Still Searching For the Bottom

Yeah. posting has been sporadic -- let's face it, the news is all Trump, all the time, and it's pretty depressing. But the regime keeps finding new lows to sink to:

The Trump administration will move on Thursday to weaken a century-old law protecting migratory birds by dropping the threat of punishment to oil and gas companies, construction crews and other organizations that kill birds “incidentally” in the course of their operations.

With the outcome of November’s presidential election uncertain, the Trump administration is moving quickly to finalize dozens of regulatory rollbacks and other actions to weaken environmental protections viewed as burdensome by industry.

Let's face it, industry finds any regulation "burdensome". And it never occurs to Republicans that those regulations are in place because of past abuses. Ergo, if industry would behave responsibly to begin with, we wouldn't need so many regulations.

And Trump, I think, is running scared -- the more dirt that comes out during the impeachment "trial" (sarcasm quotes thanks to Moscow Mitch), the more his chances of winning in November shrink. Plus, there's always the possibility, remote as it is, that the Senate will vote to remove him. (Watch out for flying pigs.) And of course, there's his pathological hatred of Obama, which translates into undoing every beneficial policy enacted in the eight years previous to his coronation -- excuse me, I mean inauguration. (Hey, did you hear the one about land mines?)

So now we have a whole administration that mirrors its head: petty and vindictive. Not to mention crude and clumsy.

Both stories via Joe.My.God.

There's more on this story here.

Giggle du Jour

With thanks to commenter Bungemmint at Joe.My.God.:

This Week at Green Man Review

Interesting stuff this week:

Lit Crit, Pulp Fiction, More Beer, King Arthur, Nordic Music, and more

And there is more, I promise you, so scoot on over.

Antidote

After running into stories like this this morning, it was a nice break to see this:

Via Towleroad, which also has a nice Instagram post from Kenworty, which unfortunately I can't copy to here. Do read it -- it's a reminder that there are good people in the world. (It's the news roundup -- just scroll down.)

It's January 25th

And this morning I saw a flock of robins eating juniper berries from the tree in the front yard.

Didn't anyone tell them they're supposed to go south for the winter?

(And this was while it was still dark outside. Paris is not the only "City of Light".

Culture Break: Kodo: Sora

I caught Kodo on their last (I think) tour. They're amazing live.

From being an ensemble that was pure drums, they've expanded into incorporation other instruments and song. Here's my take on their Chicago concert.

It's About Time

This, via Digby:

Elizabeth Warren says she’ll create a federal task force to investigate corruption during the Trump administration if she’s elected president.

The Massachusetts senator on Tuesday released a plan that her campaign says will “restore integrity and competence” to government after President Donald Trump. She said that an independent task force would operate within the Justice Department and hold the previous administration’s officials “accountable for illegal activity.”

Warren also plans to ask for the resignations of all Trump political appointees and void any federal contracts that “arose as the result of corruption.”

Good. It's way past time to bring some accountability back into the government. I think one of Obama's biggest mistakes was letting the Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal off the hook. Digby takes it back farther:

It’s time to play the blame-game. Letting these Republican miscreants off the hook from Nixon on is what brought us here.

Every Democrat must be asked if they will sign on to this pledge. Otherwise, I truly fear that Trump’s criminal and unethical behavior will be the new GOP baseline. Every time we let this stuff go in the past that’s exactly what happened.

I'm not sure what she means about Nixon being let off the hook, unless she thinks he should have been prosecuted, but given that Gerald Ford's first act on succeeding Nixon was a presidential pardon, I don't see how that could have happened.

And let me point out something that should be obvious: we're talking about Republican accountability here: the Republicans will make sure that Democrats are held accountable, whether they've done something wrong or not. Democrats, sadly, don't seem to be that lacking in mercy.

This is important:

Warren's campaign also notes, however, that the task force's authority would be limited in scope and that Justice Department personnel would have independent prosecuting authority, meaning the White House wouldn't be directing its work or conclusions.

It would be nice to go back to the Justice Department being semi-autonomous, instead of an appendage of the Trump re-election campaign.

