Month: September 2018

Find Me a Producer, I’ve Got one F%$# of a Treatment

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It is, as the saying goes, ripped from the headlines.

It’s the best heist movie concept, and in this case, the headline is that, in response to Brexit concerns, Cadbury creating a massive stockpile of chocolate:

Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union next year, but it still hasn’t reached a deal on how exactly this could happen. If it leaves Europe without a deal, some experts have warned that there may be chaos at the borders and a shortage of key goods.

On Tuesday, the owner of the beloved confectionary brand Cadbury announced that the company has a plan to deal with the threat of this dreaded “no-deal” Brexit: a chocolate stockpile.

Think about the action, think about the adventure, think about the tension, and think about the merch that you could sell.

Before you ask, I am aware that an actual sweet food stockpile has been stolen, the so-called great Canadian maple syrup heist, but that just adds verisimilitude.

And just think about the obligatory love making scene between the mastermind and the cop who has been pursuing them.

Chocolate ……… And Strawberries ……… And Gentle Heat.

I smell razzie!

We Now Have a Name

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Christine Blasey Ford is the source of the allegation that Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her in the early 1980s.

Of particular significance is that she told both her husband and her therapist (she has authorized the release of his records) of the incident in 2012:

Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. Since Wednesday, she has watched as that bare-bones version of her story became public without her name or her consent, drawing a blanket denial from Kavanaugh and roiling a nomination that just days ago seemed all but certain to succeed.

Now, Ford has decided that if her story is going to be told, she wants to be the one to tell it.

Speaking publicly for the first time, Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend — both “stumbling drunk,” Ford alleges — corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County.

While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.

“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”

Ford said she was able to escape when Kavanaugh’s friend and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them, sending all three tumbling. She said she ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house.

The significant point is that she revealed this during couples therapy 6 years ago:

Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband. The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.” The notes say four boys were involved, a discrepancy Ford says was an error on the therapist’s part. Ford said there were four boys at the party but only two in the room.

Notes from an individual therapy session the following year, when she was being treated for what she says have been long-term effects of the incident, show Ford described a “rape attempt” in her late teens.

In an interview, her husband, Russell Ford, said that in the 2012 sessions, she recounted being trapped in a room with two drunken boys, one of whom pinned her to a bed, molested her and prevented her from screaming. He said he recalled that his wife used Kavanaugh’s last name and voiced concern that Kavanaugh — then a federal judge — might one day be nominated to the Supreme Court.

In related news, two Republican Senators, Jeff Flake (who is on the Judiciary Committee), and Bob Corker (who is not) are asking to postpone the vote so that there can be further investigation.

Also, I gotta figure that Kavanaugh knew that this was coming, since it’s not normal for people to keep a list of 65 women who they didn’t sexually assault in their back pocket.

On the bright side, Joe Biden is not running the confirmation hearing this time.

To Quote Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic

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Harold Feld, who is a top flight lawyer on all things telco, and is on one of the relevant advisory committees, notes that, “The Upcoming IPAWS “Presidential Level Alert” Test Is Not A Trump Thing — Really.”

The nationwide alert that will be broadcast on September 20 has been planned for years:

There is a bunch of hysteria running rampant about the September 20, 2018 test of the “Presidential Level Alert” functionality of the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA), which is part of the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS). (See FEMA Notice of Alert Here.) The thrust of the concerns is that Fearless Leader is creating a propaganda system that can blast through all cell phones and no one can opt out.

I ask everyone to please calm down. The fact that it is called a “Presidential Alert” has nothing to do with Trump. This all goes back to The Warning, Alert, Response Network Act (WARN Act) of 2006. That Act required that we integrate the old Emergency Alert System (EAS) which is on broadcast and cable with a newly created wireless emergency alert system (WEA) so that we could take advantage of the emerging communications technology (texting in 2006, but with an eye toward broadband) to warn people in advance of disasters.

………

This absolutely has nothing to do with Trump. The WARN Act mandates that while users may opt out of other alerts, they may not opt out of “Presidential Level Alerts.” This was decided way back in 2006, when Congress determined that people should not be able to opt out of anything so important that it triggers a nation-wide alert (although, annoyingly, they did give wireless carriers freedom to opt out of WEA entirely, which tells you a lot about the priorities of Congress back in 2006). See WARN Act Sec. 602 (b)(2)(E). This was not a choice by the Trump Administration. Nor can the current FCC allow people to opt out of “Presidential Level Alerts.” It’s in the WARN ACT of 2006.

