Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Science post - saber toothed cat



A mummified ice age cub from Siberia is the first known mummy of a saber-toothed cat, and its discovery is generating ripples of excitement among paleontologists. The mummy’s exceptional preservation provided the first view of what saber-toothed cats looked like. Written in its soft tissues are clues about where the cat’s muscles were bulkiest and how that may have shaped its hunting style.


Abundant fur and mummified flesh covered the partial corpse, and its face, forelimbs and torso were nearly intact, scientists reported Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. The cub’s dark brown fur was short but very thick, measuring about 0.8 to 1.2 inches (20 to 30 millimeters) long. Its fur was also surprisingly soft, said lead study author Alexey V. Lopatin, full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and chief researcher and director of the academy’s Borissiak Paleontological Institute.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to see with your own eyes the life appearance of a long-extinct animal,” Lopatin told CNN in an email. “Especially when it comes to such an interesting predator as the sabre-toothed cat.” These extinct carnivores, which are distant relatives of modern big cats, are known for their long, bladelike canines, which could measure up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long.


The pictures with the story are very interesting.  Especially the pictures of the little cat paws.  




The three-year-old baby cat's head, forelimbs, torso, and paws were kept in near-pristine condition by the ice - allowing scientists to carry out detailed examinations.

Several notable features distinguished it from its modern-day successors, such as a lion cub.

The mummified kitten was found to be significantly more muscular and had a "very massive neck".

It also had an unusual muzzle shape which was much wider than that of a modern lion.





The finding is not only a breakthrough when it comes tosaber-toothed cat studies, but on Ice Age paleontology as well. Prior remains, such as woolly mammoth and cave lions, have emphasized more the species with surviving descendants. Homotherium, which belongs to completely extinct genera, gives a glimpse into a very different evolutionary pathway of predators.




For the team of Russian scientists who received this precious find in Moscow, it was like holding a time capsule from an era when enormous predators stalked the frosty plains. “The studied frozen mummified cub confirms the modern reconstructions of the life appearance of Homotherium,” Alexey Lopatin, a paleontologist at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute, told Gizmodo.

In other words, they finally had proof that the lean, long-limbed saber-toothed cats resembled the fearsome illustrations that graced the pages of paleontology textbooks.

The specimen, affectionately nicknamed “Lyuba” after the Russian word for love, astonished scientists with its exquisite preservation. It wasn’t just bones — it was muscle, skin, and fur, right down to the dark tufts on its ears and the tiny pads on its rounded paws. The mummy’s neck was thick and muscular, more than twice the size of a modern lion cub’s, suggesting that even the youngest Homotherium was a force to be reckoned with.




Pretty impressive.  Here's two videos on the evolution of cats.


Science post. CNN's Mindy Weisberger reports; A mummified ice age cub from Siberia is the first known mummy of a saber-toothed cat, and its discovery is generating ripples of excitement among paleontologists. The mummy’s exceptional preservation provided the first view of what saber-toothed cats looked like. Written in its soft tissues are clues about where the cat’s muscles were bulkiest and how that may have shaped its hunting style. Abundant fur and mummified flesh covered the partial corpse, and its face, forelimbs and torso were nearly intact, scientists reported Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. The cub’s dark brown fur was short but very thick, measuring about 0.8 to 1.2 inches (20 to 30 millimeters) long. Its fur was also surprisingly soft, said lead study author Alexey V. Lopatin, full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and chief researcher and director of the academy’s Borissiak Paleontological Institute. “It’s a fantastic feeling to see with your own eyes the life appearance of a long-extinct animal,” Lopatin told CNN in an email. “Especially when it comes to such an interesting predator as the sabre-toothed cat.” These extinct carnivores, which are distant relatives of modern big cats, are known for their long, bladelike canines, which could measure up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. The pictures with the story are very interesting. Especially the pictures of the little cat paws. John Varga (DAILY EXPRESS) adds: The three-year-old baby cat's head, forelimbs, torso, and paws were kept in near-pristine condition by the ice - allowing scientists to carry out detailed examinations. Several notable features distinguished it from its modern-day successors, such as a lion cub. The mummified kitten was found to be significantly more muscular and had a "very massive neck". It also had an unusual muzzle shape which was much wider than that of a modern lion. Arezki Amiri (DAILY GALAXY) zooms in on this: The finding is not only a breakthrough when it comes tosaber-toothed cat studies, but on Ice Age paleontology as well. Prior remains, such as woolly mammoth and cave lions, have emphasized more the species with surviving descendants. Homotherium, which belongs to completely extinct genera, gives a glimpse into a very different evolutionary pathway of predators. And Tibi Puiu (ZME SCIENCE) notes: For the team of Russian scientists who received this precious find in Moscow, it was like holding a time capsule from an era when enormous predators stalked the frosty plains. “The studied frozen mummified cub confirms the modern reconstructions of the life appearance of Homotherium,” Alexey Lopatin, a paleontologist at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute, told Gizmodo. In other words, they finally had proof that the lean, long-limbed saber-toothed cats resembled the fearsome illustrations that graced the pages of paleontology textbooks. The specimen, affectionately nicknamed “Lyuba” after the Russian word for love, astonished scientists with its exquisite preservation. It wasn’t just bones — it was muscle, skin, and fur, right down to the dark tufts on its ears and the tiny pads on its rounded paws. The mummy’s neck was thick and muscular, more than twice the size of a modern lion cub’s, suggesting that even the youngest Homotherium was a force to be reckoned with. Pretty impressive. Here's two videos on the evolution of cats.









 


"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Tuesday, November 18, 2024.  The exodus from Twitter continues, the silence on Black women also continues, Hegseth is not qualified for the role of Secretary of Defense, and much more.



You ready to get off Elon Musk's plantation?




. Elon Musk was born and grew up in South Africa and he loved it.  Until apartheid began to crumble.  The thought of Black people having the same rights as he did caused him to flee South Africa.  The racism is ingrained in him and that's the only 'free speech' that he ever tolerates.

THE GUARDIAN, The Free Press, Gabrielle Union, Jamie Lee Curtis and so many others are doing the right thing and leaving the racist's social media.  He's lost money on Twitter but that doesn't matter to him because he has influence as long as he owns it -- if it remains popular.  If we leave it, it's over.  It's nothing but a nest of racists, sexists and homophobes and then it has no cachet and popularity.  

