The president calls journalists the enemy, and today five of them are dead.

I am quite sure that the domestic terrorist who slaughtered five people today in Maryland was not from Venezuela, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Syria, or Yemen. And in case you were wondering, those are the countries on trump's travel ban list. All those countries are responsible for a whopping eight percent of the world's terrorism. Maybe instead of trying to keep folks from some of these other countries out, we should be worried about the terrorist  who are already here in our country. They have created terror time and time again.

Today's attack,  sparked in part by the words of the president, is proof of how dangerous the words from the most powerful man on earth can be. There is no denying that trump  has created a hostile environment for journalists and those in the news business,  and the end result today was the slaughter of five innocent people who happen to work for a newspaper. trump, when asked about the shootings in Maryland, cracked a smile and walked away. Of course, being the twitter coward that he is, he tweeted about it.

"Prior to departing Wisconsin, I was briefed on the shooting at Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland," Mr. Trump tweeted. "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Thank you to all of the First Responders who are currently on the scene."

Save your "prayers".  If there is a God she doesn't hear you.

*Pic screenshot from NBCNews.com

Open thread.

It's open thread night, and I need your opinions on a couple of big news items.

For instance, how will Justice Kennedy deciding to call it quits affect the future of the Supreme Court? trump gets another appointment, and that should scare every person who is not a card carrying Nazi.

With the huge upset of a mainstream democratic congressional candidate in New York by a left leaning upstart, does that mean there is a huge split in the democratic party? Or, is it all just wishful thinking on the part of pundits and the chattering class to make the mid-terms more interesting?   

First, ban all the Muslims.

What a  day in America. She is a country that is looking more like Germany circa 1933 than the "shining city on a hill" that Reagan liked to talk about. It is a country now being controlled by a right-wing and racist cabal that is hell- bent on taking us to a darker time in our history. 

The Supremes  gave the president a win with his Muslim ban, the vote was close (5-4), but close only counts in horseshoes.

Just remember this day the next time someone tells you that elections don't matter. It was trump's pick , Neil Gorsuch, who had the deciding vote. Gorsuch, thanks to Mitch McConnell, was able to hijack the Supreme Court pick of Barack Obama and put the right-wingnut jurist on the court. 

Justice Sotomayor's dissent in the case was on point. Unfortunately she was in the minority.

"Ultimately, what began as a policy explicitly 'calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States' has since morphed into a 'Proclamation' putatively based on national-security concerns," ....But this new window dressing cannot conceal an unassailable fact: the words of the President and his advisers create the strong perception that the Proclamation is contaminated by impermissible discriminatory animus against Islam and its followers." 

This is a slippery slope, but Americans will support it, because it has a negative effect on Muslims and not Christians. In their minds, it will only effect the lives of those other people. 

Enjoy this all for now trumpbots, today it's the other guy, tomorrow it will be you.

Anyway, given the current climate in our country, stories like the following does not surprise me.

" The mayor of a western Pennsylvania town called for black protesters to be “destroyed” by a water cannon in a misspelled Facebook post.

Karen Peconi, the mayor of the Pittsburgh suburb Arnold, shared a Viral Leaks video on her account that showed black “rioters” being sprayed with water hoses and a photo of teenage civil rights demonstrators being hosed by firefighters 55 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, reported WTAE-TV.

The Facebook posts were made in response to ongoing protests of the police shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr., who was killed June 19 by police officer Michael Rosfeld while fleeing a traffic stop.

“I’m posting this so the authorities everywhere sees (sic) this … bring the hoses,” wrote Peconi. “They don’t care about jobs for PGH … none of them work now. That’s how they can do this at 7 a.m. Very sad.”

She called on law enforcement to blast protesters with a “water canon,” misspelling “cannon.”'. [Source]

Bring on the German Shepherds. This is trump's America, and this is his kind of Mayor. Right down to the misspelled tweet.

Sarah gets the boot.

  I guess everyone has heard by now what happened to Sarah Sanders in Virginia recently. 

Girlfriend went to a restaurant and was refused service. Apparently the owner of said establishment has had enough of Sarah lying to the American people while she defends the trump regime.
Anyway, the last time I checked, lying heartless assholes are not a protected class in this country.
trump officials need to just start ordering in. I hear Papa John's delivers. 

