The Pittsburgh community and the Jewish community is still reeling from the deadliest domestic terrorist attack on American Jewish people in American history. On Saturday, Robert Bowers killed eleven people within the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue. Bowers wounded several more people with his AR-15, including four police officers who responded to the anti-Semitic gunman. Donald Trump made a quick statement to camera, blaming the victims in the synagogue for not having armed security within the temple – at a bris, and at Shabbat services – and then Trump traveled to one of his Nazi rallies. When asked how he could have a Nazi rally just hours after a national tragedy, he lied and claimed that the New York Stock Exchange opened the day after the 9/11 attacks. The NYSE opened six days later, on September 17th.
So far, I haven’t even heard the White House say that they plan to send Trump or Pence to Pittsburgh for any memorial service, or to sit shiva with the families of the murder victims. But in a preemptive strike, the Pittsburgh Jewish community’s Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice already told Trump that he’s not welcome in Pittsburgh:
“Our Jewish community is not the only group you have targeted,” the group wrote in a letter to Trump. “You have also deliberately undermined the safety of people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Yesterday’s massacre is not the first act of terror you incited against a minority group in our country.”
The group also said Trump is not welcome in the city until he also stops targeting minorities, immigrants and refugees. The president has “spread lies and sowed fear about migrant families in Central America,” the group wrote. “The Torah teaches that every human being is made b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. This means all of us. In our neighbors, Americans, and people worldwide who have reached out to give our community strength, there we find the image of God.”
Yes, pretty much. This is how far we’ve come in two years – an endless stream of national tragedies in which the victims have no desire to see the Nazi-in-Chief pretend to mourn. No one from the Trump administration should go to Pittsburgh, because they would just turn it into a Nazi rally anyway.
And hey, remember how Trump radicalized another terrorist into sending pipe bombs to Democrats and media outlets? Guess who is still sitting on Twitter, stoking hatred for the media?
The Fake News is doing everything in their power to blame Republicans, Conservatives and me for the division and hatred that has been going on for so long in our Country. Actually, it is their Fake & Dishonest reporting which is causing problems far greater than they understand!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
Trump is clearly telling his radicalized terrorist supporters that they need to continue to target his “enemies.” That’s how it needs to be reported too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Trump has yet to acknowledge the postal service workers who were in danger from those bombs, who intercepted those bombs and who identified the point of origin for those bombs.
In other news, the 2018 World Series trophy will be going to Puerto Rico at some point with Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Not sure Cora will want any part of a trip to the White House to see Trump. Doubt it.
Gah. I hope none of them go.
How tired are you today?
I’m more sore than tired but that’s all this rain affecting my surgical areas where I had nerve damage and I think I might be feeling empathy for Nathan Eovaldi’s arm. Yes, tired. I stayed in bed until almost 10 AM yesterday. But happy. And everyone will be happy for the next few days. It’s a nice feeling.
And Dodgers and Dodger fans, thanks for a great series. As the saying goes: Better luck next year. And Dave Roberts is forever loved here.
As for whether they go. John Henry says they’ll talk about it later but will probably go. The entire Astros team went last spring. I don’t know how MLB deals with this sort of thing; where the league stands. Cora says he respects the office although he disagrees with the man. He may see it as an opportunity to speak on behalf of Puerto Rico. As for the players, who knows. They’re not as outspoken on issues as Celtics or Patriots players are. Meanwhile, Trump never acknowledged the WNBA winners at all.
This was such a fun series. The Dodgers played well and were a great match for the Sox, but the Sox finished up a historical season with a great win.
Last night was a small glimmer of joy during the darkest of times. Sorry you’re feeling sore, LightPurple. So sick of all the rain we’ve been getting–just adds to the gloom.
Well, as that guy from the horse racing world said upon winning big, “if I wanted to look at a horse’s ass, I would have come in second.” He had no use for a White House visit to shake hands with Trump. LOL
That was such a great line.
I miss Obama.
Me too, sob. He made me safe and as if things were under control
With President Obama I could forget about politics and the world for days at a time if that’s what I wanted. Now, as much as I’d like to disengage, especially in this last week with the bomb mailings and the horrific massacre on Saturday, it feels selfish and wrong and even dangerous to take one’s eyes off what is happening, what we are becoming. I so admired President Obama for ultimately, the good and decent man he is and someone I was so proud to call my President. I detest with all my being this monstrosity that currently occupies the White House.
Vote. No one is coming to save us.
Yep. I felt like adults were in charge, and I actually didn’t pay much attention to politics for long stretches of his eight years.
🙁
Well said Annie. I share your sentiments. The importance of voting Blue this year cannot be understated.
Too bad Obama couldn’t stage a coup.
The world is going to hell in a hand basket. So many countries going right-wing/fascist. Although I heard that Britain may be going Labour again?
Where did you hear that?
Since Corbyn became leader of the Labour party, they have been haemorrhaging votes.
Conservatives have had at least 6-7% margin in all the polls at any given moment since 2015…. plus Labour supports Brexit, hence they will never go anywhere in Britain (Tories are now fused with UKIP too, so they get all the far right loonies votes too).
We are doomed everywhere.
The UK is seeing increasing amounts of xenophobia, though, in the wake of Brexit and the like. Corbyn may be losing support, but the country as a whole has its own challenges to deal with in the coming years.
Brazil is where I’m looking right now with concern. They just elected their own Trump. I’m legitimately worried for some of the people I know who live down there.
I can’t remember where I read it. Also, I work for a guy who is from Britain and said about the same thing – that Britain was going Labour. I was incredulous, but was also hoping that he was right.
I think it has to do with Brex-sh*t and how poorly the Tories are handling it.
Is Brexit an absolute now? A lot of people showed up for that last protest.
Like he would have gone. 🙄
Aside from dog whistling over Israel, Jewish people mean nothing to him.
I could see him possibly attempting to go, if only to pay the briefest bit of lip service to healing and unity at the urging of staffers. But I think everyone knows his lack of compassion and humanity wouldn’t accomplish anything positive so hopefully they know not to send him.
And cue a “I wasn’t planning to go anyway” lashing out to any messages asking him to keep a distance. We are so utterly broken as a country, the low level sickness I have been feeling for a while has turned into full on sickness and despair over what Fox and Trump have wrought.