Over on Blue Sky . . .












"I-I-I-I-I-I Ain't Gonna Tweet on TWITTER (Ava and C.I.)" -- let's all say goodbye to X and to Twitter and to racists who actively work to destroy our lives.



Let me note one more to join Bluesky.



I called Alyssa out two weeks ago for not being on BlueSky.  Now the reason most give me is that they're afraid they'll lose their following.  Most of the people refusing to budge -- racist Katrina vanden Heuvel of THE NATION, for example, don't have a following.  Alyssa built up her TWITTER following and has huge numbers.  Knowing Alyssa,  I doubt she's stopped Tweeting but at least she's also gone to BLUESKY.  And I will say thank you and I will applaud.  

Or I will applaud those of you going to BlueSky.  

If, on the left, we can't even do that -- and do it to oppose racism, sexism and homophobia -- it says a great deal about our lack of priorities.  

Run X into the ground and Elon Musk is just another ugly man with ass hair implanted on his scalps and jowls.  


Now let's note this from Reshonda Tate on THE DEFENDER NETWORK.
 



Community member Keesha weighed in on that video above noting that this is the big story of the post-election period "but no Democracy Now segment, nothing on The Majority Report or at The Progressive or In These Times or The Nation.  The same outlets that ignored us in the lead up to the election are ignoring Black women after the election.  I guess they couldn't do all their lying if they had to listen to Black women.  So they just ignore us instead.  I'm registering and I doubt I'm the only one who is."

It is very hard to ignore the silencing that's taking place.

An e-mail to the public account (common_ills@yahoo.com) is from a woman asking how long she should sit it out?  You'll know when -- and if -- you're ready to take part again.  Some will need longer to take care of themselves and to heal.  Some will never come back (and I don't blame you if that's what you need to do).  

This is a very important time and you need to take care of you because the 'left' has demonstrated that they won't -- not just before the election but also, as Keesha points out, after as well.

Don't let them steal your joy -- we've all heard it.

But damned if they didn't try, right?

Kamala was the first Black woman to run for the presidency on a major ticket.  And to even be joyful about that brought attacks from others.  Brought nonsense about Gaza.  

Most political nominees aren't tasked with solving the world's problems before they're even elected president.  Not so with Kamala.  She had to solve everything and please everyone and do so before she was in the Oval Office.

Yeah, let's pretend like she was being judged by the same standard.  That's what so many on the left who helped derail her campaign want us to believe. 

We're not that stupid.

We grasp that every column attacking her, every segment attacking her, every speech attacking her was devaluing her -- intentionally devaluing her.  

And they try to act like she's the failure.

My state's still got 6% of the vote to count but per the official results nationwide right now, Kamala got 48.3% to Trump's 50%.  

That's a less than 2% difference.  For a candidate who had to hit the ground running in August.

But don't the White men like Seth Prissy Moulton want to attack.  Hey, Seth, unlike you, she had a general election opponent.  You didn't.  So you should have gotten 100% of the vote -- running uncontested.  But you didn't, did you?

So maybe you're the last White windbag that needs to be speaking right now and maybe people need to grasp that when you speak -- running unopposed, he couldn't even get 100% of the vote this time. 


Let's note Satanic Trump's unqualified nominees.  Pete Hegseth is not qualified to be the secretary of any department.  You didn't have to go left to find a qualified candidate.  There are people serving in leadership of the military that could have been elevated.  There are people in the Senate who are Republicans who would be qualified -- Joni Ernst, Mike Rounds, Roger Wicker, Bill Cassidy, etc. 

They have the knowledge base.  Hegseth doesn't have the knowledge base or the experience.  What he does have is a sad and drunken assault.  It was seven years ago.  It is not the distant past.  He was 37 years old.  David Kurtz (TPM) notes:


More details emerged over the weekend about the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense.

The WaPo was first with extensive new information about the circumstance of the alleged sexual assault, based on (i) a memo it obtained that was provided to the Trump transition team late Wednesday by a friend of the victim; and (ii) a statement from Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore.

The woman later reported the alleged assault to police, but no charges were ever filed:

According to the police statement, the complaint was filed four days after the encounter, and the complainant had bruises to her thigh. The police report itself was not released.

Hegseth settled the woman’s claim for an undisclosed amount, and she signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Trump is standing by Hegseth in the face of the undisclosed settlement of the sexual assault claim.


That's reason enough not to confirm him.

But he's also not qualified for the job.


He shouldn't be confirmed.  He shouldn't even be nominated.  He's not fit to oversee the Pentagon -- he does not have the background.  If the nomination was to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs, I'd have a few problems -- mainly around the issues of female veterans.  And I would also question his ability to oversee any department because he just doesn't have that experience -- not in his military service and not in his civilian experience.


This is a huge department that is taxed with many, many duties including ensuring the US military is prepared.


What in Hegseth's past experience argues that he knows a thing about hiring or recruiting, for example?


The last Senate hearing on military readiness was eleven months ago. 

At that hearing, US Army Maj Gen Johnny Davis spoke on a number of topics including the statements below:


Today's youth are far more likely to pursue education beyond high school. Currently,
high school seniors and recent graduates account for more than 50% of our annual
contracts. However, they only represent 15-20% of the labor market. We will transform
our prospecting to expand into a greater representation of the labor market and enter
the larger prospect pool. In addition to the high school market, we will target those with
more than a high school diploma, this includes a college degree, some college, or a
technical certification. By FY 2028, it is our goal for one third of new recruits to have
more than a high school diploma.  We are growing our analytical capability to incentivize and position our recruiting force, tailor marketing based on segmentation, and place our recruiters in the right place with  the right training, products, and tools. Our quarterly Industry Engagement Program allows us to identify new tools to improve operations across the enterprise.
As we transform how the Army prospects for talent, we will continue to innovate and
leverage data analytics, artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) to quickly
identify the right talent and provide tailored messaging to potential talent. We are
expanding our presence on both social media and digital job boards to communicate the
Army's Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Expanding our market is critical to
accomplishing the mission today and in the future.