Now, as is to be expected, the delicate snowflake like psyche of the right-wingnut has been damaged. Even some liberals, like former Obama right hand David Axelrod, was on board to say that what happened to Sarah was not right. Some wingnuts even tried to draw parallels to blacks not being served at lunch counters back in the day.

I need a break! This isn't even close. Sarah can find a million other restaurants that will accept her unlike those black folks back in the day whose skin color prevented them from doing what white folks did. Conservatives are always trying to quote Dr.King by talking about being judged by the content of your character, well that is what this restaurant did:  judged Sanders by the content of her character. 

Sorry, I don't feel bad for Sarah at all. She will be fine. Who I do feel bad for are the countless number of black folks who have to justify their existence doing mundane things every damn day.

Like a Doctor coming off of long night- shift in Atlanta, only to have the entrance to her condo blocked by a white condo owner who did not think she belonged.  Like the woman who was shaded while shopping at Walgreens and was stopped by officers even after paying for the items.  Like the the 8 year old who had the cops called on her for selling water.  Or the black photographer who had the cops called on him while he was doing his job because he was...well black.   I could go on (because there are lots more stories like the ones above), but I think you get the point.

Finally, I have a question: Does anyone know if the Red Hen Restaurant in Virginia takes reservations? I plan to be in the D.C. area next week and I would love to support them.

*Pic from rawstory.com

Caption Saturday.

I need a caption for this pic.

*Pic from twitter.com

She really doesn't care, and her husband doesn't either.

 Folks, can things get any crazier with this administration?

Yesterday trump announced a reversal of the administration's policy to separate children from their families while holding them in cages. Or, as the trump people call it: Rooms with cages around them.

Today we learn that they don't know what to do next, that children will still be separated from their families, and some might never be reunited. We also learn that some of these facilities that they are being held in are worse, in some cases, than actual prisons. 

Anwhoo, things went from crazy to downright bizarre. The first lady wore a jacket for her photo op with the suffering children, and it was, well.... here is what it said: "I REALLY DON'T CARE. DO YOU?" Huh?!

If I didn't know better (trump is not that smart), I would think that this was some kind of massive distraction to have the press talk about Melania so that she can play the victim role. I suspect, though, that this is just Melania being clueless. "Be best"  

Anyway, tell me what you think that jacket was all about.

*Pic from twitter.com

trump makes a calculated political decision.

"Trump signed the order and made the announcement to reporters while flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Nielsen, of course, claimed just days ago, “We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.”

The President stated that this executive order is “about keeping families together” while still having a strong border and upholding a “zero tolerance” policy.

He expressed his dismay at the “sight or the feeling” of children being separated from their parents.
“You’re gonna have a lot of happy people,” Trump added before signing it." [Source]

But he will not be happy, because this is not what he wanted. He played political games with the lives of innocent children to get his stupid border wall. History will not be kind.

Not surprisingly, he told another lie. He declared that only congress could stop this inhumane and pointless policy, and yet, today he signed an executive order preventing families from being separated while their immigration status is being determined. He lied for days about it, and yet, this too shall pass. We will excuse his many lies because the devil is not expected to do the right thing. He is the devil we know, the one that was elected to lead us.

"The "darker impulses of the American soul" has been what we have been facing for months. trump's former adviser mocked a disabled child on television and thought nothing of it, an entire television network of sycophants have been downplaying the cruel treatment of children  ("Summer camps"?) as if it's normal and we should all sign on to it. -----Heck we pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council for crying out loud!

Of course, as black folks, we know about these darker impulses. And no matter how folks in the majority population try to pretend that it doesn't exist, we know that it's always lying just below the surface. It's how we got Donald trump, and all the people who support him. It's how people can look at all those heartbreaking images of children and make excuses for this president by blaming every one else but him. Finally, though, people are starting to take notice. Make no mistake, political pressure and not empathy for the children is what led trump to capitulate. He does not care about those children, and the country knows it.

“Anybody with a heart would feel strongly about it,” he added. “At the same time, we don’t want people coming into our country illegally.” 