Today's Must-Watch

Just happened across this. It's worth sharing, not only for Bregman's remarks, but especially for the remarks of Winnie Byanyima, who follows him and who happens to be the executive director of Oxfam International-- she's passionate and right on target:

For some reason, I haven't been invited to Davos this year. Was it something I said? 🤔pic.twitter.com/6Qmrup7HrB

— Rutger Bregman (@rcbregman) January 20, 2020

With thanks to commenter Doug105 at Joe.My.God.

Image du Jour

Sort of sums it up:

with thanks to commenter Boreal-JTMFA at Joe.My.God.

What's New at Green Man Review

In spite of the bitter weather (it was 2 degrees Farenheit this morning in Chicago), we have reviews. Major book section, in honor of Mike Resnick, who recently passed away:

Mike Resnick, Beer, Dr. Who (Again), Music from Many Places, Egypt, and more

So bundle up and head on over.

Today's Must-Read: Unbelievable

At least, it would be unbelievable if it were about anyone else. Digby tells the story in a post titled "Why Tillerson called him a moron":

This excerpt from the new book by Leonnig and Rucker called “A Very Stable Genius” is stunning. It had been leaked before that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had called Trump a “fucking moron” after a meeting at the Pentagon when members of the administration attempted to educate him about — well, everything. We knew that he said he wanted to bring the nuclear arsenal back to the level it was at the cold war but it’s always been a mystery as to what exactly made Tillerson blurt out that comment in a room full of Generals and other high-level members of the administration.

Now we know:

Trump organized his unorthodox worldview under the simplistic banner of “America First,” but Mattis, Tillerson, and Cohn feared his proposals were rash, barely considered, and a danger to America’s superpower standing. They also felt that many of Trump’s impulsive ideas stemmed from his lack of familiarity with U.S. history and, even, where countries were located. To have a useful discussion with him, the trio agreed, they had to create a basic knowledge, a shared language.

So on July 20, 2017, Mattis invited Trump to the Tank for what he, Tillerson, and Cohn had carefully organized as a tailored tutorial. What happened inside the Tank that day crystallized the commander in chief’s berating, derisive and dismissive manner, foreshadowing decisions such as the one earlier this month that brought the United States to the brink of war with Iran. The Tank meeting was a turning point in Trump’s presidency. Rather than getting him to appreciate America’s traditional role and alliances, Trump began to tune out and eventually push away the experts who believed their duty was to protect the country by restraining his more dangerous impulses. […]

Read the whole thing. If you had any doubts that Trump is as ignorant, vicious, stubborn, and limited as his critics have been claiming, this should set them to rest.

And Moscow Mitch and the rest of the Republicans in Congress (mostly) think this is just fine.

Liar du Jour

Maybe of the month -- but he's got some pretty stiff competition. At any rate, here's hate group spokesman Bryan Fischer trying to see how many lies he can pack into one paragraph:

I am a Christian nationalist because the Founders were. The Founders established a nation grounded and rooted in Christianity, Christian principles, and a Christian worldview. They enshrined their view of what a Christian nation looks like in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

He goes on. This one is worth a good belly laugh:

While Christian nationalism is condemned and dismissed by some as a thinly disguised form of white supremacy, it is impossible that that could be the case. The ringing declaration of the Founders was that “all men,” every last one of them, regardless of race or ethnicity, have received certain non-negotiable human rights from their Creator.

1) Christian nationalism is not a thinly disguised form of white supremacy. It is a blatant form of white supremacy.

2) "Regardless of race or ethnicity" -- unless they're brown and speak Spanish. Or Arabic. Or Farsi.

3) And lets not mention sexual orientation -- Fischer has built his career on trashing gays.

And yet more:

I use the term “constitutionalist” synonymously with “Christian nationalist,” because our constitution is the constitution of a Christian nation, and could only be the constitution of a Christian nation. Our Constitution is shot through, warp and woof, with the thinking of Christian statesmen who shared a deep-dyed view of the world, soaked deeply in the Bible.

This is pure fantasy -- or delusion, except that I'm pretty sure that Fischer knows what the actual basis of the Constitution is -- this country is, without doubt, a child of the Enlightenment -- and he's lying about it. It's what he does.

The disheartenting thing is that even if his listeners learned some real American history somewhere along the line, they've rewritten it in their heads to conform to their biases -- excuse me, I mean "sincerely held beliefs".