What does Hegseth know about hiring practices, recruitment and retention?  Nothing.  Can he address, off the top of his head, the issue of evidence-based learning capability?  Does he know what a command wide retention surge is?  If so, does he approve or does he think it's a waste of time.  Each of the four branches needs to be adequately staffed (the Air Force didn't make the goal in 2023).  How does Hegseth plan to address this.  Does he have an overall plan or is he going to propose piece meal strategies?


He wants this office why?  How does he see himself delivering in this office?  

Where does he stand on waivers?

Due to his plethora of body markings, I'd assume he is okay with tattoos.  But what about age restrictions -- what his top end for someone serving in combat?  On drug tests, what's his wait window on retesting -- 60 days, 90 days, less, more?  And why?  Drug testing does include testing for alcohol.  

ESaR has been a semi-successful recruiting tool for the Navy (Every Sailor a Recruiter).  Is that a policy Hegseth agrees with?  Why or why not?

The Navy's "Make Your Name" series has been successful in recruiting -- noting women's roles and experiences serving in the Navy.  It's a fairly inexpensive recruiting tool and it has been successful.  Does he endorse this recruiting tool?  If not, why not?  If not, is it because he has a limited view of what women can do in the military?

Grasp that -- without him -- women have been moving up in the ranks in the military.  Are these women going to hit a glass ceiling if he becomes the Secretary?  How is he planning to address these issues?  How is going to maintain the US military's competitive edge?


Guess what, those are very basic questions about basic duties and that's before we get beyond workforce issues.  I see nothing in his background that demonstrates experience with those type of issues.  

Again, we still haven't gotten to other issues that include oversight, combat, military exercises and partnering with the VA to improve the transition from veteran to soldier.  On that last one?  I don't think he has expertise but I think his experience -- personal -- could compensate for the lack of expertise.  I do not feel that way about any other responsibility that he would be tasked with should he become the Secretary of Defense. 

The US Army is supposed to be refocusing with an emphasis on LSCO (Large-Scale Combat Operations).  That is one of the defined 2025 goals.  Hegseth will pursue that how?


These are not minor details.  And you can't learn it on the job, not as Secretary of Defense.  That means being over the defense of this country so Americans are entitled to expect someone in that role to have actual experience.

Hegseth has none.

Again, this isn't a right-or-left issue.  There are Republicans who are qualified for this post.  Hegseth is not one of them.  Any sitting senator on the Armed Services Committee is qualified for the post.  

They would know the issues needing to be addressed before they were even sworn into office.

Hegseth doesn't know the issues, he's never overseen any workforce -- let alone a workforce as large as the Defense Dept -- and he would put military readiness at risk as the whole world had to wait for him to learn on the job and familiarize himself with tasks and concepts that he's honestly not suited for.




The following sites updated:






Posted by at

Monday, November 18, 2024

Confirm the judges already

 Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) reports:



President-elect Donald Trump will face an uphill battle should he attempt to push ultra-ideological judges to the bench as he did in his first term, according to a new report.

A Washington Post analysis revealed Monday that, despite a Senate majority, the math is working against Trump.

Senate Democrats who currently enjoy the majority are rushing to leave as few vacancies for Trump to fill as possible, the Washington Post reported.

Outgoing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is reportedly "rushing to confirm more than two dozen of President Joe Biden’s remaining judicial nominees before Republicans take control of the chamber on Jan. 3, limiting the number of vacancies for Trump to fill."

"If the Senate confirms all of Biden’s remaining nominees — a big if — Trump will have 36 judicial vacancies to fill when he takes office," the Post reported.

That's a stark contrast from the 108 vacancies Trump had at the start of his first term, the Post reported.


Rebecca's been covering this:



We need to ensure that these nominations go through.  Shame on the Senate for letting them stack up to begin with.


"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Monday, November 18, 2024.  While Free Press, THE GUARDIAN, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danielle Moodie and others leave the vile TWITTER, notice the racists unable to take a similar brave stand.


The lesson?  They'll always make room for a White man.  Talking about the left.  Talking about the nonsense Brett Wilkins wrote for COMMON DREAMS about how  "progressives" are "rip"ing apart US President Joe Biden.


But you read on and "progressives" becomes one person on TWITTER and that one person is conspiracy nut and antix-vaxer Lee Camp


Journalism standards are out the window before we even get to the Camps of Hell and Brimstone whose biggest 'action' was taking place and signing off on the faux nonsense Rage Against the War Machine and Jacob Crosse (WSWS) noted of that racist action:


On February 19, in Washington D.C., the Libertarian Party and “People’s Party,” along with disoriented middle class elements and outright fascistic individuals, organized what was marketed as the “Rage Against the War Machine” rally.

The event, billed by organizers Angela McArdle of the Libertarian Party and Nick Brana of the People’s Party as an attempt to bring the “left and right” together in opposition to the war in Ukraine was, the World Socialist Web Site noted, a “reactionary political freak show.”

The World Socialist Web Site will be further analyzing the main organizers and speakers at the event, confirming its thoroughly reactionary character. This article focuses on the Libertarian Party and its overt orientation to the fascistic right.

The central political perspective behind the rally was provided by the Libertarian Party, which was listed as the main organizer—above the People’s Party on the official “Rage” website.

Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle moderated the “Rage” rally along with Brana. Of the 19 speakers, three were or are currently members of the Libertarian Party: Ron Paul, Scott Horton and Daniel McAdams.

Commenting on the leading role of the Libertarian Party in organizing the event, Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone, in a February 16 podcast promoting the rally with fellow speaker Scott Horton, noted that the event was “substantially planned by the Libertarian Party.”

Besides providing the political perspective, the Libertarians also financed much of the rally. The Mises Caucus donated at least $1,000 to be one of five “Silver Sponsors” for the rally.

While Libertarians have always advanced a far-right hyper-capitalist economic program, following the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and a further shift to the right by the American ruling class as a whole, members of the party, chiefly represented in the Mises Caucus, have made a marked turn toward fascist militias and anti-Semitic forces.

The Mises Caucus is the largest faction within the Libertarian Party and took control of the national apparatus in 2022 following the national convention in Reno, Nevada. McArdle was the California organizer for the caucus and a former board member.

As part of her campaign to seize the chair of the party last year, McArdle, with the backing of the caucus, spearheaded efforts to overturn limited vaccine mandates in Los Angeles County.