He might try to send Ivanka and Jared. Hopefully they would get the same kind of non-welcome.
I just read that he is bringing Javanka, because ….well, It’s all about propaganda and appearances with this monster, isn’t it?
He would go. He loves Netanyahu and Israel, while at the same time dogwhistling other Jewish people.
God, what a piece of schitt trump is. So, where are all the (Muslim and other foreign) terrorists he is so afraid of, and who he’s using to instil fear in his supporters? Oh, that’s right – they are white supremaciists sitting and standing among the pusillanimous conservatives.
When will Jewish supporters of Trump realize that he is no friend to the Jewish people. Yes, Trump supports Israel, but he also is a fascist. And at the end of the day, he thinks Nazis are “some very fine people.”
You can’t have it both ways.
He doesn’t actually love Israel, because Netanyahu’s policies are counter-productive for Israel. He loves that Evangelical Christians love (or rather, use) Israel. He loves Netanyahu because…birds of a feather.
The Trump & Evangelical “love” for Israel and people of the Jewish faith is incredibly troubling to me. They are like foxes who “love” the hens they are guarding in the hen house. They don’t actually care for Jewish people, they just see them as sacrifices for end times.
His “support” for Israel comes in the form of trying to provoke war. Enabling extremist positions so that peace is harder to obtain.
I don’t understand how Americans of Jewish faith could support Trump after hearing his comments about Charlottesville, identifying as a “nationalist”, etc.
This reminds me somewhat of the Iraqi Christian refugees who supported Trump because of his rhetoric towards Muslims, but then wound up getting deported under his immigration policies. And the lady who voted for Trump but was married to a Syrian refugee. And the Indian guy I spoke to three weeks after the shooting in Kansas, who still supported Trump even though the victim in that hate crime was one of his colleagues. And the business owners who hire undocumented workers in order to cut costs so that they don’t have to pay them minimum wage, who supported Trump for his tax cuts, but are now facing staffing shortages. And the lady who voted for Trump because he promised to build a wall, but is now facing the prospect of losing her health insurance and Medicare. And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on. And on.
As that one tweet goes, “‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.”
and then Brazil elected a far right President last night..what is happening??? its the end of days, right?
Also saw a report Angela Merkel does not plan to run for re election
NOOOOOO! I’m not German but an EU citizen and we really need Merkel and her common sense and strong leadership at the helm. I actually find the thoughts of no Merkel scary.
As a German, Merkels messed up Great Coalition is in my opinion in part responsible for the rise of the far right in Germany. In the last years she really stopped leading and doing anything at all. She had really good times but now we need government with a positive vision of a future and not the same stalemate coalition.
And I am scared the longer the current coalition dregs on, the stronger the far right becomes.
Merkel has not been “leading” for most part of her chancellorship. The only good thing she ever did was to let all those refugees come to Germany that were stranded in Hungary back in 2015. However, she completely messed up everything else that came afterwards. Germany was not prepared for 1-2 million people seeking asylum. The only reason it did not go completely downhill was because of all the volunteers helping out. This helped the new Nazi-party AfD get really big. It seemed like the only topic politicians could come up with was “refugees”. My god, we really have other, real (!) problems… There was only one party who would not join the scaremongering, and this was the Green party. Needless to say, Merkel’s party and the coalition partner SPD lost a great amount of votes to the Greens in recent federal elections. More than they lost to the Nazis. I’ve been supporting the Greens forever and I really hope they continue to rise. They really are the most level-headed, supporting minorities, opposing war & violence and protecting the environment.
Don’t know anything about Merkel on German domestic issues, but she definitely has been helpful in dealing with the big baby in the White House. So I’ll be sorry to see her go for that purely selfish reason.
But there must be other good German politicians to take up the good fight (“she says hopefully”). You all in Germany won’t put a fascist lunatic in power like we did, right? Right??? Please answer….
At the moment there are very few good politicans in the conservativ party left (most people in the US forget, that Merkel is conservative). The small Bavarian conservative party is pandering to the right wings. With Merkel leaving there will be a conflict between those who want to follow Merkels path and those who want a “conservative revolution”. The social democrats are a mess. The green party has at least a few good people but will have trouble to gain voters outsine the liberal urban environment. The liberal party (where I belong to) is occupied with the discussions within about the directions and has a leader who is good at looking good in pictures but is without any principle.
And the right wing AfD is getting stronger.
I am very sorry, but I am afraid where it will lead to….
I saw that Steve Bannon was involved. Shocker.
Steve Bannon is a known anti-Semite.
She’s going to stay in power till 2021 so not gone yet!
I’m Brazilian and I’m devasted, Jair Bolsonaro said things way worse than Donald trump (in comparison Donald trump is a democratic and polite person in front of him, for example he encourages the police to kill suspects, he said that gays should be beaten to be cured, that the dictatorship only mistake was not to kill more, that torture is a great way set examples) .
People started making joke and threats agains LGBTQ and black people, poor and women, attacking journalists. It is like a prelude of civil war already.
It showed how much racists and intolerant people we have around us ( I confess that I’m not in the mood to make amends and I’m avoiding and being distant from a lot of people simply because my believes are different) .
It is like is 1964 again and media fake news are in total capacity.
So – voters are stupid everywhere?
Any signs of disinformation campaigns and/or vote count manipulation in Brazil?
In Europe and the US, such things have the mark of Putin on them. Apparently he is really pushing for more Trumps in pursuit of his own ambitions. So it can be hard to distinguish between garden-variety greedy selfish unkind voters and foreign interference to enhance their effect. Don’t know how far into the Americas Putin has pushed. He certainly has targeted the USA.
Here, Soviets and Russians have been trying to “help” the candidates they decide would be less bad for them for years (Adlai Stevenson reported an attempt way back in 1960) but everybody but Trump apparently said no. The Russians have been grooming Trump for years with astonishing success.
Weird times.
too coincidental that this happens after Trump’s government come to power in the US. Not sure the Brazilian people can truly be blamed for this….
Thanks for this overview on such a horrific act. I love the fact your website gives us the news along with the couture of famous celebs. Your POV is spot on!