No, I'm not going to link to the whole diatribe. There's a link at Joe.My.God (linked above) if you really want to ruin your morning.

(Stray thought: considering how many radical right "Christians" own guns, I'm sort of surprised that no one tried to assassinate Barack Obama. I wonder if that will hold for the next Democratic president.)

Image du Jour: Cornered

With thanks to commenter Doug 105 at Joe.My.God.

What's New at Green Man Review

In spite of rain, sleet, snow, storms -- you name it -- we have reviews:

An Alternate British Empire, Music from Latvia, SF by Women, a Haunted Violin, Cookies, Favorite Tolkien, and more

Doesn't that sound fascinating? Well, it is, so go check it out.

Just Deserts

I can't really add anything to this:



With thanks to commenter Doug105 at Joe.My.God.

Culture Break: Kronos Quartet/Kimmo Pohjonen: Kalma

From their album Uniko. I have no idea where I ran across this, unless it was in the days when I was buying anything by Kronos Quartet. As I said to a friend who didn't like accordion music -- "This is not your everyday accordion music."

No, I don't know why it's in two parts on YouTube. And I think the cutie on keyboards is Samuli Kosminen, Pohjonen's collaborator in Kluster. You can find more information on the project here.

Compare and Contrast

I'm not really making any decisions on Democratic presidential candidates at this, although I will probably vote for Buttigieg in the primary -- he's smart and he knows what questions to ask.

That said, this article is illuminating on the differences between Buttigieg and the other contenders, in this case Elizabeth warren. A sample of Buttigieg's responses:

Jake Tapper: Let me just ask you, some of your Democratic opponents including senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who I’ll be talking to shortly, called the strike a “assassination.” They say it’s an assassination. Do you believe it was an assassination?

Pete Buttigieg: I am not interested in the terminology. I’m interested in the consequences and I’m interested in the process. Did the president have legal authority to do this? Why wasn’t Congress consulted? It seems like more people at Mar-a-Lago heard about this than people in the United States Congress who are a coequal branch of government with a responsibility to consult. Which of our allies were consulted? The real-world effects of this are going to go far beyond the things that we’re debating today and we need answers quickly.

I like the way Buttigieg cuts through the press' attempts to frame the discussion and gets to the core issues.

Read the whole thing -- it's not all that long.

With thanks to commenter Lazycrockett at Joe.My.God.

What's New at Green Man Review

It's Sunday again, and more good things at GMR:

Little Christmas Is Here, Kushner’s Riverside series & Her Winter Queen Speech, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers considered, “Darkness, Darkness” covered twice and even recipes that are more or less inspired by that Riverside series!

So hop on over and enjoy.

Quote of the Day

Embedded in a post from Digby about Trump's campaign rally at an evangelical mega-church in Florida was this choise tidbit:

“I really believe he was sent to us,” she said. “From one to ten, he’s a ten. He lives in a Christian world and we needed a strong Christian, somebody who is not afraid. He speaks for us, has the guts and courage to speak what we want to say. His actions, his intentions, are Christian.”

Given what "Christianity" has become in the last forty years, I can't dispute her -- but this is a case of "that doesn't mean what she thinks it means".

And I'm sure in her daily life she passes as a perfectly normal, sane person. To any rational, moral person, she's obviously delusional. But she votes -- which in itself should scare you.

And do read the whole post -- it really looks as though the Trump team is running scared.

Antidote

I almost remembered the nursery rhyme -- I finally caved and looked it up on Google.

No, I don't know now anyone gets a cat to put up with being dressed up like that. I would never attempt it.

Thanks to commenter Doug105 at Joe.My.God.

Today in Middle East Diplomacy

Well, the acting president is apparently getting worried enough about his chances for re-election that he's reaching for that time-honored tactic -- a nice little war.

But there is a way to avoid it:

Iran also bears some responsibility for the present crisis.
They could easily defuse the situation — while still keeping their nuclear program— by announcing an investigation of Joe and Hunter Biden.

— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) January 4, 2020

If you can't quite place Painter, here's his bio. He certainly has the qualifications.

With thanks to commenter Halou at Joe.My.God.

Antidote

After that last lurching horror, a critter with some class -- and talent:

With thanks to commenter Karle Dubhe at Joe.My.God.

