Archives for January 2019

Day 749 Part II 

Fifteen words in the indictment of Roger Stone:

“big news Wednesday … now pretend u don’t know me … Hillary’s campaign will die this week.”

A commentator said that in those 15 words you have conspiracy, collusion, and obstruction of justice.

Wow. 

Fortunately Roger says he’s not guilty.

FAA just halted flights into LaGuardia?

Really?

And also in the indictment it says there was direction of a high level person within the Trump campaign to reach out to Stone about Wikileaks and that person was directed to do so. Who’s higher than the high level person that did the directing???

Day 748 Thursday January 24, 2019    845 Days to Go

How the Shutdown will End.

A closer look at Kamala Harris.

In Mayan studies, there is a story that while the archaeologists were trying to figure out the glyphs someone came up with the idea that maybe there were still people around who spoke the language and maybe the archaeologists should talk to some of those folks. I’m not sure how long it took to come to this stunning conclusion, but it was decades. (In fairness, I think there was another group who had lived among the current Maya and spoke the language and were using that knowledge, but it didn’t make it into the main stream of academic thought for quite awhile.) 

The British Navy had a huge problem with scurvy. Ships were outfitted with 150% of the manpower needed because they knew 30% would die of scurvy. It was Captain Cook who insisted that his ship be kept clean and that his crew eat citrus everyday. A companion ship did not follow those guidelines and many of that crew succumbed to illness while on Cook’s ship there was little or none, yet, it took the British Navy seventy years to adopt Cook’s practices, well after he was eaten.

Things take time.

Yesterday, there were a number of data points brought up about the shutdown that are worth noting, and some ideas of how it might end.

Datapoints:

Trump is a sociopath and therefore has no compassion. i.e. He doesn’t understand it, doesn’t get it, doesn’t have that gene.

It has now become clear that McConnell doesn’t have it either.

It is also being said that the position of Speaker of the Senate, a job created in the 1920s, has not had that many speakers but it is now being said that McConnell is the weakest person to ever hold the job.

It has been said that Trump is not a great negotiator, and that he likes simple deals, because that’s what he can understand.

It has been noted that Trump is the kind of guy who will look at a deal laid in front of him, say it is terrible, then change a minor point and declare it fixed and that it is his deal now.

Another thought being considered is “ask the experts.” By that it is suggested that one could go to the southern border and ask the people who are actually doing the job what they need. 

The situation is getting so desperate that the last item is seriously being considered. That is ask the people what they want. Yikes! There is some need for a barrier, and the folks at the border know where. Okay, so we got a wall. Great. There is a much bigger need for other stuff to stop drugs etc. I’ve talked about the x-ray machine used on trucks, that the two times I saw stories about the border, it was broken. Maybe, get that fixed? We could call it Trump-Vision.

In other news Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he has no idea how government works. He sent a note to Nancy Pelosi saying he was going to come on the appointed date and time to give his State of the Union (SOTU for those in the know). Nancy replied that she was not entertaining a concurrent resolution. The baffled Trump, arms wrapped around his waist, said that was a pity, etc. etc. etc. It was clear he had no idea what that meant. 

(In order to give a SOTU in the House of Representatives both the House and the Senate must pass a resolution – hence the term concurrent – inviting the president to come do so.) 

In other words – It ain’t happenin’ – and oh by the way, the Speaker of the House controls the cameras and the lights in the House of Representatives… and the doors…and the locks.

So I think Trump should come on down at the appointed hour, motorcade and all, camera rolling and get to the door of the House and find it locked. 

Moving on, Kamala Harris was on Rachel last night and I got my first look at her as a person, not just a Senator asking questions. She seems genuine and real. She fielded questions well. By that I mean her answers seemed realistic and genuine. I’m not sure I saw the magic as in Kennedy magic that some have alluded to, but I did watch an appeal to our better selves by her without getting goofy. It was inspiring. I think she has a good shot at getting the nomination.

I’ve been reading Alec Baldwin’s memoir. Here is a quote page 120 of his book “Nevertheless.”

“Once you abandon your instincts and begin polling people about your choices, once you attempt to reshape yourself into someone you are not, it affects nearly every decision you make. You begin to see your entire life through a distorted prism.”

Hum.

It seems to me that the person who will win the Democratic nomination in 2020 is the person who doesn’t abandon themselves to someone or something other than who they are.

 845 Days to Go

PS Yuknoom Took’K’awill king of Calakmul, Stela 51 

“The Dude abides”

Day 747 Wednesday January 23, 2019     846 Days to Go

It’s time to look at who is running for President. Currently, on the Democratic side there are eight people who have formally entered and a total of twenty who might, of which there are the “Four B’s” to consider: Bernie, Beto, Booker, and someone else. I’ll think of it.

Of the eight who are currently in, two I have never heard of: 

Rep. Gabbard of Hawaii,

John Delaney former Congressman from Maryland.