After earning the support of the anti-vaccine contingent of the party, McArdle shored up her candidacy when she refused to condemn vicious anti-Semite Bryan Sharpe, also known as “Hotep Jesus,” at the Libertarian Party’s Alabama State Convention in March 2021.

Sharpe had previously been invited to the Conservative Political Action Conference and been interviewed positively on Fox News.

On his blog, Sharpe previously praised the far right for not being “afraid to call out the Jews.” He also defended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, writing that the “Blacks are so removed from reality... this is not a demonstration against blacks. This is a dispute between right and left—Liberal versus Conservative. Maybe even White vs. Jew.”

At the 2021 Alabama convention, a Libertarian Party member asked McArdle how she could have invited Sharpe to the national convention given his history of “anti-Semitic views.”

McArdle responded, “I reject the premise of your question. I don’t actually think that someone who’s trying to be a truth-seeker and understand what’s going on—and asked the question about whether or not Jews run Hollywood is an anti-Semite.” (Emphasis added)

The Mises Caucus, the Mises Institute and Jeff Deist

An early indication of this shift to fascistic politics within the Libertarian Party was expressed in the takeover of the party by the Mises Caucus.

The Mises Caucus, named after the Mises Institute, which is currently led by Jeff Deist, was founded by Michael Heise on August 20, 2017. Several leading Libertarian Party members, including current chair McArdle, have been board members of the Mises Caucus, and many are “trained” by the Institute, located in Auburn, Alabama.

The Ludwig von Mises Institute, named after the reactionary Austrian economist, was founded by Llewellyn Rockwell Jr. in 1982, with financial backing from Ron Paul. A 2000 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) categorized the Mises Institute as “Neo-Confederate.”

In a January 11, 2023 interview on Reason.com, Heise pointed to the “Rage” rally as an example of the new type of “outreach” the Libertarian Party was undertaking under the leadership of the Mises Caucus in an attempt to grow the party.

Heise explained that the “anti-war rally” would be an example of the “first harvest” reaped of the new “fruits” cultivated under the far-right Mises Caucus leadership.

Jeff Deist, the president of the Mises Institute, is close to both Heise and McArdle, appearing on podcasts and right-wing events with both of them.

Deist has been at the Mises Institute since at least 2014. Before he was the president of the Institute, Deist, as he explained in a recent interview with fascist Patrick Casey, a co-organizer of the Unite the Right rally, “worked on Capitol Hill with Ron Paul.”

Casey was one of the leaders of the neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa and assumed leadership of the organization following the Unite the Right rally, which Identity Evropa played a main role in organizing. After Casey took control of the organization, in an attempt to distance the group from Charlottesville, he tried to rebrand the group as the “American Identity Movement.” However, this was not successful, and Casey stopped actively organizing within the group in 2020.

In 2019, Casey teamed up with Hitler-lover Nick Fuentes to promote the “groyper” army and launch the “America First Political Action Conference.” Leading up to January 6, the pair backed Trump’s “Stop the Steal” campaign by mobilizing their followers in support of the coup. Both Fuentes and Casey were at the Capitol on January 6, though neither have been charged.


Someone like that, you might assume COMMON DREAMS would be holding accountable but apparently COMMON DREAMS sees its role today as promoting those tight with neo-Nazis.  Do you remember how many articles COMMON DREAMS printed daily attacking Kamala Harris while she was running for president but it's only rah-rahs for Lee Camp.


Again, there's always room -- at least at COMMON DREAMS -- to pimp and promote a White man.  All Lee had to offer this election cycle was Jill Stein promoting.  Since then, the loser has jumped on Adam McKay's ship that it's time to destroy the Democratic Party.


Hope that works out for him better than that failed Academy Award bid.  As the person who ensured that he and David Sirota lost that category, I don't see that happening.  I don't see much happening to his tired career. 


But that's the state of COMMON DREAMS today: Praise and recognize Lee Camp despite his prancing around stage with Neo Nazis.


And we wonder why COMMON DREAMS took months to get on board with Kamala.  It's really only the last three weeks of her campaign that they stopped attacking her in every article.


But again, the lesson, they will always make time for a White man and that -- not his nut job conspiracies, not his prancing around the stage with Neo Nazis and not his attacks on Kamala Harris to promote grifter Jill Stein -- prevents him from being covered and embraced by COMMON DREAMS.


When the left can't stand up to racism, it's not much of a left.  While COMMON DREAMS works to make us all a little more stupid, The Free Press issued this:



For years, Free Press has sought to hold social-media companies accountable for amplifying hate and lies that undermine public health, safety and democracy. We have pushed for meaningful reforms that would protect users and have extensively documented the platforms’ failures. None of these companies has fallen so low as X under Elon Musk’s ownership.

Free Press will no longer be posting on X, effective immediately, and we invite you to join us in ceasing activity on Musk’s platform. We refuse to give X any legitimacy.

Free Press is committed to ensuring that people have a voice in the decisions that shape our media system. Musk, quite simply, is not. X is now the premier platform for white supremacists and conspiracy theorists. It is designed to amplify the ideas of racists, misogynists, xenophobes, antisemites and transphobes. Musk’s reckless oversight of the platform has endangered people on the receiving end of his abuse and threatened our democracy.

Musk has reinstated the accounts of white supremacists and conspiracy theorists who’ve repeatedly violated X’s own inadequate standards. He has personally amplified bigotry and normalized violent extremism. He has harassed those who seek to shine a light on his misdeeds, filing lawsuit after lawsuit to silence researchers and activists who have worked to hold him accountable. He has even bullied advertisers who elect to spend their ad dollars elsewhere.

Two years ago, in response to Musk’s dangerous behavior, Free Press helped organize the #StopToxicTwitter campaign. This organizing contributed to the mass exodus of advertisers from the platform. The company subsequently lost $35 billion in value.

We have fought to reform X, because we remember the community that it once had, which gave ordinary people the means to speak directly to the powerful in our society. But it’s clear that X will not correct course under Musk’s leadership, and it’s time for Free Press to exit.

To prevent malicious actors from impersonating Free Press, we will not delete our account. But we will no longer post on the platform.

We hope to stay connected with people who believe in Free Press’ vision of a more just and democratic media system. You all have contributed so much to this essential work. Please find us on our website or follow us on other social-media platforms.

