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

[numberthirty]

Trump's 'good economy's that he crowed about at the start of his presidency was merely the continuation of the boom from Obama.

Funny thing is a while back I looked up all the recessions we had and the last Republican not to have one start under them was Lincoln. I do give the elder Bush a partial pass since that was in large part due to the military drawdown after the Cold War ended, the military industrial complex was a huge part of the economy and it was sent into a tailspin when it was decided many in progress projects weren't needed. Also, I think it was Calvin Coolidge whose recession was started almost single handedly by Henry Ford shutting down his entire company to retool from the Model T to the Model A.

Well, that's not really as simple as it's laid out there.

You absolutely had people saying that a Trump Presidency would run the economy into the ditch on the day he took office(or soon thereafter depending on who said it...) If that's the case, than there are only two possible factual realities if the guy made it a year in without running the economy into the ditch.

- First, the guy somehow pulled off a pretty incredible play where he pulled an economy that was headed for the ditch back onto the asphalt based on his skills as a leader.

or...

- Second, people were slinging some garbage the entire time they were saying that sort of stuff.

[numberthirty]

8 of the 10 states with the worst poverty rate among African Americans are in deep red states, while none of the 10 lowest poverty rates among that demographic are Republican strongholds (there's a couple of swing states in there, but the rest are solidly blue). I'd say blacks do a fuckton better under Democrats. Comparing statistics of urban communities to more rural ones is an apples/oranges argument. Cities have many other factors at play that aren't an issue in communities that are more spaced out.

Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity

The incarceration rate from 1994 forward would suggest otherwise.

[aja_christopher]

Police Accountability: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver -- Oct 3, 2016

[numberthirty]

You didn't have Black Lives Matter folks arguing with Bill Clinton during the 2016 election because they believe that they did a lot better after he signed the 1994 crime bill.

Are those folks a little bit better off under a Democratic office holder? Probably a little bit.

A markedly better position when you take a look at the incarceration rate from 1994 until Clinton left office? Come on with that garbage.

[Tami]

New Boss May Test Voice of America’s Credibility

So it’s worrisome that the Senate confirmation of the Trump administration’s pick to head the V.O.A. and several allied broadcasters was followed by the resignations of the two top V.O.A. executives, both experienced, respected and independent journalists.

The people who listen to the news service around the world — more than 280 million in 40 languages and on every media platform — are, for the most part, people who can’t abide the propaganda of their rulers and turn to the world’s premier democracy to hear the truth. If they thought V.O.A. was also feeding them propaganda, they’d change the station, and probably their image of the United States.

The value of such journalism should be self-evident to any believer in the value of a free press. It is not to President Trump nor to his erstwhile strategist Stephen K. Bannon. It was Mr. Bannon, then head of the far-right website Breitbart, who more than two years ago tried to put his man, Michael Pack, at the helm of V.O.A. But the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, first under Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican and Trump critic, and then under the more Trump-friendly Jim Risch of Idaho, was in no rush to confirm Mr. Pack until something prodded Mr. Trump to launch an attack on V.O.A. two months ago.

---

Voice of America and other U.S. government media never engage in propaganda. Is that about to change?

FOR DECADES, U.S. government-funded foreign broadcasting has distinguished itself from that of undemocratic nations with its commitment to quality journalism and editorial independence. Though the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other outlets may not have had the resources of Russia’s RT or Qatar’s al Jazeera, foreign audiences often have turned to them for their independent reporting, both of news of the United States and that of their own countries.

Now that legacy may be in danger, thanks to President Trump’s newly installed chief executive at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Michael Pack, a conservative filmmaker and associate of alt-right propagandist Stephen K. Bannon, kicked off his tenure this week by firing the chiefs of RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. The two top editors of Voice of America resigned days earlier.

Mr. Pack also dissolved the boards of the first three of those networks, which operate as grantees of the U.S. government; a bipartisan cast of luminaries including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former ambassador Ryan Crocker was replaced by low-level Trump political appointees from unrelated federal agencies, along with Mr. Pack and his chief of staff. The sole outside board member comes from the far-right Christian group Liberty Counsel Action, which is known for its militant anti-LGBTQ advocacy.

-----------
Lawmakers demand answers on firing spree at global media agency

CNN)Bipartisan lawmakers are calling for answers from the new Trump-appointed chief executive at the US Agency for Global Media after a firing spree on Wednesday.

The shakeups at the taxpayer-funded agency have raised concerns that CEO Michael Pack intends to turn the agency into a political arm of the administration, prompting both Democratic lawmakers and former USAGM board members to call on him to respect the independence of its news organizations and recognize its importance in promoting democracy abroad.