My heart is absolutely broken over this synagogue shooting. I am an atheist but I will always maintain the stance that places of worship should always be a safe place for people to practice their faith. I can barely find the words to describe how I feel about this.
Agree. Every time I see a place of worship targeted, it makes my soul weep. My local church used to be open 24/7 as a sanctuary for anyone who needed a place to sleep or sit or pray or meditate. They have started locking their doors after services. Everyone is afraid.
I feel like everyone is a target and no one is safe anymore. I live in Florida and we now have “The Guardian Program” in our schools. I know that a lot of people may disagree with this program but I’m so glad it was put in place. Our 14 year old daughter goes to a school that is only for children and young adults with severe disabilities. My greatest fear is that her school will be targeted because they are easy targets to do the most damage. I’m so glad that there is a trained person there to protect these precious students. I don’t want to live in fear but I find peace that there is someone there to protect them.
Good for them! I also appreciate that their statement points out the other groups that Trump has targeted with his hate speech
I was happy to see that also.
Was so moved that Pittsburgh’s Jewish leaders sent this letter. It’s brilliant and has drawn a line calling out drump and his responsibility in this terrible murder.
I only wish other cities would show solidarity by writing similar letters. drump has been and will be in Indiana for more repulsive hate and self pity speeches as we have a very close Senate race. Also bigot Rev. Pence has a creepy brother running for Congress in a heavily gerrymandered district (actually all of Indiana is gerrymandered to favor white Republican candidates).
Of course Grifter Ivanka, with her laughing avatar, posted a blathering Twitter announcement that all flags would be half mast to honor the murdered. I hope she doesn’t crash any Pittsburgh memorials like she did with John McCain’s funeral.
The letter is SO powerful. Good for them for being curt AF about it.
She has to. She’s got to keep up her facade of being Jewish (sorry. I don’t like her very much so I assume her faith is as fake as her boobs) and being a human.
She claims to be Orthodox but was traveling and tweeting and shopping Friday night and was tweeting on Saturday. She’s not as observant as she claims to be.
There is nothing authentic or true about any trump except their brazen avarice.
Chicago has basically said F U to him (and most people here hate his stupid tower.) I think that’s one of the many reasons he loves to blast us a lot and threatens to send the feds after us. I think he’s afraid of us. He canceled one of his rallies that he planned to hold here during the election. Good.
Just read per @ddale8 that a Tree of Life rabbi said drump is welcome. So we will see. I imagine Grifter called and asked because drump never would. She will use anything and any tragedy for a photo op.
Indiana Joanna: off topic a bit, but I love @ddale8 on Twitter. He’s my new fave.
I so agree with you about @ddale8. Just love him. Judy Woodruff interviewed him on PBS News Hour and he said he was stuck on the drump rally beat thinking he would get to leave that assignment after the election. In his coverage of the rallies, he is doing a gut wrenching job but has been stellar. I can’t listen to drump rallies but I do read Daniel’s tweets.
He also is a great fact checker (as I’m sure you know) during rallies as drump lies. Did you see the bingo card created that has all of drump’s standard lies?
What I find more sickening than 45’s continuing dog whistling (which if we’re honest, should not be surprising AT ALL) is the lack of sympathy for any of the victims/targets of the weekend’s massacre and intended murder by mail on behalf of Congress. In fact, the GOP is out there peddling the fringe nonsense that this is all a Soros backed hoax designed to cover up the fact that the left is installing terrorists into the migrant caravan and trying to throw the election.
This reaction to a tragedy like this would have been unthinkable in past presidents. The reason they do it now is because they are increasingly comfortable in doing so, knowing that they have the balance of power and a rabid base to protect them from damaging criticism. These are people who seem certain they don’t have anything to worry about at the mid-terms and that scares me.
And I’m angry all over again at how this could have been avoided if people hadn’t been such lazy thinking, entitled assh*les at the last election.
It didn’t start last election, the veneer was just finally cracking, but people who have supported this crap (pick an angle: they’re all horrible – women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Muslims, Jewish people, people who think the government should be ethical…. I could go on for days) have been voting that way forever. The GOP just keeps getting worse by degrees. Now the veneer is completely cracked and there’s a pile of flakes on the floor.
But this wasn’t just the last election. This was the fact that most Americans tune out of politics and tune into tv and useless pastimes.
Agree. This has been going on since Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon sowed the seeds. It’s gotten progressively worse with each Republican campaign and President. This is the fruit of their labor…the total disintegration of American society. You can’t plant seeds of hatred year after year and not expect them to take hold. Well, those seeds have now sprouted. It took generations and a lot of blood, sweat, and hard work for the U.S. to get to a point where ALL of it’s citizens were finding some type of inclusivity. And now, in a matter of a few years, what took decades to build, has bee torn apart. Those of us who have always lived on the edge, have always known this side of America existed and are not shocked, only saddened, by what’s happening now. It’s as if all the hard work of past generations has been undone. And unfortunately, I don’t know if the current generation is up to the challenge of rebuilding.
Yes, the GOP needs to acknowledge how dangerous their fringe is. The man who terrorized the synagogue did it because of the “caravan”, believing that Jewish people were funding the caravan. The man who sent the bombs was also sharing posts, saying Soros was funding the caravan.
Clearly all of these minds are being influenced by similar sources. Yet GOP leaders are nowhere, not giving a call for sanity and a return to decency. Shame on them.
I’m afraid the GOP *is* the fringe and has been for some time. Today’s Republicans are a party of white supremacists, Christo-fascists and totalitarian thinkers. They are absolutely fine with everything that is going on, and they don’t feel they “need” to do anything.
In short, the Democrats are who they have been for 40-50 years and the Republicans are the KKK and John Birch Society crossed with neo-Nazis. Parties change. They sure have.
You think DOMA and PRWORA of Clinton’s days (a Democrat) align with the policy platforms of Democrats 50 years ago? Or the obscene levels of campaign funding provided by private prisons to Democrats (and some of their leadership advocating for the 3-strikes rule, which significantly impacts minorities at a disturbing rate) align with their platforms of 50 years ago? Sure, many Republicans are reprehensible but it seems like a lot of people on this site are literally ignoring patterns of behavior by Democrats simply because they aren’t the most obnoxiously vile right now. Neither party should be sanctified!!