Free Press Email List

Free Press Bluesky

Free Press Facebook

Free Press Action Instagram 

Free Press Threads

Free Press TikTok

Free Press YouTube


Good for them.  Good for Jamie Lee Curtis and Danielle Moodie and the others leaving TWITTER.  Good to all the people leaving the hate speech site. 






In the days since the election, many Black women have made clear that a number of groups are now on their own.  Couldn't be bothered to vote for the first Black woman president of the United States but did vote for Donald Trump?  You made your racism clear and many Black women are now on vacation.  They're not showing up for your Gaza protests or your other actions.  Black women will work on Black women's healthcare but your marches in DC that depended so much on the work and presence of Black women?  Good look to you and maybe a few years we'll see you again.


In reply to that, some people -- mainly White women -- have foolishly asked what they could do now?


As we noted last night in "Media: White supremacy won the 2024 election (Ava and C.I.):"


Some of the racists are asking what they can do now?  In the face of Black women saying no to free labor, no to showing up at your protests, no to all you nonsense, some have asked: What can we do -- with the "now" implied.


Golly gee, what could you do?


Isn't it kind of obvious?

Get the hell off of TWITTER.


And why do you have to be told that.  


TWITTER is the home of racism, sexism and homophobia.


It is owned by Elon Musk who used all three and the money you help him make to destroy Democratic Party chances in the election.


Why is it that, except for Jamie Lee Curtis, this is a conversation taking place only among Black Americans?


White Americans, you shouldn't have to ask others what you can do.  You should just be getting off TWITTER.  Do THREADS, do BLUESKY, do whatever, but get the hl off of TWITTER.


Can Bernie do that?  Can racist Katrina vanden Heuvel?  In fact, how dare you purchase a magazine started by abolitionists and then take to a racist platform like TWITTER.


The best thing the Democratic Party can immediately do to save itself is to get off TWITTER.  And it doesn't cost them a damn cent to do this and stand against racism, sexism and homophobia.

[. . .]


I-I-I-I-I-I ain't gonna Tweet on TWITTER?  Until you can say that, just accept that we all see you as the racist that you truly are.  


TWITTER going under isn't going to hurt Elon Musk's pocket book.  But he didn't buy the successful social media tool to make money, he bought it to have influence.  And after what he pulled in this election -- this non-American (I don't recognize triple citizenship and don't believe America's founders would have either) who grew up a racist in South Africa and never cared until apartheid was falling and that's when he elected to flee South Africa -- his toy needs to be severely damaged, it's reach limited.  


And yet, Katrina vanden Heuvel -- the racist who owns THE NATION and can only see Black women as maids or mammies -- can't take a principled stand and announce she's leaving the platform.  Were it not for people being able to take stands against racism, THE NATION magazine never would have existed in the first place.  But Katrina doesn't care about that or, apparently, much of anything.  That's why THE GUARDIAN can leave TWITTER but THE NATION refuses to do.


What are you missing leaving TWITTER?  Glynneth Greenwald's latest hissy fit.  He's attacking right-wing feminist Bari Weiss for not cheerleading Tulsi Gabbard for the post of Director of National Intelligence.  Staying on disasters nominated by Satanic Donald Trump, let's note this from  Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY):


A late Saturday report from the Washington Post that Donald Trump's choice to be secretary of defense paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault and that he was admittedly "visibly intoxicated” at the time may have created more problems for his confirmation.

  According to the Post, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth "paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault as part of a nondisclosure agreement, though he maintained that their encounter was consensual."

On CNN, Sunday morning, reporter Daniel Strauss claimed the latest revelation won't help with an already embattled nomination.


Today on MSNBC's MORNING JOE, the Hegseth nomination was addressed.


REMOVED.  Click here.  Didn't stream the video below, have no idea if it talks about more than the DoD nominee.  But I'm in agreement with this take.  No more videos from that program. I get it that it's scary -- for all of us -- that Trump is going back into the White House.


 Video is removed.  As soon as Joe and Mika had the chance, they ran to Trump to kiss the ring.  


And ABC NEWS reported on Trump's disaster nominee for Attorney General.





Evan Blake (WSWS) focuses on another disaster nominee, Robert Kennedy Junior:


No other individual could be less qualified or more inadvisable for this position. It is akin to placing Al Capone at the head of the Department of Justice, or climate change denier and Chevron CEO Mike Wirth to oversee the Environmental Protection Agency.

After ending his own presidential campaign and endorsing Trump in August, Kennedy played a central role in Trump’s campaign, especially at its final events. Speaking at his fascist Madison Square Garden campaign rally last month, Trump pledged to let Kennedy “go wild on health.” Trump added, “I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”

The implications are far-reaching, as Kennedy has openly opposed vaccines, pasteurization, water fluoridation, and other long-established scientific practices, while promoting every quack medicine under the sun. On October 25, Kennedy tweeted:

FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.

Under conditions in which H5N1 bird flu is spreading widely among dairy cattle across the US and scientists have explicitly warned that the consumption of raw milk could facilitate human infections and the danger of another pandemic, Kennedy has continued to advocate this dangerous practice. Historically, bird flu has a 50 percent fatality rate.

Under the banner “Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy and Trump will facilitate the emergence of the next pandemic and the revival of long-eliminated diseases like measles and polio. In fact, the same day that Trump announced his pick of Kennedy, news reports noted that measles cases in America are now four-fold higher than last year, primarily due to declining vaccination rates.

Speaking at an anti-vaccine conference last November, while still a candidate for US president, Kennedy pledged to fire 600 workers at the NIH if elected, adding, “We’re going to give infectious disease a break for about eight years.”

In other words, the man ostensibly in charge of preventing pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks has explicitly stated that he will work on behalf of the pathogens instead of the public.



The following sites updated:





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Thursday, November 14, 2024

Cult member Tulsi Gabbard cannot be trusted with national intelligence

 Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS  "Elon Secures A White House Position"


elons white house position



Tulsi Gabbard is a threat to US national security and should not be allowed to be the Director of National Intelligence.  She has made her entire career and life about being politically compromised.  As C.I. noted in this morning's snapshot, she's a member of a crazy foreign cult ("Chris" is her guru -- and, no, that's not short for Christ -- she worships a dude named Chris).  We don't need her crazy.

