July 1, 2019

Trump's Lawyers Argue That He Cannot Be Impeached Because He Was Never Actually Elected (Borowitz)

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trumps-lawyers-argue-that-he-cannot-be-impeached-because-he-was-never-actually-elected

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In what they believe is a legal masterstroke, lawyers for Donald J. Trump are now claiming that he cannot be impeached because he was never actually elected. In a lengthy memo sent to the special counsel, Robert Mueller, the lawyers pushed back vehemently against any allegation that Trump was legally elected President.

“Because Russian interference made the election of Donald J. Trump wholly illegitimate, any attempt to remove him from an office that he does not legally hold is clearly impossible,” the memo asserted. The memo claimed that the Constitution contains “no provision for removing a person from office when that person was installed there by a foreign power.”

The memo went on to argue that, if a subpoena is sent to the White House, it will be returned to Mueller and stamped “addressee unknown.” “A person referred to in a subpoena as ‘President’ Donald J. Trump simply does not exist,” the memo claimed.

Minutes after the memo was leaked, the former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani appeared on “Fox & Friends” and proudly announced that he was its author. “Sometimes I have to just step back and say, ‘Damn it, Rudy, you’re good,’ ” he said, beaming.

June 17, 2019

8 People Shot During Graduation Party In Southwest Philadelphia, Police Say

Source: CBS Local Affilate

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – One person has died and eight people were shot at a graduation party, police say. The incident happened shortly after 10 p.m. on the 6900 block of Reed Bird Place in the city’s Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood.

Police say four juveniles between the ages of 15 and 17 years old were shot. All of four teens are expected to recover.

Four adults were shot to various parts of their body, police say. One died and the three other adult victims are expected to be OK.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says the there were about eight or nine shots fired.

Read more: https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/06/16/eight-people-shot-southwest-philadelphia-graduation-party/

---

Another day, another shooting. It doesn't even make the national news any more.

Where have all the flowers gone?
When will we ever learn?

June 13, 2019

NYC pop-up installation with children in cages and heartbreaking audio is getting national attention

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/12/1864299/-NYC-pop-up-installation-with-children-in-cages-and-heartbreaking-audio-is-getting-national-attention?detail=emaildkre

A guerrilla art installation began showing up all over New York City today. Small cages with sculpted children, under thin foil blankets, with audio of real children crying appeared in a variety of spots around NYC Wednesday morning. On the cages, the hashtag #NoKidsInCages. Organized by a Texas-based non profit legal service for immigrants, RAICES, the installations are making a big statement in one of America’s most powerful cities.

New York City’s WPIX11 reports that there are 24 installations in total, at heavily trafficked locations and tourist destination spots like Rockefeller Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Natural history museum, as well as in front of big media outlets like CNN, Fox News, Newsweek, Vice, and more.

See link for pics.

June 13, 2019

WHAT TRUMP IS DOING AT THE BORDER

IF YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT TRUMP IS DOING AT THE BORDER, you need to read and share this thread.


https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1139192167501484033.html?utm_source=ext

I have just gotten off the phone with a friend who is a legal volunteer in Border Patrol facilities.

Don't look away.

1/
My friend has done two tours now volunteering as a legal advocate inside CBP facilities.

She passed along information about what is happening there that indicates that the Trump Administration is violating every basic human right, and is moving toward military "solutions."

2/
So that folks understand the process: CBP has outposts on the border. Refugees seeking asylum travel hundreds of miles on foot, including with infants and small children, and turn themselves in at these outposts *on foot.*

Here's what happens next. Don't look away.

3/
CBP then transfers these human beings to a facility called "the Dog Pound." (Here, my friend started crying.)

The "Dog Pound" is comprised of cages, outside and on dirt, with no protection from the elements.

Don't look away.

4/
There are dozens of teen moms there.

There is no baby food.

While there, my friend saw a CBP agent take a baby from her teenage mother, strip the baby of its clothes, hand the baby back to the mother, and send them outside to the "Dog Pound" to sleep in the dirt.

5/
The "Dog Pound" has no running water, no covers, no tarp, no care, no safety from the elements. It is freezing at night, and deathly hot during the day.

Everyone is sick. My friend said she saw a baby on this trip that was so sick "I thought it would be dead by morning."

6/
Toddlers in the "Dog Pound" who had been eating solid food are given only infant formula. Moms are trying to start breast feeding again so their children don't starve.

These moms are dehydrated, sick, & have walked miles through desert with no water. CBP gives them nothing.

7/
It gets worse. Don't look away.

From the "Dog Pound," these human beings are moved to an area called "The Freezer."

The Freezer is kept at 55 degrees.

Some of the refugees who are moved there are still wet from their journey, and are put in The Freezer wet.

8/
CBP is keeping human beings in "The Freezer" for weeks at a time. WEEKS.

Including critically ill people, disabled people, sick children, teenage mothers with babies.

The floor of The Freezer is made of dirt or very rough concrete. There are no beds.

Keep reading.