BabyJane, Clinton’s presidency wasn’t an example of Democratic ideals. Clinton had a republican congress he had to deal with during the later years of his presidency, and so it definitely shifted legislation to the right during that time. The American people decided who Clinton had to negotiate with on policy, and I think things would have been much different if he didn’t have Gingrich in the picture. But you are right, the fact remains that things happened during the Clinton administration that run counter to current democratic priorities.
I totally share your outrage at the private prison system. It is such an injustice. How in the world could our states enter into contracts with **minimum** occupancy requirements for prisons!?!? Any candidate of any party working with these private prison companies should be forced to explain themselves.
At the end of the day, though, there is a big difference between what the Democratic party stands for and what the GOP stands for when it comes to minority rights, criminal justice, immigration, bigotry. GOP candidates are stoking fear and violence. They can’t admit to their policy positions on healthcare, so they incite fear of the “other” as a way to motivate their base. The Democratic party isn’t perfect, but as a group they tend to be on the just side of these issues.
Agreed 100% with your sentiments, Tiffany. I was more responding to Who ARE These People, but I do appreciate your point of view. If this is an era that is truly “the lesser of two evils,” one step is acknowledging the existence of the TWO evils. Both parties and their members should be held accountable.
What tragedy? It’s pumpkin time! Look at these child astronauts…they love me!
Was he holding a … a … pharaoh staff, like Ramses?
Emperor Zero is not welcome in the state of California either. Even EZ’s minions, the traitors Nunes and Rohrbacher, aren’t welcome in most parts of CA. Why did you move your farm to Grassley’s Iowa, Nunes?
Vote for Democrats or never vote again.
It’s our choice.
What’s left to say at this point that hasn’t already been said over a million times around here? Voting won’t save us.
As long as we have Trump and his enablers governing this country, we are f*cked.
As long as we have leadership that refuses to unify this country, we are f*cked.
The toxic pathology of hate and fear that gave birth to Trumpism is deeply-ingrained, it is anchored in the recesses of the collective American conscience. This will take years to reverse–YEARS.
Kitten:
I disagree.
The current GOP Congress isn’t interested in holding to account all the corruption spewing from this administration. Trump’s taxes? Blip. Khashoggi’s death? Blip. Race-baiting? Minor blip. They are a complicit heartless bunch.
A new Congress would start investigations into even the most minute scandal. Yes it’s true it’ll take years to unwind the Orange Turd and his policies, but his abject crimping spree would be halted by a Dem Congress. Plus we’d get a look at EZ’s taxes, Trump .Org stuff, and hearings would be set immediately regarding Junior, Kushner, et al.
Eric, I just adore you and I love your optimism. It has gotten me through some tough days. But I am with Kitten. We are effed. The old white GOP’s have been playing the long game. They know that by 2040-2050, white people will not be the majority anymore and they are terrified of losing power. Terrified that they will be treated the way they have treated everyone that’s not THEM since the USA was born. So they lie, cheat, steal elections, gerrymander, suppress votes, everything they can to stop the inevitable. It’s why Paul Ryan stated, on the record, that the birth rate is too low and we have to fix it (meaning force more white women to have more babies while simultaneously finding a way to suppress POC births). They know that the outcome will be the same regardless of what they do, so they are reaching into the bottom of the abyss to find ways to delay it so at least they, and possibly their children, will live out their lives with the status quo intact. There is no low that is too low for them, as they have shown us. It wouldn’t shock me if they lose this election, Trump will suspend the constitution, void the results, declare himself czar and start arresting political dissidents. I’m totally serious. And when they are outnumbered eventually, climate change will wipe us all out and it will be over. Or nukes. They have several options to end their misery when the time comes. They are all-in, all or nothing. It’s the political equivalent of “if I can’t have you, nobody will.”
@ Juls
If you can’t vote to win, then vote to cancel out one of those arseholes vote. 🖕
I mean, I completely agree that gaining control of the House is not nothing. I completely agree that any sort of progress in terms of influencing our legislature is better than nothing at all. But the courts have been stacked with young, extremely conservative judges. These are Trump’s appointees and I don’t for one second believe that they will do what’s best for our country’s citizens.
You know what Kavanaugh intends to do.
You saw the IPCC report.
You’ve seen how the GOP will do anything–ANYTHING–to win, including switching votes, suppressing the votes, and dropping people from the rolls.
You’ve seen the level of violence and hatred ratcheted up in the past week and then doubled down on by our President.
This country is not going to just hit the brakes and reverse course because the Dems take the House–IF they do. People need to be realistic about what is happening as we descend further into fascism. This isn’t something that politicians can solve. No American historian has even seen anything like this before. This is unchartered territory.
And this–all of it– is on the shoulders of the American people and we’ve made it clear that we don’t want it to stop. All the positivity and good thoughts can’t save us. Things will continue to get much worse before they even BEGIN to get better. That is our reality.
I agree with you Kitten. Even if we take the House, and the Senate too, we are still just putting up sandbags in front of a tsunami. The soul of our country is at stake and we are losing. We may never recover. I’m sorry that my outlook is so bleak but this is where we are. Only an uprising on the scale of the French Revolution will save us. Or maybe Eric is right and Mueller will. But I believe the GOP is 2 steps ahead of us in that regard. I just know they are prepared for that end-game and have a solution for it because they know what he has on them, they committed the crimes long before he knew about said crimes. Sigh…. I just want to wake up from this nightmare.
Juls – the only way to ensure the population is high enough is to allow immigration. Getting rid of and discouraging immigrants is already destructive to our economy and our ability to do science and engineering. Scientists are seriously talking about holding international conferences elsewhere because too many of our colleagues are blocked at the border. We are also losing entrepreneurs, who often come from immigrant ranks. Not to mention the threat of losing a lot of doctors and nurses.
And frankly, the immigrants most willing to come to this sh-thole of a country will not be pale Norwegians. Being pale myself, I have nothing against pale, but most people in the world are not pale for good reason. I wouldn’t mind having more melanin myself, my family is mostly Irish and we don’t tan in the sun — we just burn and get skin cancer. Besides, very few people will feel driven to come here when we have serious problems that have been relatively solved in their home countries. People will come here more often because they lack opportunities back home, just as my Irish ancestors did.