Operative word being "heart". You clearly don't have one.




  

There will be no profiles in courage from this bunch.

"The administration’s current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded. The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now." ~John McCain~ 

Such a shame that the only republican to speak out against the immoral and reprehensible acts taking place at the border is a man who might not have long for this earth.  

Donald trump is a despicable and loathsome human being. He has no heart, no soul, and not a single ounce of humanity. So what he and his administration is presiding over at this time in our history is not surprising. What is surprising (or maybe not) is the silence from republican leaders such as Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Why would they tarnish their legacy and their place in history to defend the indefensible?  

Today Donald trump sent his DHS Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, to face the press and to express to the world that he is doubling down on his policy of separating children from their families. Needless to say that it didn't go well. She came across as out of touch and clueless when it comes to this issue, and she did her best Irma Grese  impression for all of us. Just like her boss she told lie after lie, and she did bat an eye while doing it. 

"Reporters repeatedly asked whether the children were being used as “pawns” in an attempt to advance Trump’s legislative agenda on immigration. 

Nielsen pushed back by accusing Congress of being at fault for refusing to close “loopholes” and claiming children are being used as pawns by traffickers. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also tried to divert blame onto legislators when asked similar questions at the Monday briefing. 

Both officials pushed a debunked idea that the family separation policy is the law.

“It’s a law passed by the United States Congress,” Nielsen falsely said in response to a reporter. “Rather than fixing the law, Congress is asking those of us who enforce the law to turn our backs on the law and not enforce the law. That’s not an answer.”'

The president of the United States could end this travesty tomorrow, but he won't. He is too busy playing to his base and trying to score cheap political points with his extremist and white supremacist friends. We are not surprised that he can get to them. Let's face it, they are not the brightest and best among us.What is surprising is that he is getting all these powerful people in his party to go along with him, because they either fear him or fear losing the power that being close to him brings.

I never thought that I would live to say this, but they could all learn a thing or two from John McCain.  

  

"Zero tolerance. "

 "And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."  ~ Mark:42~ 

Well let's just throw all of these monsters in this administration in the sea right now.  Because they are certainly offending children in no uncertain manner.

Imagine snatching children from their families and trying to justify it by saying it's a part of some sort of political long game. Or worse, lie about it and say that it's the other guy's fault. They are calling at a "zero tolerance policy", and they have said that they do not have to justify it.  Ask yourselves this  question right-wingnuts: What would Jesus do?   

This is a new low, even for an administration that we thought could not go any lower.
You have to wonder where all of trump's religious supporters are hiding. The ones who scream bloody murder because women actually have a choice over their own bodies. They want to protect babies in the womb, but not when they actually get here. I mean even the president's wife came out of her [keep me away from Donald]cocoon long enough to say that taking children from their families is not right.  

Finally, though, America is starting to take notice. (At least those of use with a conscience. The trump cultist will say that this is all a part of the supreme leader's plan.) Hopefully the American press will stay away from trump's shiny objects that he uses to distract and focus on his everyday policies. I suppose that if enough people declare their outrage they will have no choice.  And for the record, trumpbots, it is not illegal to seek asylum. Let me repeat that: IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO SEEK ASYLUM.

"They're willing to risk harm to a child being traumatized, separated from a parent and sitting in federal detention by themselves, in order to reach a larger policy goal of deterrence," said Jennifer Podkul, director of policy at Kids in Need of Defense, which represents children in immigration court. 

Somebody get the rope.

Caption Saturday.

*

I need a caption for this pic.


*Pic from slatecom 

Open thread.

Dear racists, I know that you have been emboldened to let your Klan flag fly with the election of Donald trump, but you still have to be careful when in polite company. Plus, there are these things called cell phones that can document your every move. trump is giving you all a false sense of security.

This lady got away with being a flat out racist because her victims were too passive and afraid to retaliate.So did this one.  But sometimes you trumpbots have to realize that being a racist publicly isn't always a wise choice. Take this one, for instance,  he found out the hard way that you should just keep your open racism for trump rallies. Or this one, who actually got booted from college. 

Anyway, it's open thread night. Let me know what y'all think.