9/
From "The Freezer," refugees are supposed to be moved to ICE facilities that are designed for residential care. They have beds, food, bathrooms.

However, (keep reading) THOSE FACILITIES ARE EMPTY.

ICE IS SHUTTING THEM DOWN.

Don't look away.

10/
What our government is doing instead is moving refugees to MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

The announcement about Fort Sill, which was used as a Japanese internment camp, is only the start.

So why would our government be doing this?

11/
Here's why

These concentration camps (let's call them what they are) will be under the control of the Department of Homeland Security, but within the Department of Defense.

12/.
Unlike ICE facilities, which allow site inspectors inside, there will be no inspection of military-run camps.

The military will be able to deny access to anyone it chooses. No media. No oversight.

13/
Lawyers will not be allowed in. Human rights monitors will not be allowed in.

The camps will also be protected airspace, meaning that no drones can fly over them to take pictures of what's going on inside.

14/
The Trump administration will be able to conduct itself in whatever way it wants to without anyone knowing what's going on inside.

Think about what that means. Think about why they would want that.

This is happening RIGHT NOW.

15/
ICE facilities with beds and food are EMPTY, because the Trump administration is moving refugees into military-run concentration camps where they can do ANYTHING THEY CHOOSE without oversight, media scrutiny or advocate access.

16/
This administration is already committing atrocities at CBP facilities.

Border Patrol agents at the facility where my friend was working refer to these human beings as "bodies." Not people. "Bodies."

They are denying medicine, toilets, beds, food, shelter and clothes.

17/
My friend said that "Flores is on very tenuous ground."

We're days away from being met with "we're not going to let you in, no matter what."

18/
What is coming is crimes against humanity.

America is already perpetrating mass human rights violations, and this administration is setting it up so they can do far worse, in secret, under military supervision.

19/
Military forces are already been shifted to CBP. My friend saw *coast guard agents* (read that again) working for CBP at this facility.

If we do nothing, there will be blood on our hands.

20/
If Pelosi does nothing, there will be blood on her hands and the hands of every Democrat who refuses to act to end this administration's reign.

Fascism is here.

21/
If this enrages you, devastates you, frightens you, share this thread.

Then call your member of Congress and read it to them.

Then call @SpeakerPelosi and ask her why she sits silently by as our government does this.

22/
We're on a fast train to hell.

There's only one way to stop it.

Trump must be removed from power immediately, by any legal means, using every weapon in our arsenal.

June 6, 2019

Our puppy Beau. (Pic added of both Beau and Bella.)

I posted about getting a new puppy we named Beau back in late April. We got him from a rescue organization and we were his 4th owner in just 9 months. He is a total character, but also an absolute sweetie. When he is not in the process of destroying everything in the house, he loves to cuddle. He spends more time in our bed at night than any of the other dogs. We think we finally have him housebroken. We are having to make some adjustments.

I spend a lot of time on my computer. It is a desktop that lives behind my recliner. The monitor, keyboard and mouse are on a lap desk. I put the lap desk on the floor when I have to get up. For reasons we have never determined, Beau loves to chew on my cordless mouse. I'm still trying to remember that, even if I'm only going to the kitchen to get a glass of water, I need to put the mouse in a drawer if Beau will grab it and start chewing on it.

Last night we were watching a documentary about two guys in South Carolina who were running a rescue operation out of their home. Every time a dog barked on TV Beau went nuts! At one point he had his front paws up on the TV stand barking at a dog on TV. He was absolutely certain that the dog on TV was in our living room trying to usurp Beau and chief dog (which, of course, he is not).

He is a bundle of energy. Thankfully, our Bella, who is about a year older than he is, is more than willing to wrestle, tussle, play tug-of-war, and generally help him burn off that puppy energy.

But for all his quirks we love him to bits.

(Beau is the Tri and Bella is the Ruby. Pic is a moment of repose.)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/862298659885598331/visual-search/?x=14&y=10&w=451&h=338

June 4, 2019

Just want to give a shout-out to Hulu.

Background. Both the Mrs. and I are on Social Security which means we 'get paid' once a month. It also means that by a few days before 'payday' the old bank account is getting pretty low. We have to be careful, since there are a few bills that come due during the few days before payday. Hulu is one of them. We don't have any frills or premium services with Hulu, although we do pay an extra $5.00 to get rid of the ads.

So, our Hulu bill is around $12.00/month and comes in a dew days before payday. Imagine my shock when I checked my checking account and found that my Hulu bill was $123.00! Seems my account had been hacked and someone had added just about every premium service available as well as adding a Spanish translation of all the services. Yikes.

I immediately contacted Hulu. He took one look at my bill, agreed that it had been hacked, immediately cancelled my entire account, send me a change password email, set me back up with a 'new' account, had me add a 'new' password to it, and somehow connected the 'new' account to my 'old' profile. AND, here's the real kicker, had the $123.00 back in my checking account within 24 hours.

You can't ask for much better Customer Service than that! (Although I did have to pay the normal $12.00 bill for the month, LOL.)