I’ve spoken to a few of my immigrant friends and some finally pulled the trigger on becoming naturalized citizens, rather than just permanent residents. Their sole motivation was being able to vote in the next elections. These people are highly educated, upper middle-class, and come from countries where there is universal health care and highly subsidized education. Trump should be careful what he wishes for – Europeans are used to high taxes in exchange for social services and they won’t have a problem voting for politicians who believe the same.
@ Kitten
I agree with Eric.
Also, please don’t lose hope now, the finishing line is in sight…….vote, vote, vote and drag every rat, cat and dog to vote as well. 😊
More realistically, apparently early voting patterns show that young voters are under-represented at the moment, so you know where to concentrate your fire power 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The rest of us from around the world who can do nothing directly to help are sending massive tsunamis of positive blue energy and optimism your way.
I really do appreciate the sentiment but I think you need to ground yourself–I can see that you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Gaining control of the House will mean extremely slow progress, if at all. The unvarnished truth is that you’re not going to see anything in the US change dramatically for the better over the next two years. We are in for more of the same and worse-much, MUCH worse.
We will get through it but it won’t be by pretending that the Democratic party will save us from Trumpism. Winning on November 6th is an imperative–a necessity–but please be clear: it is absolutely NOT a solution. What has been set in motion will continue until ALL Americans stand up and refuse to tolerate this madness.
I’m not saying the Dem House is going to save us. But Mueller is probably prepared to drop the obstruction charges on Emperor Zero and having a Dem house will ensure that it’s at least taken seriously.
And I know—I KNOW—the Mueller isn’t going to save us either.
However, a combination of prosecutorial checks and Dem-led HIC (Schiff) and a new SOH (Pelosi) will keep the criming rate lower.
@Kitten I agree with you. I think it’s best to be grounded in reality. Granted I have always been a “pessimist” but I don’t think we are wrong here. The November elections are extremely important, but even if Dems are successful, we would basically just be keeping a foot in the door in a system that is a broken anyway. We need to put our energy into understanding and fighting the current system. I don’t know what the solution is. One place for the Democratic Party (or anyone interested in some political soul-searching) to start might be to read the *unofficial* post-2016-election “autopsy.” I found it to be interesting and informative. The “Hidden Brain” podcast has also helped me understand the psychology of this sh*tshow. I also liked this interview with political scientist David Faris, author of “It’s Time to Fight Dirty,” and may buy the book. He talks about how democrats could take advantage of the grey areas of the constitution to fight Republicans at their own game.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/1/17258866/democratic-party-supreme-court-republicans-trump-election
Voting and fighting via the proper channels is important, but at the same time, we also need to really think outside the box now, as the system is completely broken. Most of the political strategies of the past are incongruous with the current system and reality. One idea (and this is just my crappy brainstorming) is to get certain celebrities on board, like what happened with Taylor Swift. Some of them have the ability to influence millions— more influence than most politicians. Most people don’t care about politics or even understand how the government works, so we need to be able to communicate in a different way. If a few celebrities would combine forces, we’d have more of a fair fight. It would be like the Avengers, but not fun at all— a coalition of movie stars versus one Nazi who played a role on a sh*tty “reality” show. I don’t like it but we gotta do what we gotta do. Hopefully that won’t involve surviving a full blown violent civil war. But hope isn’t my thing and the violence is already at our door.
Wishing you many kitten cuddles and all the little things that can still realistically bring happiness and comfort to your day!!
Unfortunately, Kitten, I’m riding the skeptical train myself. My eyes were stretched open and secured with political needles following the election. It sickened my soul knowing just how many off-the-rails bullshit believers, instigators, fascists, supremists, criminals and humanity-deficient insects there are infecting this country with a voracious appetite.
I’m not seeing anything remotely consistent with hope and civility and nothing indicating repercussions and consequences for debilitating vitriol and stroking divisive fear. Nothing. The right is placating their toddler-in-charge. They’re cleaning his diapers, wiping ketchup off his grease-stained face and interpreting his Twitter babble for those of us who ‘just don’t understand him.’ This entire debacle is absurd, embarrassing and reminiscent of centuries-old oppression. The bottom line? I simply can’t. I can’t listen. I can’t discuss. I can’t hope. And I can’t believe. The only way to steer me in a positive direction is action. Lip service is garbage.
Kitten is right.
It’s not about elections or voting. Both of those things can be instrumental for a lot of reasons, but they will not save you. There is something deeper at hand here, something far bigger that’s at stake, that’s a lot larger than the democratic process or politics. It’s the fact that these people, Trump and his supporters, have gotten to the point where they’re dismantling basic human decency. This is not something that you can save through just voting for the least intolerable candidate on your ballot. Voting will not restore good sense. Sending a message to the right wing is insufficient if you can’t sustain any of that beyond just an election. They made this mistake with Obama, where the general idea was that the election of a black president meant the end of racism so no more work needed. We all saw how well that wound up.
If the Dems + the liberal/left-wing want to see real, tangible gains, your engagement with the politics of your country has to extend far FAR beyond just elections, especially if you’re white. The Republicans and the right-wing in this country are constantly involved in politics, even when it seems like they are not. That’s why their base endures. This isn’t about losing hope or refusing to be optimistic. It’s about seeing things for what they are. Fighting for what’s right isn’t a one and done deal, it’s a constant, permanent process. This isn’t supposed to be discouraging, it’s just what it is.
All I can say is God I hope you Americans get it together and change the tides during with midterm election. What more… what more do people need to see to know that this man is destroying your country? I know the people who read this site didn’t vote for him, and I know the people that read the sites that I read didn’t vote for him. But the people who did vote for him, the people who put this man in charge, I hope there’s been enough in the last 2 years to show them that they have the power to change this to make him ineffectual to take away his power and let him be the stupid figurehead that he initially set out to be. God I hope for your country’s sake and the world’s sake that you guys turn the tides on this tyrannical asshole!!