There's her Bashar al-Assad connection and so much more.  Since C.I. noted that this morning,  Michael Sheils McNamee (BBC NEWS) reports:

The nomination has raised questions over Gabbard's lack of experience in intelligence as well as accusations that she has in the past amplified Russia propaganda.

She will require Senate confirmation to take up the role.

If she is confirmed to the role Gabbard would manage a budget of more than $70bn (£55bn) and oversee 18 intelligence agencies.

But the nomination has sparked criticism in some quarters.

Reacting to the appointment on X, Democrat Virginia congresswoman member of the House Intelligence Committee Abigail Spanberger said she was "appalled at the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard".

"Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin," she said.




John Bolton has argued Rep. Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's nominees for Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) respectively, should undergo "full field FBI investigations" before their Senate confirmation hearings take place.



The comments were made by Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor during his first term, but has since become a trenchant critic, in an interview with NewsNation's 'The Hill' hours after the appointments were announced.

[. . .]

Speaking about Gabbard on NewsNation Bolton said: "I don't think either she or Matt Gaetz ought to have a confirmation hearing until they have both had full field FBI investigations.

"And then I think the Chinese would say, 'Maybe they are serious.'"

Referring to Gabbard specifically Bolton added: "Given the Russian propaganda that she has espoused over the past period of time, I think she's a serious threat to our national security."



She is not to be trusted.  I say that based on her cult membership alone.


"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Thursday, November 14, 2024.  Carville goes crazed, Donald learns the US Senate does not work for him, a cult member is nominated for National Intelligence, and much more.

First up, this.


BlueSky, Threads, anything, get off Twitter if you're able to.  BlueSky actually sounds better from the video above.  Danielle Moodie is going with BlueSky, for example.  But if you're able to, take your free labor off Twitter.  We know who Elon Musk is, let's not be working on the plantation for him.

And let's make sure that we understand every day that he is a racist.  He was born in raised under apartheid.  He was taught to look down on Black people.  And though he fled South Africa when apartheid was crumbling, he carried his belief in racism with him.  It's who he is, it's who he will always be.

Now let's move over to another person who would make the world a better place by dying, James Carville.


80 years old and still a disgusting vile man, James Carville.

And a know nothing.  He trashed Kamala's campaign early on, we need to remember that.  This is someone who wants us to fall in line -- that's people of color and all women regardless of race -- but when it mattered most refused to fall in line himself. 

He was out there trashing Kamala, trashing her campaign.  A far cry from when CNN broke with him in 2008.  Is that what's made you even more bitter, James?

We were going to highlight another Roland Martin video -- and may this snapshot, otherwise we'll do it in tomorrow's snapshot -- it went up here last night.  I'm sure Roland does a fierce take down of James but I was just told about this video and all I've heard is James' nonsensical ravings and maybe a minute of Roland.  If I'm repeating Roland, my apologies.

First off, my state still has 13% of the vote to count.  Kamala won it, that's not the point.  The point is that right now the official count of the popular vote is still Kamala 48.2% and Donald Trump 50.2%.  That's not a landslide, that's not a mandate.  That's not even a big difference so grasp that first of all.

James Carville is what Sam Seder's going to grow into if Sam's not careful.  

He's an idiot who  never built a thing and who only won by hurting others.  He refused to invest in the work and time needed to build the Democratic Party, all he ever wanted was -- bean counter that he is -- a campaign that could appeal to swing voters.  And if used racism?  All the better for James.

It didn't matter that James signed off on racism, not to him.  He didn't care about the effect on the country or the direct impact on people's lives.

He also didn't give a damn about growing the Democratic Party.  There was no push on that from him either.  

Now you can argue that last one was a mistake this time.

Some people are arguing it.  Colin Allred, for example, wasted resources in Texas.  

It would have been wonderful to have seen Beto get that kind of funding from the national party in 2018, for example. 

Beto got voters.  Colin didn't.  That's reality.  And reality is that Colin should have done better but he was a James Carville -- he caved.  Fighters win.  Bill Clinton grasped that, Carville never did.  You can't run on weakness.  And that's all Colin did once his political spine collapsed.  


That said, Texans were really glad to see advertisements on TV.  

There was one about an old couple talking about their Social Security -- I haven't seen it.  But I've heard about it in roundtables, I've read about it in e-mails.  

Imagine being that forgotten by your own party that you're grateful for a Social Security spot.

That's the James Carvilles, they starved Texas and other states like it.

They don't want to do the building and the work.

They're just bean counters trying to figure out the easiest way to do anything.  They plant the crop in same plot of land over and over and strip the soil.  They have no clue how to actually build or grow.

You do it through investments.  And that's too much for old man Carville.

He did nothing to help Kamala's campaign, he did nothing to help her.  Hey, 80 year old useless old man, go away.  No one needs you.  No one wants you.  

In 2008, Barack Obama supporters doctored a documentary to take out Hillary.  They altered footage from THE WAR ROOM.  On it, they insisted, some Clintonite was using the N-word.  And this story moved quickly through the media.  When I heard about it, I thought, "Damn it, Carville."  Because it easily could have been him.  Fortunately, it was no one.  The clip was doctored.  

But that's the reality of James Carville, you hear someone used the N-word in the Clinton campaign and you immediately think Carville.

That's is his legacy.

That and the trailer tramp labels he pushed on all the women who said Clinton propositioned them or harassed them.  

That's his legacy.

He's built nothing.

He will die a loser because that's all he's ever been.

"We didn't have a process!" (To select the presidential nominee after Joe dropped out.)

Joe Biden was dead in the water after the debate.

That's reality.  

He goes on ABC a week later and seems steady but still weak and he's unable to pivot so he's getting pummeled with questions.

It is July.  The election is in November.  The polls in early July showed much worse results then what we got last week.

He had to step down.  He could not fight the media.  People rarely grasp that.  To his credit, Joe did.  

You really think there was time for a campaign for the nominee?

First off, if it was the Biden-Harris ticket.  So if he was going to drop out after the primaries, yeah, it would go to her.  That's what's logical.

Second, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson never got traction and nobody liked them -- excuse me, people who got married with Marianne as a wedding guest liked her -- and those YOUTUBERS -- Kyle and Krystal -- tried to pimp her off on us.  But America never took to her or to Dean.  