So please, please stop spreading rumors about this. Please stop treating this as more evidence of Trump overreach with all kinds of possible sinister motives. The President can’t just press a button to send this out. And while a determined President with enough effort can abuse any system, this is not something Trump can just decide to do with his morning Tweets.

 So, just chill out everyone.

This Crap Will Not End Well

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There has been a band of religious nuts in Israel, roughly evenly divided between Jewish and Evangilical morons, have announced (yet again) that they have bred a red heifer, which, according to them means that the 3rd temple will be rebuilt (Jews) which will lead to the end of times (Evangelicals).

This kind of sh%$ never ends well:

A Jewish group says an apparently completely red heifer has been born – the first in 2,000 years – thus fulfilling a biblical prophecy that signals the coming of the Messiah, which Christians believe will end with an apocalypse.

The birth of the potential cow of prophecy was announced by the Temple Institute, a group which says it is “dedicated to every aspect of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.” “On the 17th day of Elul, 5778, [August 28, 2018], a red heifer was born in the land of Israel,” the group wrote on its Facebook page.

The organization says that the female baby cow foreshadows the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, heralding the arrival of the Jewish Messiah. Evangelical Christian theologians also believe the construction of the Third Temple will lead to Judgment Day.

………

The Temple Institute began its Raise a Red Heifer breeding program back in 2015 with the express goal of producing the heifer of prophecy, which would be required to meet a number of requirements, chief among which being that the calf be entirely red and “without blemish.”

**Facepalm**

גם אני#

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David Keys, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman to foreign press, is the subject of multiple accusations of sexual harassment and assault:

A total of 12 women have accused David Keyes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson to the foreign media, of inappropriate behavior toward them and other women.

One of the 12, New York State Senate candidate Julia Salazar, on Tuesday detailed her alleged 2013 sexual assault by Keyes. After that, Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice, responding to Salazar’s allegation, described an “uncomfortable” encounter with Keyes, whom she called a predator.

Ten other women have also been in contact with The Times of Israel in recent months, with allegations that include one detailed accusation of physically aggressive behavior by Keyes, claims of overly aggressive advances by him, and incidents of inappropriate behavior. The women spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Several sources, furthermore, have said that Keyes’s alleged improper behavior toward women, which took place before he was appointed Netanyahu’s spokesman in 2016, was so well-known that he was asked to stay away from certain offices that he used to frequent in New York.

………

The Times of Israel has also obtained two emails Keyes sent to women in which he apologized “for being less than gentlemanly.”

I dunno, this contemptible ratf%$# seems to be completely well suited to working for Netanyahu.

If Only there Were Some Sort of Token Representing Value that Could Restore Balance

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It turns out that that there has been a exodus of pilots from business aviation, which is now depressing aircraft sales.

The solution is simple: If you want more pilots, pay more for them. Supply will then take care of itself:

A growing shortage of pilots in Europe is hitting business aircraft sales, as owners struggle to source crews to fly their assets.

That is the view of UK aircraft sales and marketing company Colibri Aircraft, which predicts the squeeze on business aircraft pilots will continue over the coming years, as commercial airlines poach crews in increasing numbers to help address their recruitment demands.

Colibri says around 70% of sales it works on encounter difficulties in relation to guaranteeing sufficient access to flightcrews. “Five years ago, this affected only 20% of our cases,” it notes.

………

This shortfall is a combination of several factors, he explains, including the legal retirement age for pilots being set at 65, and growing demand for pilots from overseas markets – especially Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Really, the solution is simple: Pay your pilots more, and they stay with you.

Econ 101.

Linkage

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All RPGers have been here, sometimes as Leeroy Jenkins, and sometimes being hosed by Leeroy Jenkins.

It’s better to be Leeroy Jenkins.

Yeah, So Not Surprised

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Call it confirmation bias, but every single video of Brett Kavanaugh has left me feeling that he’s a skeevy creep.

So I am not surprised that there are now allegations that he attempted to rape a girl as a prep-schooler in the 1980s.