I desperately wish there was something tangible the rest of us around the world could do to help
I can point to Great Britain and the crowds that came out to protest when he was there. Their protests lifted my spirits so much. Also, after drump said he would visit Ireland, members of the Irish government said he was not welcome and plans for his trip were quietly cancelled.
I appreciate the moral support!! Thank you!! If you want to support the resistance in a more tangible way, you could donate to activist groups like the Equal Justice Initiative and Black Lives Matter. There are also ways you can donate to political campaigns. It’s illegal but IMO there is so much illegal sh*t happening in our government that it doesn’t matter. (And I have a J.D. 🤣)
I have to advise against financial support or similar for any candidates or Parties, directly or indirectly to try to get around the laws. Foreign contributions to US political campaigns, in cash or other things of value, are illegal for damn good reason and hopefully roundabout Russian contributions to the Trump campaign will be one of the crimes that will derail President Tweeter.
Don’t be a Trump. Or a Putin….
However, you can certainly donate to groups that are working for changes or providing assistance to people that resonate with you. Just keep it strictly non-partisan. For example, there are groups trying to help parents locate and retrieve their kidnapped children from Trump’s cages. The July deadline set by the court has long passed, and children are still missing. I think those families will need access to therapy as well. The children were gone so long that some didn’t recognize their parents or were angry because they felt abandoned. Their captors were telling the verbal ones that their parents didn’t want them and left them behind deliberately. They are all traumatized, parents and children alike.
But also you can help just by participating in forums online and expressing your opinion and relaying facts when the opportunity arises. No cash required.
And make sure you work in your own country to keep Trumpy types out of office. That’s especially important today. Putin has some grand plans and is trying to get Trump clones elected elsewhere, but i’m sure you have corrupt and greedy home-grown politicians as well itching for a chance to do the lucrative Trumpy dance themselves.
We could also use international observers for our elections….. Maybe other people should pursue this with the UN! I remember years ago when working against Reagan’s wars in Central America, a colleague in Bloomington, Indiana wanted international observers after seeing how they operated in Nicaragua. Bloomington is a university town and was infamous for trying to prevent students from voting. The Trump Administration is encouraging such voter suppression in so many places. Even Indiana, which had promised to never purge people from the voting rolls, has been purging large numbers of voters in areas likely to vote Democrat.
I’m also worried that voter intimidation at the polling places will be serious this time around and I don’t have much confidence in the government trying to stop it. Usually we are told to notify the proper people in the US Department of Justice, but with Sessions as Attorney General — doubt that this will help today.
@jwoolman
Those are good ideas. If you’ll notice, I recommended a couple of non-partisan groups that anyone can donate to.
When I mentioned donating to a candidate, I was thinking of one European family member who donated a small amount to Bernie way back in the day, without realizing it was illegal. Perhaps I chose the wrong words. I didn’t intend for that comment to suggest that I want to organize a huge international conspiracy of illegal donations. I’m not a Trump or a Putin. Nor am I an idiot. But since it seems my comment was interpreted that way, I’ll just address it that way. I actually stand by what I said. Yes, it’s illegal for a damn good reason. That hasn’t done a damn thing to stop the Republicans from accepting foreign funds. If I found out that Democrats were doing the same thing, I wouldn’t care. I’d just be sorry that they were caught. I have a Doctorate of Law and that’s what I think. I’m sick of playing by the rules while Republicans break the law and get away with it all the time. I’m not advocating all out anarchy, but I think that Dems have to be more creative to fight the monster the GOP has created. The proper channels alone won’t cut it anymore because they assume that our system is functioning properly, when it’s clearly not. For example, there are many ways the Democrats could take a turn manipulating the many grey areas of the Constitution, just like the Republicans have. That’s perfectly legal. When they go low, I say we go high AND blast them with their own medicine from a better vantage point.
I accidentally saved my comment above before I was finished editing it, and now my phone is screwing up and I can’t load that text. So here is the final draft that I tried to post above, if anyone wants to bother with reading it. Is there any way to delete a comment? If so, I’d be grateful if someone could instruct me!
@jwoolman
Those are good ideas. Thank you for sharing. If you’ll notice, I recommended a couple of non-partisan groups that anyone can donate to.
When I mentioned donating to a candidate, I was thinking of one European family member who donated a small amount to Bernie way back in the day, once, without realizing it was illegal. Perhaps I chose the wrong words and the 🤣 didn’t indicate the intended mood there. I didn’t intend for that comment to suggest that I want to organize a huge international conspiracy of illegal donations. I’m not a Trump or a Putin, and I take great offense at being referred to that way, even indirectly.
But since it seems my comment was interpreted that way, I’ll just address it that way. I actually stand by what I said. If someone donated a small amount like my family member did, I wouldn’t sweat it. Yes, it’s illegal for a “damn good reason.” That hasn’t done a damn thing to stop the Republicans from accepting foreign funds. If I found out that Democrats were doing the same thing, I wouldn’t care. I’d just be sorry that they were caught. I have a Doctorate of Law and that’s what I think. I respect that you and many others won’t agree. But I believe we are all on the same side, so I don’t think it’s appropriate to insult someone with different ideas.
The rule of law itself is falling apart, and I think it’s important to keep that in mind. As the Republicans continue to break the law without consequences, the very concept of lawfulness erodes. We are beginning to face a social crisis wherein our citizens do not feel obliged to follow the law at all because it is losing its very gravitas, much like the authority of the Supreme Court. I don’t expect anyone to agree with me, just calling it how I see it, and for context alone, not pretentiousness, this is based on my educational and work experience battling this crisis.
Personally, I’m sick of playing by the rules in a game where those same rules don’t apply to the opposing team. I’m not advocating all out anarchy, but I think that Dems have to be more creative to fight the monster the GOP has created. That creativity doesn’t have to include breaking the law. But we are facing a goddamn crisis, one that may require new priorities. The traditional proper channels alone won’t cut it anymore because they assume that our system is functioning properly, when it’s clearly not. For example, there are many ways the Democrats could take a turn manipulating the many grey areas of the Constitution, just like the Republicans have. That’s perfectly legal.
When they go low, I say we go high AND blast them with their own medicine from a better vantage point.
I’m in Ottawa, and every protest that is/has been organized at the US embassy, I am there.