We'd never had this happen in the Democratic Party -- a presidential candidate drops out weeks before the convention -- and things needed to move quick because we wouldn't have months to come together after the primaries.  That's generally what happens, the primaries generally are over -- in terms of knowing who has the nomination -- by May.  That gives June and July for the losers to get over it before the convention and August, September and October before the general election.

And in my lifetime, only one candidate I supported in the presidential primary ever got the nomination (2004, John Kerry).  You cannot do a primary -- even a mini-one -- in August and expect to deliver in November.

We were damn lucky, as a party, that Joe stepped aside.

There is no mandate, there is no landslide.  Trump -- and the media (see Stan's "Why does NEWSWEEK need to lie?") can keep lying, but the country remains split and that's what the official count demonstrates. 


We're damn lucky Kamala was the nominee.  She was strong and she was surefooted.  Can you imagine Marianne simpering around the press as they asked her about crystals, her difficult relationship with the gay community due to her snake oil AIDS' 'cures,' her difficult relationship with everyone who's ever worked for her, her 'brand' that long ago cratered and her inability in the last two decades to adapt . . . 

Kamala gave the best debate performance of any presidential candidate in modern times.

"It's the economy, stupid" -- James said it in the 90s.

The economy under Joe Biden was great.  He turned it around.  And Trump could coast on that if he weren't an idiot and determined to impose tariffs but history will show that Joe saved the economy.

For too many people, though, and this was before Kamala became the nominee, there was a feeling that the economy was not better because they continued to see price hikes.  Prior to general election, one of the few people noting this was Senator Elizabeth Warren.  She didn't just press release it and leave it alone.  She talked about.  Every Democrat should have been talking about that, the price gouging. 

Everyone in Congress should have been on message.

But they weren't.

Credit to Elizabeth Warren for doing what everyone else should have done.

In addition, Joe should have issued -- I stated this in 2023, at the start of it -- a stimulus.  Now James Carville mocked me on that behind my back.  I said people needed money and you could call it a post-COVID stimulus.  

That didn't happen.

That could have made a difference.

But we didn't get that.

And so it was an economy election with a lot of stupid people.  If you don't know that a tariff is paid by the people in the country imposing the tariff then you are stupid.  Hopefully, you'll learn and be less stupid.  Doesn't help the country now, but maybe you'll learn.

Economics for most people is what they can put on the table. 

If Congressional Democrats had made that a unified message, it might have made a difference.

If THE NATION, IN THESE TIMES, THE PROGRESSIVE, DEMOCRACY NOW!, et al had stopped attacking Kamala daily and covered the economy seriously, it might have made a difference.

But remember, Amy Goodman thinks her DEMOCRACY NOW! audience is too stupid to understand economics.  She told that to the late Danny Schechter who immediately told me.  I told him to do a blind item at NEWS DISSECTOR and that I'd pick up on it and carry it to THIRD, which I did.

So there's a lot going on.

People made decisions and we have to live with them now.

We don't need James Carville and his garbage.  It was a very close election.  No one's ever done what Kamala did.  Probably no one else could have.  

The Gaza Freaks had already shut her out -- don't give me your b.s. that a speaker at the DNC would have mattered.  Not only could it not have happened, but it wouldn't have mattered.  Everything the Gaza Freaks did after to poison the well made that clear.

Let's stay with the Gaza Freaks but move on. 

Gaza Freaks are yet again destroying support for their goals.  Courtney McGinley (NEWSWEEK) reports that the University of Rochester was the site of an 'action' in which posters of professors and staff went up with slogans like  "Wanted: Connection to War Crimes."  Students can do whatever they want -- if it was students -- and I'm not going to clutch the pearls.  But I will point out that's a lousy way to win support for your cause.  I will point out that support for these actions cratered at the end of last spring.  If they want press attention, they'll need to try something different -- because campus protests was the story of last spring.  But an action like this might please a freak like Michelle Shocked look-alike Linda Sarour but it doesn't move the needle on those in the middle and it actually pushes some of those in the support camp away.  


It's a failing move.  Kind of like protesting outside the White House.   Yawn.  The media needs new angles and, too bad, none of the non-college student leadership knows a damn thing about a media friendly moment.  Grasp that Susan Benjamin (stage name "Medea") is forever pulling stunts and hoping one of them will get her the attention she is always starved for.  If she truly knew how to create a media moment, she would get actual moments.  Instead, she's just the crazy and pathetic woman who smells and people laugh at.  

Repeating, the protests you enjoyed under Joe Biden's presidency may be criminalized under Trump's so now's not really the time you need to be pushing more supporters away.  But, then again, if anyone in that camp knew how to strategize, they wouldn't have spent six months attacking Kamala.  You're in Ralph Nader land now where no one wants to know your name and no one feels they owe you anything.  



The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on Wednesday published a propaganda video of hostage Sasha Trufanov, which his family authorized media outlets to publicize.

After a year in captivity, Trufanov describes a shortage of food, water, electricity, and basic hygiene products in the Gaza Strip, adding that he now has a skin condition that he did not have before being abducted. Like in several other hostage videos released by terror groups, Trufanov urges citizens to demand the government reach a deal for their release, and says that the Israel Defense Forces operation only puts them in more danger.

It is unclear exactly when the video was made, though it appears to be recent, as Trufanov mentions Israel’s ground incursion in Lebanon, which was announced on October 1. Though he says in the clip that he is aged 28, the video was released two days after he turned 29, his second birthday in captivity.



Not a good look for the 'movement.'  Or do they think keeping someone away from their family and friends is a good look?  Netanyahu is a War Criminal.  But so is someone who holds a person hostage for a year and counting. 


It's going to be interesting to watch the Linda Sarour's try to navigate this minefield and maintain public support.  Too bad they're probably on their on their own now.  So they'll scream in horror at each other -- unable to communicate with the larger, needed group -- and the body count will only increase.

Didn't have to be that way. 



Yesterday, shock!!! Shock!!!  And more shock!!!! That the US Senate refused to play . . . Donald Trump's bitch.  Honestly, you're surprised by that?  You don't understand human nature?

Oh, wait, the country's full of idiots.  Like the ones who thought people screaming they wouldn't vote for Kamala Harris had a right to have someone on stage at the Convention.