Jamie Fly, the ousted head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL), on Friday warned against the US falling behind authoritarian countries in the information space and called for "clear and consistent leadership, funding, and support" at the news organization.

[AnakinFlair]

Only in your world

Yes, the real world. You should join us here some time.

who resisted arrest, injured one of the cops, stole his taser and tried to fire it at the officer....

Here's the thing- looking at the video, he actually does fire the taser. You can see the wires shoot off into the air. Which means that taser was then effectively useless and no longer a threat. The two cops then proceeded to shoot him in the back, then one kicked him in the head while the other stood on his shoulders.

I have to admit, I'm torn by this. One one hand, I fully agree with tearing down statues of Confederate soldiers and leaders. They were traitors to the country and don't deserve to be honored. But I don't agree with tearing down statues of the founding fathers, even if they were slave owners. As evil as slavery is, the sad fact is that slavery was something that had already been established in the colonies and was therefore then carried over when the country declared it's independence. But those men did found this country, and should be honored for that.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Obama's recovery doesn't looks good to the uninformed observer because of how deep a hole he was in to start of his presidency. There is a lot I take issue with Obama for, but the economy isn't on the list.

That’s 100% the issues. He came in needing to fix an economy and he got saddled with peoples memories of his early days being a very painful experience economically. Then he had a very measured and pragmatic approach to the economy that took it out of that, but the average person didn’t feel it for a long time. Then Trump came in and got to ride the best parts of it and abuse like Bush did and take credit.

It’s similar to Obamacare. It was never popular while he was President because of the growing pains to get everyone acclimated to it. Then it was popular when people were afraid of losing it. Now it’s taken for granted for what is considered the next level in the path towards universal healthcare.

He did good things but it’s underappreciated because of timing and what came after.

I fear that if Biden wins he’s going to inherit a disaster and many will blame him for it and you’ll get a narrative of “ok ok we got Trump away from everything but this is a mess and we need something new“ and you’ll get one of the younger Republican dweebs gaslighting him. Someone like Rubio who can plausibly play the “well clearly I’m not Trump because I bashed him on stage in 2016, but I got the energy to do what the old guy can’t”.

[sammy_hansen]

Yes, the real world. You should join us here some time.



Here's the thing- looking at the video, he actually does fire the taser. You can see the wires shoot off into the air. Which means that taser was then effectively useless and no longer a threat. The two cops then proceeded to shoot him in the back, then one kicked him in the head while the other stood on his shoulders.





I have to admit, I'm torn by this. One one hand, I fully agree with tearing down statues of Confederate soldiers and leaders. They were traitors to the country and don't deserve to be honored. But I don't agree with tearing down statues of the founding fathers, even if they were slave owners. As evil as slavery is, the sad fact is that slavery was something that had already been established in the colonies and was therefore then carried over when the country declared it's independence. But those men did found this country, and should be honored for that.

I guess perhaps it’s worth considering who they declared independence for?

[Tami]

Bill Barr is trying to get rid of the head of the SDNY Office. He tried by telling the news that Berman was voluntarily stepping down. Berman put out a state saying 'this was the first I heard of it, and no, I'm not stepping down. Also all investigations will continue as normal, without any interruptions.'

Then someone pointed out on twitter that Berman can't be fired. He is an 'Acting' head, and according to the rules, he can't be fired until his permanent replacement approved by Congress.

[AnakinFlair]

I guess perhaps it’s worth considering who they declared independence for?

I know I'm probably on the wrong side of history here, but some of my opinions I guess are just stuck in the past.

Bill Barr is trying to get rid of the head of the SDNY Office. He tried by telling the news that Berman was voluntarily stepping down. Berman put out a state saying 'this was the first I heard of it, and no, I'm not stepping down. Also all investigations will continue as normal, without any interruptions.'

Then someone pointed out on twitter that Berman can't be fired. He is an 'Acting' head, and according to the rules, he can't be fired until his permanent replacement approved by Congress.

Was just about to post this. HERE is a link to the CNN story.

[Tami]

I know I'm probably on the wrong side of history here, but some of my opinions I guess are just stuck in the past.



Was just about to post this. HERE is a link to the CNN story.

Here is something new from AP: Without Trump nomination, judges vote to keep US attorney

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal judges in New York have taken the unusual step of voting to keep U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in his job as the chief prosecutor in Manhattan in the absence of a nomination by President Donald Trump.

Berman’s Jan. 3 interim appointment by the Justice Department to oversee an office of over 220 prosecutors was set to expire May 4.