It’s not much, but it’s all we can do from another country. That, and try to fight off the creeping far right as it continues to make political progress in Canada.
They shouldn’t send Pence either after he made this statement: “Everyone has their own style, and frankly, people on both sides of the aisle use strong language about our political differences,” Pence said on NBC News Saturday. “But I just don’t think you can connect it to acts or threats of violence.”
What is wrong with these people? Words have meaning and they do trigger people. And once again an AR-15 was used.
Oh no, I hadn’t heard about his statement. F^*K HIM.
Uber-Christo-fascist Pence is not going to say anything helpful about the mass murder of Jews.
Rev. Pence is going to destruct with all his toadying to drump, but the fact is Pence does believe what drump says. I hope Rev. Pence will never realize his self-proclaimed God appointed quest for president. It seems that with drump saying he’s running in 2020 he (most likely meant to put Pence his place) means Rev. will not be able to run for another six years. Pence is desperate to be president, has stockpiled Kock millions, and hired several campaign operatives to work in his WH VP office.
I saw what he was during the campaign. He didn’t hide anything. He was nasty, a bully, that tape came out on which he admitted to sexual assault, he made fun of a disabled reporter for laughs, I mean, he was everything he is now. So it blew me away that ANYONE voted for that POS.
Well, Kaiser, you’ve pushed me to actually respond to one of his tweets. That was so far over the line after Saturday that I finally snapped.
As a proud member of the Jewish community, I’m not alone in being both devastated and not at all surprised at what happened in Pittsburgh on Saturday. We’ve taken precautions at our synagogue and during large and high-profile events (the major holidays) have guards on duty as, I’m sure, they had at Tree of Life Synagogue. But on an ordinary Shabbat morning, things are more relaxed. Probably that will no longer be the case for many congregations.
Sigh.
They did have armed guards present for high holy days. In a very sad but ultimately life-saving turn of events, they were actively going through “active shooter” training.
Active shooter training is a really good and sadly necessary thing for people at any institution. We have it on a regular basis, and it’s taken seriously. The training probably prevented more lives from being lost.
I remember people earlier in the year warning progressives that their blindspot where American Jewish communities were concerned would result in tragedy, and unfortunately, here we are. We need to make certain Antisemitism is prioritized as a danger to our society as much as xenophobia, misogyny, and LGBT+ phobia. These people have survived despite the apathy of the general populace not because of it. They know the fight is always around the corner.
Thanks. Yes, on the Left it’s gotten tangled up with issues surrounding Israel’s (mis)treatment of the Palestinian people, the BDS movement, etc. This was an anti-Semitic act. This was a hate crime. Bowers is not likely to have been following the progression of settlements in Palestinian territory or self-defeating coalitions propping up the Israeli government. As we’ve seen in the Labour party in Britain, anti-Semitism lives across the political spectrum.
Pittsburgh is my city. My daughter did months of intensive therapy at The Children’s Institute, which is right next door to The Tree of Life. I would need to get away sometime and befriended many members on my walk. They prayed for her and I and always asked how we were doing. They gave cards and presents and even some money to help. This has absolutely rocked our city. Most of the victims were elderly. One was a doctor and one a dentist at my health center.
Our community has banded together and even Tom Hanks took note of it. He made a tweet with a sign that says “Love Thy Neighbor: No Exceptions” and said that’s what Pittsburgh is to him. (He is here for the Mr. Rogers movie) Almost all of our museums are offering free admissions this week. The Muslim community has raised over $90,000 for the Jewish community in the aftermath. Counselors are set up everywhere. We are a really good city and I am proud to be part of it and I am proud that my city does not want 45 here at all.
The oldest victim was 97. Just staggering to imagine that she lived to see the events of the Holocaust unfold only to die at the hands of a Nazi gunman. I’m proud of my city for coming together in this time. I’m just heartbroken that Squirrel Hill, an ethnic center for many Jewish families in the area, now has to live with the memory of being the site of the worst anti-Semitic attack in American history.
I am so proud of my city right now.
My daughter is a year old. I don’t know how I’m going to explain that some people wish her harm because she is Jewish. I don’t know how I’m going to make her feel safe. I just… honestly don’t know.
I’m bereft of words and I am heartsick.
Let us hope that by the time she is older, the world will be safer for her and all peoples. Those of us with older children understand your fears completely: My daughter’s childhood, her years of dawning comprehension, spanned from the Bush/Gore election and 9/11, till … now. It’s still hard to break bad news that she hasn’t seen, and we still have that instinct to shield her.
This might be a petty response in the grand scheme of things, but I cackle every time he’s told he’s not wanted. You know it chips off a little bit of that big old ego of his. The downside is, he takes his temper tantrums to twitter and makes everyone’s life hell.
Shunning is a great response to people like that. The more rejection, the better.
Agreed!
Seriously, at what point can Fox News or Sinclair broadcasting be sued for promoting hate speech? If those two were out of business (or had to act reasonably), our country would be a lot better off.
I saw a call for a boycott of their advertisers. It’s about time. Honestly, I think that is a better alternative, and will have more immediate consequences than a lengthy legal process might.
Here’s the link to it.
https://twitter.com/maxboot/status/1056697704812810241?s=21
Just look at that face. He constantly trashes and diminishes women based on their appearance. And look at him! He LOOKS insane. Look at his eyes. This guy is on drugs. It will come out eventually. Most likely amphetamines.
I agree with you that he is insane. He is a violent sociopath. But I question the amphetamines. I doubt he would be so fat if he has been abusing them for years. Do amphetamines make you get the munchies at 3:00 AM and gorge on cheeseburgers? I honestly don’t know. I think he is just insane.
I love Pittsburgh and I love the people there. I’ve been several times (I’m Canadian and live on Vancouver Island) and each time I’m impressed with their strength, their friendliness and their resilience. The more people stand up to FOTUS (Fascist of the United States) and call him out for his and the GOP’s crimes against humanity, the more his base will be eroded, but it will take generations to undo the havoc they have wreaked. He’s become a pariah to the rest of the world with the exception of Russia and if he wants to continue with his “nationalism” and isolationist politics then America is going to crumble into anarchy and civil war while Putin rubs his hands with glee. This isn’t just a country-wide catastrophe, it’s a global catastrophe and I wake up every day thinking what fresh hell is going to greet me today?