My only question is why Dianne Feinstein sat on this for 8 weeks before turning reports from the alleged victim over to the FBI for investigation:

On Thursday, Senate Democrats disclosed that they had referred a complaint regarding President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the F.B.I. for investigation. The complaint came from a woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were both in high school, more than thirty years ago.

The woman, who has asked not to be identified, first approached Democratic lawmakers in July, shortly after Trump nominated Kavanaugh. The allegation dates back to the early nineteen-eighties, when Kavanaugh was a high-school student at Georgetown Preparatory School, in Bethesda, Maryland, and the woman attended a nearby high school. In the letter, the woman alleged that, during an encounter at a party, Kavanaugh held her down, and that he attempted to force himself on her. She claimed in the letter that Kavanaugh and a classmate of his, both of whom had been drinking, turned up music that was playing in the room to conceal the sound of her protests, and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand. She was able to free herself. Although the alleged incident took place decades ago and the three individuals involved were minors, the woman said that the memory had been a source of ongoing distress for her, and that she had sought psychological treatment as a result.

In a statement, Kavanaugh said, “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”

………

Kavanaugh’s classmate said of the woman’s allegation, “I have no recollection of that.”

The woman declined a request for an interview.

In recent months, the woman had told friends that Kavanaugh’s nomination had revived the pain of the memory, and that she was grappling with whether to go public with her story. She contacted her congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, a Democrat, sending her a letter describing her allegation. (When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Eshoo’s office cited a confidentiality policy regarding constituent services and declined to comment further on the matter.)

The letter was also sent to the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein. As the ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein was preparing to lead Democratic questioning of Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing weeks later. The woman contacted Feinstein’s office directly, according to multiple sources.
 ………

 Feinstein’s decision to handle the matter in her own office, without notifying other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stirred concern among her Democratic colleagues. For several days, Feinstein declined requests from other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee to share the woman’s letter and other relevant communications. A source familiar with the committee’s activities said that Feinstein’s staff initially conveyed to other Democratic members’ offices that the incident was too distant in the past to merit public discussion, and that Feinstein had “taken care of it.” On Wednesday, after media inquiries to the Democratic members multiplied, and concern among congressional colleagues increased, Feinstein agreed to brief the other Democrats on the committee, with no staff present.

 On Thursday, Feinstein announced that she had referred the matter to the F.B.I. “I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” Feinstein said. “That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.”

The way that Feinstein has handled this has been beyond stupid.

She sat on this for 2 months, refusing to even discuss the the outlines of complaints because she had, “A sense that Democrats would be better off focussing on legal, rather than personal, issues in their questioning of Kavanaugh.”

She has been in the Senate for almost 3 decades, and she thought that, “Focusing on legal issues,” would prevent the Republicans from goosestepping in lockstep to approve him.

She destroyed the credibility of the report, and her behavior has been damaging and a shirking of her duty as the senior member of her party on the Judiciary Committee.

Her opponent in the upcoming election, Democrat California state Sen. Kevin de León†, is quite justifiably cutting her a new asshole over this one, saying that she, “politely pantomimed her way through last week’s hearing without a single question about the content of Kavanaugh’s character.”

She has seriously, and disastrously, dropped the ball on this one.

My cousin deserves to lose the election over this, and she just might.

*Full disclosure, my great grandfather, Harry Goldman, and her grandfather, Sam Goldman were brothers, though we have never met, either in person or electronically.
†California jungle primary, don’t you know. 

Copyright Trolling, Sony Edition

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Sony Music Entertainment has been forced to abandon its claim that it owned 47 seconds of video of musician James Rhodes using his own piano to play music written by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Last week, Rhodes recorded a short video of himself playing a portion of Bach’s first Partita and posted it to Facebook. Bach died in 1750, so the music is obviously in the public domain. But that didn’t stop Sony from claiming the rights to the audio in Partita’s video.

“Your video matches 47 seconds of audio owned by Sony Music Entertainment,” said a notice Rhodes received on Facebook. Facebook responded by muting the audio in Rhodes’ video. Remarkably, when Rhodes disputed Sony’s claim, Sony stuck to its guns and denied the appeal. As far as we know, Sony hasn’t commented publicly on the dispute or explained why it continued to claim Rhodes’ music.

But whereas Facebook’s formal appeals process didn’t work for Rhodes, public shaming seems to have done the trick. Rhodes’ tweet on the topic got more than 2,000 retweets, and Rhodes also emailed senior Sony Music executives about the issue.