The DNC pageant is about rewarding the old boys' club and setting up the next one.  Women who are actually Democrats and are names have a hard time getting on that stage due to all the egos.  But, sure, whine for your little nobody that has no national stature and is not anyone the DNC plans to turn into a national star (they planned to turn Barack Obama into one and that's why he spoke at the 2004 convention).

You are so filled with stupidity and with conspiracy talk that sometimes you miss the most basic things in the world.  From Tuesday's snapshot:


From ALL ABOUT EVE -- Bette Davis played Margo,  Thelma Reed played Birdie.  It's after a performance and Margo's assistant Eve (Anne Baxter) has picked up the costume and headed off from the dressing room.  
 

Birdie:  May I be so bold as to say something?  Have you ever heard of the word "union"?

Margo:  Behind in your dues? How much?

Birdie:  I haven't got a union. I'm slave labor.

Margo:  Well?

Birdie:  But the wardrobe women have got one and, next to a tenor, a wardrobe woman is the touchiest thing in show business.

Margo:  Oh, oh.

Birdie: She's got two things to do:  carry clothes and press 'em wrong.  And don't let anybody try to muscle in.




You know what's touchier than a wardrobe woman?  A sitting US senator.  




After 17 years in the hot seat, McConnell is expected to exit his post at the top of Senate Republican leadership on Wednesday, ending his run as the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.

At the top of the billing to replace the 82-year-old are South Dakota Senator John Thune and Texas Senator John Cornyn, two establishment conservatives and longtime McConnell allies who have not always seen eye to eye with the president-elect.

Meanwhile, a gamut of Trump’s key allies, including Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and Charlie Kirk, are aggressively lobbying for Florida Senator Rick Scott to take the helm. (Trump, notably, has so far avoided endorsing any of the contenders.) But the overzealous pressure campaign—which is also being pushed along by some far-right social media influencers and their harassment tactics—is on the verge of combusting, according to Politico.


That’s because most of the Senate Republican conference won’t have to face reelection until 2028 or later. On top of that, the vote is by secret ballot, ensuring that no one—from their constituents to MAGA’s top brass—will know if they voted for or against Trump’s candidate.
“Senators do not take kindly to having an army of social media trolls attack them,” one unnamed aide told Politico on Sunday, noting that the effort was only “pissing off senators whose votes Rick needs” to win.


And sitting US senators do not take kindly to anyone outside the Senate -- that includes a president -- attempting to tell them what to do.  Now pair that with Kaia Hubbard (CBS NEWS) reporting:


As Senate Republicans prepare to vote Wednesday on new leadership for the upcoming Congress, President-elect Donald Trump is already weighing in with demands for the new majority leader regarding his Cabinet. 

After a decisive victory in the 2024 elections, Trump is returning to the White House with a GOP-led Senate at his side. Senate Republican leaders are expected to ease the way for the president-elect's agenda and his Cabinet and judicial nominees. Trump has made it clear that he'd like his nominees to be installed immediately, suggesting that he may want the option to bypass the Senate's advice and consent role entirely. 




Please  note, that would be the Constitutionally assigned role of advice and consent.   For the ignorant -- like Donald Trump -- let's not the Constitution:


Article II, Section 2, Clause 2:

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.


When the most recent US senators were sworn in back in January of 2023 -- two years ago -- the median age was 65.3 years.  

Wait.  We have MAGA drive bys and you know they were homeschooled so let me explain median.   Think of it as the midpoint.  So half the US Senate, in 2023, was composed of senators under the age of 65.3 and half was composed of senators over the age of 65.3 -- 65.3 is the mid point.


And US senators are very territorial.  And that's before you get to over half being over 65.  So he wants to bypass them on advice and consent and he wants to be able to determine who will be the next Majority Leader -- something the Senate traditionally does all by itself.


Pushy and stupid, that's Donald Trump.  

A Senate campaign?  That's much more difficult than a House campaign (except in Alaska which has two senators and one member of the House of Representatives).  They work very hard in those runs -- or at least hard for them -- and it being the upper house and it being a six year term, they tend to think they know better than others -- and that's before you factor in the issue of incumbency.

US senators do not like to be pushed around or talked to like their children.  But there goes the idiot Trump antagonizing the Senate -- Republicans and Democrats -- before he even gets into the White House.


Where's the popcorn, right?




Get it?  

No, the US Senate -- GOP members -- made Donald Trump their bitch.  He'll have to curry favor with them.  Lindsey Graham will crawl into bed and spoon with Donald but the others have a little more self-respect.  And, if we're being honest, Lindsey's always one of the first to stab Donald in the back when talking to other senators.

The GOP in the Senate will fall in line with Trump . . . when he flatters, when he grasps that they're not going to be ordered around.  This is a turf war.

You saw it with Samuel Alito making clear this week that Donald might like him to step down from the Supreme Court but that he will only do that when he is good and damn ready.  (See Marcia's "Trying again.") 

Idiots like Glenneth Greenwald lost it ahead of Trump's taking the oath of office in January 2017 because Senator Chuck Schumer noted that the intelligence committee had "six ways from Sunday to get back" at someone.  Drama Queen and chronic masturbator that he is, Glenneth went into a shrieking panic: Schumer was threatening Trump!!!

No, drama queen.  Chuck was noting the reality of turf wars.  



Could Donald Trump be the Newt Gingrich of presidents?  Someone with grand plans whose hubris and ego destroy it all?  We can only hope.

And those ready to fight?  We may want to focus on Tulsi Gabbard.





Group post I participated in ("Trashy Tulsi talks").  As we completed it and were about to post, Betty realized we forgot something important: Tulsi is a cult member.

Donald Trump is nominating a member of a cult to be Director of National Intelligence.  Guru Chris and that relationship need to be explained.

We should be demanding that news outlets actually cover what the cult Tulsi is a member of practices.

We wouldn't turn national intelligence over to a Moonie.

In addition, Tulsi visited with Bashar al-Assad.  A butcher.  Is she stable enough to hold this position?

Those serving in the reserves with her sounded the alarm on her to the government reportedly resulting in her being on a watch list.

This is a nomination that needs to seriously explored.


 Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Kristi Noem Wants To Be At Home In Homeland Security"  and "Elon Secures A White House Position"  went up last night.  

The following sites updated:








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