We don’t have time to wait generations to recover from this. His policies on climate change alone will wipe us all out before we recover.
I’m in the Pittsburgh area. Our local sources have been quoting vague comments from the Trump administration that’s he will visit “ soon”. My sincere hope it that something shiny catches his attention and he forgets.
I watched the coverage this weekend – Mayor Peduto and Governor Wolf on the scene that day, immediately condemning this attack and spelling out that it is an intolerable hate crime. Our catholic and Muslim leaders offering support. And then there’s our president – who should be the bastion of support – not only not even acknowledging the anti-semitism of this attack (can’t piss off that fanbase) but essiently saying “*shrug* wackos gonna shoot, should’ve had more guns”. I’m waiting for him to Jump on the fact that Bowers didn’t vote for him.
I’ve been long disgusted by Trump, but this weekend truly took the cake. Pittsburgh is a city of unparalleled love, community , and strength. We’re going to heal and rise above – and we don’t need your bullshit to do it asshole.
RICO Baby!
Civil case=asset forfeiture
Boom!
Dear Eric please elaborate on this. We need your thoughts and insights to pull us out of the sunken place!
Eric, I am getting teary-eyed. You know how to give me hope when it looks like all is lost….
RICO is music to my ears!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act
“The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.”
Juls, this is the law they use to take down mobsters. Conspiracy. Any assets involved in the crimes can be taken by the gov’t. It sounds like Trump Org. is going to see these kinds of charges.
My first thought when Mueller got started that they would get Trump on money laundering. It’s pretty obvious that he has been doing it extensively for years. His allegedly legit businesses don’t seem too profitable and he must be getting money from somewhere besides foreign loans. US banks stopped loaning to him last century.
Mueller brought in people for his team early who have experience with tracing international financial transactions and with RICO cases, I think. Plus the fraud department of the IRS. Trump got really angry when he finally realized that Mueller was looking at his own financial transactions.
I just wonder what the heck are in Trump’s tax returns that he is so anxious to hide. Maybe it’s just that he doesn’t give to charity? I don’t think much about his assets would be there. I don’t recall listing assets other than business stuff for deductions, but he probably has separate business and personal returns. I only list interest income from interest-bearing bank accounts, not the actual pitiful amounts stashed in them.
Maybe it’s what isn’t there, like charitable deductions and offshore accounts? If Mueller has been finding accounts not reported to the IRS, Donald is in deep trouble. He’s always been audited, but Mueller would likely be more thorough.
How is this not a bigger deal? They just told the US president he’s not welcome in an area of the US . Wow .
And he just blamed shooting victims for not being armed. He’s calling for each side to arm themselves. This is the beginning of a physical war… He knows it’s already begun. Sides have been chosen and now there’s a call for arms.
Definitely vote, but, don’t be surprised when your votes indicate support for trumps side. DO NOT TURN ON EACH OTHER – your votes have been and will be tampered with. He doesn’t have the support, it’s clear to see, but that won’t be reflected in the outcome. He wants you to wonder who you can trust. It’s a mindgame. Continued unity is required here. Please be prepared for more violence. Protect yourselves, start looking up survival tactics cos this isn’t going to get better guys
The actual Rabbi of the community said Trump would be welcome to visit.
https://www.newsweek.com/rabbi-synagogue-during-shooting-says-trump-certainly-welcome-after-jewish-1191747
I’m an observant Jew and I was in my own synagogue that morning, not hearing about it until we came back online after shabbat. Everyone in our community is grieving and processing in their own way. Jews are not a monolith – Bend the Arc doesn’t speak for all of us. No fan of Trump here, but this must be acknowledged.
Even though the rabbi graciously said he would be welcome, Trump should have stayed away because the city told him their resources were already stretched protecting the funerals. Other Presidents (and candidates) have been asked to stay away until a later time in such circumstances (such as after hurricanes) because the security needs and disruptions for a Presidential visit would be a hardship at that time, and have honored such requests. They waited until they were told it was okay.
Trump has a history of ignoring the wishes of the people he would be visiting entirely, because he wants his photo op and he wants it NOW. He’s such a toddler.
The week began with #45 saying, “I am not supposed to being saying this, but I am a nationalist.” It was then followed by the pipe bombs and ended with the worst anti-Semitic attack on US soil. Any fairly intelligent person can connect the dots. We were warned about the danger of his rhetoric even BEFORE the election, but unfortunately very few Americans were listening to these warnings. Half of them didn’t even bother to vote and the majority living in the mid-west and south outright ignored them. The ones who didn’t/don’t vote and the ones who voted for him have blood on their hands.
I’m Brasilian and I didn’t vote for him Jair. I think it’s important to look at the economy and why people voted for this man. Brasil is a beautiful country that has been poorly run. Lula’s corruption was a big reason why people voted for Jair. Not justifying anything he’s said because I don’t think he should have even qualified to run, but he has one thing going for him and that’s the lack of corruption from taking bribes in his history. That we know of. Some Brazilians are desperate and want the crime and hunger and corruption to change, and to be honest, the opposition wasn’t really going to change that. They were most likely going to have Lula freed, and that’s something that a lot of people didn’t want. Lula started off good, but power and greed got to him, and he ended up screwing over his country and making poor choices. He was once in the same shoes as many of his country people which makes some of the choices he made even worse. When you’ve been there and starving and working at a young age in a factory, the fact that you would take bribes and make choices that is not helping those people you were once like, is sad.
So no – I don’t agree with anything Bolsonaro – he’s said. Or his views. But the opposition wasn’t great either. It was two shitty choices. I don’t feel like we really won an election, but I’m just praying that there is no civil war, and things get stabilized. But in reality, yes, he’s just like Trump so ugh.
This morning Trump said he wants to get rid of the 14th Amendment. It’s so frightening to think that we would touch the constitution, but there is no reason that being born in the USA should give one citizenship. And it would eliminate chain migration and so many of the current problems. I would rather accept people based on hardship and have more room for that — not just women “fooling” us — although I don’t blame them. I’m sure they see it as a solution. But the best thing always is to fix your own country first.