Today in Disgusting People

A "Christian," of course. This is what you get from an alternate reality:

“So let me get this straight. Obama is a gay man, married to a dude who looks like Chewbacca, & Chewy gets selected as ‘woman of the year’. Trumps’ wife fluently speaks 7 languages, is a class act of poise & beauty & is an actual WOMAN. Yet she gets treated like the Clampetts.” – Self-proclaimed “Christian broadcaster” Sheila Zilinksy, in a tweet that has over 1300 likes.

Trump's wife? Which one?

I don't, as a rule, comment on people's looks as a way to insult them, but Zilinsky has made herself fair game:

According to an update in the comments, the tweet has been deleted, whether by Zilinsky or by Twitter is unknown.

And these racist assholes just can't get over the Obamas, can they?

Antidote

Offered without comment, thanks to Tom Sullivan at Hullabaloo:

Donald Trump had been in the Oval Office for two weeks:

I got on the subway in Manhattan tonight and found a Swastika on every advertisement and every window. The train was silent as everyone stared at each other, uncomfortable and unsure what to do.

One guy got up and said, "Hand sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie. We need alcohol." He found some tissues and got to work.

I've never seen so many people simultaneously reach into their bags and pockets looking for tissues and Purel. Within about two minutes, all the Nazi symbolism was gone.

Nazi symbolism. On a public train. In New York City. In 2017.

"I guess this is Trump's America," said one passenger. No sir, it's not. Not tonight and not ever. Not as long as stubborn New Yorkers have anything to say about it.

The original Facebook post is here.

(Apparently, you can't "share" a Facebook post unless you're also on Facebook. No, thank you.)

Hate to Start the Year on a Downer

But a couple of posts caught my eye -- the environment is under attack from our own Environmental Protection Agency:

If you have no other reason to spend the next few days researching ways that you might help defeat Donald Trump next year, this should do it. The Washington Post reports that even Trump's own hand-picked Scientific Advisory Board says that the wrecking ball he and his Republican accomplices are using to destroy environmental regulations are in direct conflict with established science:

For example, regarding the EPA’s plan to reverse a rule that limits what sort of dredging or pesticide applications can take place near smaller streams and wetlands, the advisory board said the proposal “neglects established science” that shows how contamination of groundwater, wetlands and waterways can spread to drinking water supplies. A separate report says the economic models used to justify reducing the average mileage targets for cars and light trucks between now and 2026 were “implausible” based on assumptions about the kinds of vehicles consumers will drive in the future.

….The moves come as the agency has overhauled how it factors science into its decision-making. More than a year ago, the EPA disbanded an expert panel charged with updating assessments of the public health risks posed by soot. In December, EPA’s inspector general concluded it failed to analyze how a plan to loosen emissions standards for truck components would affect children’s health. And it is now drafting a rule to restrict which scientific studies it uses to develop public health policies.

We don't need no stinkin' science.

Of course, there's more:

Since taking office, Trump has systematically diluted the influence of scientists on public policy. This is especially true of environmental policy, where he has buried reports that industry, especially fossil fuel production, might not like. And of course, Trump simply doesn’t believe in “experts” because he already knows everything.

In just three years, the Trump administration has diminished the role of science in federal policymaking while halting or disrupting research projects nationwide, marking a transformation of the federal government whose effects, experts say, could reverberate for years.

Political appointees have shut down government studies, reduced the influence of scientists over regulatory decisions and in some cases pressured researchers not to speak publicly. The administration has particularly challenged scientific findings related to the environment and public health opposed by industries such as oil drilling and coal mining. It has also impeded research around human-caused climate change, which President Trump has dismissed despite a global scientific consensus.

This is only one likely result of Trump's policies.

Culture Break: Danish String Quartet: Tjønneblomen/Annbjørg Lien: Tjønneblomen

This is one of my favorites from their album Last Leaf. In fact, it seems to be a favorite for others as well -- Annbjørg Lien included it on at least one album.

And here's Lien's version, from a concert performance:

From the description: Annbjørg Lien on hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle) with Bjørn Ole Rasch on keyboards. From a concert in the 800 years old Fiskum Old Church in Øvre Eiker, Buskerud. Broadcast in the NRK program "Ut i naturen: Sommernattas symfoni", January 1, 2007.


So, Happy New Year.