Without a presidential nomination, judges were free to choose a U.S. attorney to serve until a permanent appointee is confirmed.

Chief Judge Colleen McMahon and District Court Executive Edward Friedland said in a press advisory Wednesday that the judges chose Berman unanimously. The appointment would be effective May 4.

The judges’ decision comes as prosecutors in Berman’s office oversee a criminal investigation of Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen. In court filings, prosecutors revealed that Cohen’s personal business dealings are under investigation. They have declined to say why.

Berman has been recused from involvement in that investigation.

Berman said in a statement Wednesday that he was grateful to the judges.

[Tendrin]

Bill Barr is dangerous as hell. His authoritarianism is *incredibly* worrisome.

[Tami]

Bill Barr is dangerous as hell. His authoritarianism is *incredibly* worrisome.

Which is only tempered by his stupidity, as well as Trumps stupidity.

[The no face guy]

Yes, the real world. You should join us here some time.
I have to admit, I'm torn by this. One one hand, I fully agree with tearing down statues of Confederate soldiers and leaders. They were traitors to the country and don't deserve to be honored. But I don't agree with tearing down statues of the founding fathers, even if they were slave owners. As evil as slavery is, the sad fact is that slavery was something that had already been established in the colonies and was therefore then carried over when the country declared it's independence. But those men did found this country, and should be honored for that.

Ditto, obviously confederate statues and flags should be removed. "I'm talking to you State of Mississippi!", but the founding fathers are a completely different story.

First, it should be noted that moderates (regular responsible people) do not engage in acts of property crime and vandalism, that is what radicals do. Normal people start a petition to have the statue removed, and abide by the law no matter what the outcome (whether they succeed or not)

Second, you cannot judge people who lived over 200 years ago to the standards of today's morality, it was a completely different society back then, that is so foreign and divorced from our reality today. I mean child brides were common place back then for gods sake.

I imagine that most of the people doing the statue topping in Portland, are people who have been indoctrinated by studies rooted in the Western Marxism tradition, (Ie Post colonial studies, critical legal theory, critical race theory, whiteness ect) which often also incorporates post modernist methods. Although these studies provide a good critical analyses of society, they are ultimately politically motivated in that they provide a pseudo scientific view of history, that only sees the history of the west as a colonial genocidal machine. History should be studied like a science fully & empirically without political intent. After all, one could make the argument that if it wasn't for George Washington and the founding fathers, no one in the United States would likely be enjoying the freedom and standard of living they have today.

At the end of the day statue toppling just helps the far right with their recruitment, if you want a statue removed, do it legally, start a petition.

[PwrdOn]

Ditto, obviously confederate statues and flags should be removed. "I'm talking to you State of Mississippi!", but the founding fathers are a completely different story.

First, it should be noted that moderates (regular responsible people) do not engage in acts of property crime and vandalism, that is what radicals do. Normal people start a petition to have the statue removed, and abide by the law no matter what the outcome (whether they succeed or not)

Second, you cannot judge people who lived over 200 years ago to the standards of today's morality, it was a completely different society back then, that is so foreign and divorced from our reality today. I mean child brides were common place back then for gods sake.

I imagine that most of the people doing the statue topping in Portland, are people who have been indoctrinated by studies rooted in the Western Marxism tradition, (Ie Post colonial studies, critical legal theory, critical race theory, whiteness ect) which often also incorporates post modernist methods. Although these studies provide a good critical analyses of society, they are ultimately politically motivated in that they provide a pseudo scientific view of history, that only sees the history of the west as a colonial genocidal machine. History should be studied like a science fully & empirically without political intent. After all, one could make the argument that if it wasn't for George Washington and the founding fathers, no one in the United States would likely be enjoying the freedom and standard of living they have today.

At the end of the day statue toppling just helps the far right with their recruitment, if you want a statue removed, do it legally, start a petition.

The problem with trying to argue that historical figures can't be judged by modern standards is that these very same people had absolutely no problem applying their rigid standards of morality to just about every other group of people, and invariably concluded that they didn't measure up and thus it was fair game to rape, pillage, enslave, and murder them, cultural and material context be damned. Of course the founding fathers are responsible for the freedom and living standards that Americans enjoy, because those privileges were only ever possible because of the genocide and slavery that lie at the root of this nation's founding. After all, farming stolen land with slave labor is nothing if not insanely profitable, and the wealth accumulated allowed a small elite class of white Americans to live unbelievably extravagant, if unsustainable, lifestyles. And tearing down a couple of statues won't undo that, or even begin to address the lingering issues that centuries of exploitation have left in our societal fabric, it is at most a form of catharsis for frustrated people, and I think they've earned at least that.