Rep Tulsi Gabbard is from Samoa. She has some history with anti-gay LGBT rights via a group her dad founded and at the time was a backer of gay conversion therapy. 

John Delaney is a business man who ran for Congress and won. He was the only businessman who actually created companies that went public and were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. One was a company that made loans to smaller health care institutions; ones ignored by larger banks. That company got bought out. He then founded a company that made commercial loans to over 5,000 small and medium sized companies. It too, got listed and later bought out. He comes from New Jersey but now lives in Potomac, Maryland. So he’s a rich white guy with Democratic bona fides. Interesting.

I don’t see either of these folks making a dent in the field.

Someone who will be and has been talked about, but won’t have much impact is Richard Ojeda. He’s the big muscled blue collar talking guy from West Virginia, a former state senator. Nice guy, tough talk but lacking experience and a national presence.

This narrows the current field to five. Let’s go bottom to top.

Julian Castro, former HUD Secretary for Obama, comes from a very active political tradition. Has a twin brother. Probably the biggest problem for him is he’s Latino and he has a twin. Which is which? Does it matter? I’m not sure. I think if he and his brother teamed up and did some fantastic stuff in the next few years we’d really have something, but now? He’s interesting and inspiring, but…

There are currently three women Senators that have announced: Gillibrand, Harris, and Warren. Why are they running? Because Hillary kicked the door wide open. Let’s deal with them. Gillibrand led the charge to oust Al Franken from the Senate. It turned out it was a trumped up charge leveled at him by a woman who was promoting her news show and for whom Franken had worked with on a USO tour. Her backer? Roger Stone. Then some highly doctored photos came out and one woman said Franken put his arm around her waist in a photo. Gillibrand went off and wanted him out. He left without a trial in the Senate. As far as I’m concerned that it for Gillibrand. Warren? I like her. She’s been building a good ground game I am told. She’s been attacked and made fun of by Trump and the far right. But she has worked to stop big companies and the government from ripping off average folks. She’s got a good shot. Then there’s Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator and former prosecutor. Some say her time as prosecutor will hurt her, not sure why that is being said. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of her on the Senate committees. What really interests me about her was a comment one of the commentators said about her. She’s got the magic, like Jack Kennedy. I haven’t seen that yet, but I’ll keep an eye out. 

This leaves one declared candidate Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend. He, to me, is the most interesting. He ran for head of the Democratic Party and lost to Clinton backed Tom Perez. At that time John Dean said that you want someone to head your party who looks like the kind of people you are trying to get to vote for your candidates. Buttigieg fits the bill. (So does Beto but we’ll get to him in a moment.) I liked Buttigieg then and I like him even more now. When he declared he released a video saying why he was running. Essentially, it said okay you’ve had your turn now it’s our time. 

I think he’s right. I think he’s got the magic.

We’ll see.

Let’s go over some that may enter the race, notably The Four B’s:

Biden – nice guy, not smart enough, made too many gaffs.

Bernie – old, hasn’t polled that well this time, which suggests his appeal last time was “not Hillary.”

Booker – interesting guy, doesn’t come across as that ready.

Beto – young, has the magic, but not enough experience.

Who’s left? Lots of folks. None seem all that relevant. Maybe, Bloomberg. Maybe, Hickenlooper. But I don’t see any of the others that might run being any better than those who are running.

Who will be the Republican candidate? If Trump is or is not in jail he will be their candidate and the Republican party, the far right, and the Russians will do whatever they can to get him re-elected. All for their own selfish reasons.

846 Days to Go

PS Here’s the lineup.

Day 746 Tuesday January 22, 2019 845 Days to Go

Many people want to know how this government shutdown is going to end. Fortunately, for you my readers I have the answer! Using science, statistics and predictability we can know how the shutdown will end. Let me explain.
First, science says – and to be clear it is in the realm of quantum physics we must go, but go there we will! – that for example in the case of the famed photon slit experiment that one must consider all outcomes, and so we shall.

Second, statistics says – and in this case we move to the case of weather prediction – that it is better to run the model and models of weather prediction many times as it will yield a better predictive outcome than just running a model once.
And so, in this screed I offer one way in which the shutdown could end. But I forewarn you, this is one of many, and it is not the only way, nor is it in all likelihood the most probable, but it is, I assure you gentle reader, a way. A way like no other. So without further adieu:

