcement from enforcing federal firearms laws. Speaking of nullification, Koenig is a huge fan, because he also co-sponsored and voted for legislation to try and have Missouri prohibit implementation of the Affordable Care Act, apparently showing he doesn't know how the Civil War started, but thinking fighting against socialized healthcare is worth that kind of conflict happening again. To this day, Andrew Koenig still continues to ignore basic facts to push forth partisan bills, like how after the Planned Parenthood videos were debunked was strategically edited, and widely misleading frauds by a pro-life group, he still insisted on trying to create legislation to assure that any fetal remains are destroyed in an incinerator, rather than be used for stem cell research, or any other scientific endeavor, or perhaps even allowing investigators to just perform surprise inspections of clinics whenever they want without a warrant, because the 4th Amendment shouldn't apply to them. And you think he would know Planned Parenthood was found innocent of any wrongdoing, considering he led the witch hunt by chairing the Missouri House Committee that was looking for any kind of evidence they could to justify that. He’s also co-sponsored legislation to create stricter Voter Identification laws and legislation to attempt to drug test people on welfare. Over the past year as a legislator, Koenig continued pushing for even more strict Voter ID legislation, and made another attempt at getting a ban on fetal tissue donation passed.

Andrew Koenig, by all of our estimations, remains a sea-worthy douche canoe. Just about one year ago, he actually took to the floor to speak in defense of a transphobic bathroom bill in the state legislature aimed at public school children, and argued:

"Kids say funny things."'Oh, when I grow up I want to be a dog,' or who knows what. But that doesn’t mean that I turn around and try to cultivate that and say, ‘Yes, you can be a dog. Kids, in play, they say different things. They say, 'I want to be a spaceship.' Does that mean that we should say something like that and affirm that?"

It was at that point that Dr. Sharon Dunski Vermont testified and handed Koenig his ass for not knowing the difference between a transgendered teen and a child playing pretend.

Over this past summer, Koenig sponsored SB 5, an anti-abortion TRAP law aimed at closing all of the abortion clinics in Missouri. Unfortunately for the people of Missouri, Koenig’s term will last to at least 2020, and it will be interesting to see how many laws he submits to Gov. Eric Greitens in that time get overturned by the courts. It’s going to at least be a number greater than zero, of this, we’re positive.