June 1, 2018

The C Word. And the B word.

But first let's talk about racism and Trump. I started this thread to do a little research:

I have to admit I've been a little surprised by the answers but I suspect a lot of people just ignored my thread entirely (it got only 1 recommendation), and one person questioned my education level, ever so politely:


In truth, I don't know that there's any MORE racism today than a few years ago, but I know that it's certainly more overt, and that most people -- both here at DU and analysts, activists and pundits on cable -- fully credit Trump as the main cause of the degeneration.

How does he do that? By his words and actions (or lack thereof). He SAYS things that are racist or express his own racism in equally clear but less overt ways -- lack of compassion, for example or the refusal to denounce or even comment on others' racist acts and words. He creates policies that disadvantage PoC: allows thousands to die in Puerto Rico, separates children from parents at the border, and so forth.

All these things embolden racists to feel free to overtly express their own racism.

It only makes sense: A person in a position of power expressing overt racism with impunity is going to encourage a lot of people to feel free do the same.

And let's be clear. Surely we all know that racism involves a lot more than hurtful words. It ultimately kills. It kills directly (see Black Lives Matter), and it kills indirectly with harmful or neglectful legislation and policy, and not just at the governmental level but also places like medicine, schools, police departments, etc.

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Okay, so what's all this got to do with the C word? And the B word?

It's the same thing.

The words themselves are misogynist, and you can never separate the words from that reality, that context (tho I've seen people try with all their might, right here at DU).

Their use, therefore, validates, entrenches and promotes sexism and misogyny. I would say their use IS an act of overt misogyny.

When women use the word about other women? They may not mean harm, the target women may not feel harm, but that doesn't erase the harm, it just camouflages it.

Some women don't mind these words (either or both). Doesn't change or erase the harm.

Frankly, you can't tell me that when Samantha Bee used it (whether it was her word or one of her writers), that there wasn't a smidgen of woman-hating against Ivanka involved. We women are not immune from having internalized some of our culture's misogyny. I've been there myself: SO angry at some woman that I wanted to scream gender slurs at her.

So if you really consider yourself a progressive, or a liberal, or just an equality-loving centrist Democrat, lose the misogynist language and defense of it, eh?

ALL sexism, ALL racism, ALL homophobia, ALL classism, ALL ableism, ALL ageism kills. All of it. Let's not do it.

June 1, 2018

AT LAST. Some action on the Emoluments Clause

This has chapped my hide about Trump since before he was inaugurated. Senator Bluementhal to the rescue --

UNROLLED: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1002380514685140992.html

One week out from oral arguments in our case to compel the President to obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re seeking to hold President Trump accountable for violating the Foreign Emoluments Clause – the Constitution’s preeminent anti-corruption provision.

President Trump has repeatedly&flagrantly violated the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. He has thumbed his nose at its plain text, and in doing so, thumbed his nose at the American people as well.

What is the Foreign Emoluments Clause? Before the President receives any gifts, payments, or benefits from foreign governments he must first receive the consent of Congress. Pretty simple, right? Not for this President.

Thanks to the work of investigative journalists, we already know that President Trump has benefited from foreign governments granting him&his businesses trademarks&overseas governments paying rent to Trump properties. What don’t we know?

President Trump calls his business dealings with foreign governments “little conflicts of interest.” But they have big implications for American policy&Americans’ trust in their government.
Mr. President, we’ll see you in court.


TWITTER THREAD: https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/status/1002380522683879426

June 1, 2018

Is the U.S. really experiencing more racist and bigoted incidents?

More verbal attacks, more threats, more actual physical attacks?

If so, what's the cause? Any idea?

ETA: Charles Blow NYT Op: Trump is a walking, talking permission slip for the white supremacist. https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210682219

May 27, 2018

More volcanic action

I'm just fascinated by Kilauea -- here are a few more vids

Hawaii Lava Threatens To Block Remaining Roads For Evacuation | NBC Nightly News

Lava flows VS Streets in Hawaii (May 25, 2018)


Dr. Guillen: Kilauea volcano is officially a triple threat


Hawaii Volcano Eruption Update - Saturday Morning (May 26, 2018)


Volcano spews lava bombs as Hawaiian residents flee area


UPDATE: Hawaii on Pohoiki Road Massive crack in the road is getting bigger in Leilani estates

May 25, 2018

Stacey Abrams' Roadmap for Red State Elections

Abrams really showed us how to do it. I wish this article went into more depth on her actual campaign strategies and tactics. I heard her interviewed the other day and was simply aghast at how smart and how hard they worked. But it's got some good info in it anyway.

Time to get rid of those old playbooks! We've seen decades of running Republican Lite fail, and it's time for a new way forward.
Stacey Abrams’ Campaign Is A Road Map For Democrats In Red States
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-anoa-stacey-abrams_us_5b05c7b2e4b05f0fc8444251

On Tuesday night, former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams became the Democratic nominee for governor, defeating her primary opponent Stacey Evans by over 50 points, claiming victories in urban and rural counties alike and far exceeding even the most generous poll predictions. If Abrams goes on to win the general election in November, she would become the first African-American woman to become governor in any state.