DATELINE WASHINGTON, DC:
A man was spotted at Reagan National Airport as acting suspiciously. His clothes were in tatters. He seemed smeared in blood, vomit, and excrement. He was mumbling incoherently, and at first refused help from local authorities. He tried to become violent. However, his poor condition and age did not allow him much fight and he gave in readily to local constraint, once shown a taser by a large black police woman who asked him, “You want some of this Honey?” He shook his head and shrank back onto a metal bench saying, “No, no, please.”
Upon closer inspection it was thought, and later verified, that this was indeed Mitch McConnell, The leader of the U.S. Senate. Some said he appeared “wild eyed.” Others noted his shirt cuffs and Senate inscribed links still around his wrists while the rest of the shirt appeared to have been ripped to shreds by a tiger as it hung from his limbs and shoulders in long thin tatters. He still had on his round metal rimmed glasses, which were greatly eschew. However, it was the glasses that first led some to think that this disheveled man might be the turtle of the Senate.
Medical staff assessed his condition, which was not good. His heart rate was very fast. An indication that he was under the influence of an amphetamine of some sort. This was confirmed by the fact that his body was covered by nicotine patches and his blood work revealed a high incidence of cocaine.
He began to cry and scream as the patches were ripped off of him and when the police on the scene suggested that perhaps he had a cocaine suppository inserted in his rectum he backed himself into a corner and pushed against both cheeks of his buttocks screaming, “Please, no more!”
Eventually, they got him somewhat sedated and removed what some would call a large teabag or dobie that seemed to have held cocaine. Naturally, under sentencing laws he had to be charged not only with possession but given the size of the dobie with distribution even though trying to distribute cocaine out of your ass seemed unlikly, rules were rules.
Then came one of the more fantastic parts of this story. It involves one Frank Packer. Mr. McConnell had a backpack and in it were assorted scissors, knives, water and shampoo bottles as well as a picture of Mr. Packer hugging a rather dejected Mr. McConnell. Mr. Packer is known to wear dresses and in this case it appeared to be a ballet tutu and a two day growth of beard. He is known in certain circles by the nickname of “Fudge” for his proclivity to participate in a certain sexual act, oftentimes without the consent of the other participant. Mr. McConnell asserted that Fudge and his friends inserted the aforesaid suppository and then placed it even deeper in his bowels by using Mr. Packer’s rather massive male appendage to do so. It is thought that this activity may have broken open the suppository and let the drug enter the bloodstream unimpeded.
Mr. McConnell also had a number of papers in his possession, which appeared to be a large legislative bill for consideration. He said he had to get to the Capital as quickly as possible so as to have the Senate vote on it, sight unseen. “They’ll vote for anything if I tell them to,” said Mr. McConnell. He seemed quite jumpy, which he attributed to an electric shock that was deep inside him and remotely triggered. Apparently, the cocaine wasn’t the only thing Mr. Packer and his pals inserted.
This bill was referred to as omnibus and included the words “Five Billion for a Wall.” Apparently, it was for a banner to be hung behind the president at a future awards ceremony. Otherwise, there was no mention of the wall. It did include expanded ACA coverage and Medicare for All, elimination of student debts, a $15 minimum wage with a COLA, a tax structure called the McConnell/Ocasio-Cortez graduated tax, which included a 70% tax on people making over fifty million in a year.
McConnell said it would pass the Senate and the president would sign it. He said that if he didn’t get this done within 48 hours the remote buzzer to his bowels was going to be given to Nancy Pelosi. There was a second bill to simultaneously impeach both the president and vice-president “on general principle,” which he wasn’t sure he could get passed, but hope they would seriously consider. He said this as he seemed to receive another jolt. The omnibus bill also called for a special commission to review all Trump appointments and to demand their resignation until reinstatement was granted. Many said this seemed unlikely to come to fruition, but Mr. McConnell assured all, with another jump and convulsion, that he thought they would come around.
As for himself, he said he had had a most enlightening few days. First he was detained by the unpaid TSA staff and suspected of drug smuggling, which engendered a “cavity check.” Then he was taken by unpaid FBI agents and questioned at length about possible ties to Russia, China, and possible illegal financial transactions. At which point he was seized by unpaid CIA agents and flown to what he was told was a former “black site” where he was interrogated using waterboarding techniques, sleep and food deprivation, as well as asked to confess to various crimes. All of which he willingly did. He was flown to a remote Afgan site where he was invited to have tea with some of the Mujhadin who wanted to know why the White House had not picked up the phone when they called to turn over Osama bin Laden. Not having an answer, the men suggested that perhaps he needed some re-education and produced a drill and bit that they thought perhaps a little brain surgery via the temple could clear the cobwebs. His handler whisked him away.
He said he felt like he was in an episode of an updated version of “A Christmas Carol.” Funny guy the Mitch.
Mr. McConnell had no recollection of meeting Mr. Packer. He seemed to think that after he smoked from that hookah it might have happened as everything from that point on is a blank, other than a few terrifying flashbacks.
When TSA officials were asked about the circumstances of Mr. McConnell’s security check none could recall him. They only said that whatever was done was “normal operating procedure” and that they looked forward to seeing some of the other Republican Senators.

845 Days to Go

PS The Blood Moon Boogie.