Yet Abrams’ win should not be limited only to conversations about historical firsts. The success of Abrams’ campaign should be a mandate for the future of Democratic politics and campaigns.

Given the choice between the same failing Democratic playbook of trying to win over moderate conservatives and a bold vision grounded in building a new winning coalition, voters overwhelmingly chose the latter. And by both mobilizing the existing base of the Democratic party and expanding on that coalition by engaging new voters, Abrams reduced the turnout gap between Republican and Democratic voters to just 54,000 votes ― compared to nearly 300,000 the last time both primaries were contested, in 2010.

Sixteen years ago, Republicans dealt a historic blow to Democratic control in Georgia, unseating Sen. Max Cleland and Gov. Roy Barnes, the first time the Democrats had lost that position in more than a century. Since then, Democrats have been trying to win back the voters who left the party in the 1990s. Candidates such as Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter sought to appeal to moderate Republicans in hopes of closing the gap statewide. Yet, there is little to no indication that Republicans are willing to vote Democratic in significant enough numbers to justify continuing to invest in that strategy.

“The approach of trying to create a coalition that is centered around converting Republicans has failed Democrats in the state of Georgia for the last 15 years,” Abrams recently told The New York Times.

Repeating the same thing but expecting a different result is madness. Democrats need to build a coalition based on the Georgia we have today, one that has increasingly grown more diverse since that 2002 sea change.

MORE: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-anoa-stacey-abrams_us_5b05c7b2e4b05f0fc8444251







https://twitter.com/AndrewGillum/status/999652460124868608

May 25, 2018

ICE sins

These people are Trump's storm troopers, I'm telling you. They NEED to be brought under control. This isn't a new video -- Sept 2017 -- but it amply demonstrates a LOT that's wrong with DHS employees if they are indeed DHS Border Patrol or ICE or whatever. They are thugs. And their behavior -- and appearance -- in this video are unconscionable IMO.


ICE agents approach Latino U.S. citizen, mistake him for undocumented immigrant

Border patrol stop American women for speaking Spanish - Daily Mail



And this is kinda disgusting too, when you watch it for a bit:
Border Patrol asks travelers, 'Are you a U.S. citizen?'

May 24, 2018

Just had a thought re tomorrow's meeting

What if Rosenstein is doing this with Mueller's blessing -- and they're basically laying a trap for these Congressmen and the White House on Obstruction of Justice?

Too crazy to be plausible??

May 23, 2018

Email this morning from Stacey Abrams, Dem Candidate for Gov of GA

You did it. Team Abrams just won our primary election, and this victory belongs to you.

The retiree returning to knock on a few more doors before sundown. The Kroger florist who uses her day off to make phone calls. The high schooler who watched elected officials do nothing after Parkland but knew that he could – that he must – do more.

Everyone who stood with us and fought for progress in the face of doubt.

Everyone who believed that a little Black girl who sometimes had to go without lights or running water – who grew up to become the first woman to lead in the Georgia General Assembly – could become the first woman gubernatorial nominee from either party in Georgia's history.

When the world said "no," you joined our campaign. When the pundits pushed back, you shared our vision with your friends. And when logic whispered that what we've accomplished could never be because history had never made it so, you imagined more for Georgia.

You did it because you believed in me. And I'm running because I believe in you.

I believe in our state, and I believe in our ability to imagine more. I believe that every part of Georgia is brimming with promise and untapped potential. But for too many of us, the question of our future remains unanswered. Not because we don't try – but because our leaders never asked.

For 11 months, I asked. Tonight, you answered.

Tonight, communities that are so often overlooked – whose values are never voiced – stood with us to say: Ours is the Georgia of tomorrow. A state where diversity is a strength. A state where progress is more than possible. A state where everyone has the freedom and opportunity to thrive. A state where equal opportunity is our truth, not their buzzwords.

We proved that an unmuted voice can shake the foundations of an "immutable" status quo. We showed the nation that there is power in our voices, and there is power in our feet.

Tonight's victory was only the beginning. The road to November will be long and tough, but the next step is one we take together.

From the bottom of my heart: Thank you for walking with me. I am so grateful for your continued support in the months ahead.

Onward to November,


Stacey Abrams

May 22, 2018

I hate Civil Forfeiture -- it's fascist and unConstitutional

Our Civil Asset Forfeiture Nightmare – By Brian Krassenstein & Edward Krassenstein
http://ir.net/news/politics/128264/ed-krassenstein-brian-krassenstein/

Edward Krassenstein and Brian Krassenstein were victims of civil asset forfeiture in the United States in 2016. They have decided to tell their full story for two reasons: 1) To convince our representatives in Congress that such laws, which are currently being praised and possibly expanded upon by current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, are unjust and 2) To set the record straight after the ordeal they and their families have had to go through. Here’s their story (written by both of them, told from the perspective of Brian):


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Another nightmare scenario. You've read them. This one's little different from the others except that the victims had the financial wherewithal to fight back and eventually mostly win.

May 22, 2018

Live volcano action -

Seems to me bigger, louder than when I watched this live cam for a bit yesterday afternoon. And at this hour, it's dark there.


https://www.cnn.com/specials/live-video-1