As one commenter noted:

Guys, let’s be reasonable here.

Without strong copyright enforcement, composers like Bach will have no incentive to produce new music.

Sony is just ensuring that Bach has the financial freedom to release his next album. Really they’re doing you a favor.

Tweet of the Day

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Success of an asymmetric (“terror”) attack is measured by the extent of reactive self-injury it ultimately induces on the more powerful side of the asymmetry.

— William Gibson (@GreatDismal) September 11, 2018

Once again, I would suggest that anyone who hasn’t read Eric Frank Russell’s magnum opus Wasp, in which a man is sent to be an agent provocateur on the planet of an empire at war with Earth, and his mission is not to collect intelligence or do damage, but rather to provoke an overreaction by the authorities:

“Phew!” Mowry raised his eyebrows.

“Finally, let’s consider this auto smash. We know the cause; the survivor was able to tell us before he died. He said the driver lost control at high speed while swiping at a wasp which had flown in through a window and started buzzing around his face.”

“It nearly happened to me once.”

Ignoring that, Wolf went on, “The weight of a wasp is under half an ounce. Compared with a human being its size is minute, its strength negligible. Its sole armament is a tiny syringe holding a drop of irritant, formic acid, and in this case it didn’t even use it. Nevertheless it killed four big men and converted a large, powerful car into a heap of scrap.”

………

“However,” Wolf went on, “the problem becomes less formidable than it looks if we bear in mind that one man can shake a government, two men temporarily can put down an army twenty-seven thousands strong, or one small wasp can slay four comparative giants and destroy their huge machine into the bargain.” He paused, watching the other for effect, continued, “Which means that by scrawling suitable words upon a wall, the right man in the right place at the right time might immobilize an armoured division with the aid of nothing more than a piece of chalk.”

Terrorism is not about winning, it’s about making us destroy ourselves, or as DC at the Stellar Parthenon BBS says, “Chaos is Job Won.”

Cynthia Nixon Did Not Win, but Neither Andrew Cuomo

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With the active support of Andrew “Rat Faced Andy” Cuomo, the “Independent Democratic Conference” caucused with Republicans in the state senate, allowing the Republicans to run that chamber, and allowing the Governor to thwart any efforts that might upset his owners donors.

They were nearly completely wiped out in the primaries tonight, and it was Nixon’s focus on this issue, particularly with regard to Cuomo’s perfidy on the whole affair, was a large part of this:

Years of anger at a group of Democratic state senators who had collaborated with Republicans boiled over on Thursday, as primary voters ousted nearly all of them in favor of challengers who had called them traitors and sham progressives.

The losses were a resounding upset for members of the Independent Democratic Conference, who outspent their challengers several times over, but also a sign that the impatient progressive fervor sweeping national politics had hobbled New York’s once-mighty Democratic machine, at least on a local level.

The most high-profile casualty was Senator Jeffrey D. Klein of the Bronx, the former head of the I.D.C. In that role, he was for years one of Albany’s most powerful players, sharing leadership of the chamber with his counterparts in the Republican conference and participating in the state’s secretive budget negotiations.

But on Thursday, he was defeated by Alessandra Biaggi, a lawyer and former aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, after a campaign in which Ms. Biaggi cornered Mr. Klein into spending nearly $2 million — more than 10 times what she spent — since January, an astonishing sum for a state legislative race. (Cynthia Nixon, in her bid against Mr. Cuomo, spent less.)

“If this doesn’t prove that political currency is people over money, I do not know what does,” Ms. Biaggi said at her victory party. “We have now cut the head of the I.D.C. snake.”

Mr. Klein did not appear at his watch party.

Also defeated were five other former I.D.C. members: Senator Tony Avella in Queens; Senator Jose Peralta in Queens; Senator Jesse Hamilton in Brooklyn; Senator Marisol Alcántara in Manhattan; and Senator David Valesky in Syracuse. The only former I.D.C. members to survive the primary were Senator Diane Savino, of Staten Island, and Senator David Carlucci, of Rockland County.

In another high-profile race, Senator Martin Dilan, who was not part of the I.D.C., was defeated by Julia Salazar, a 27-year-old democratic socialist whose candidacy energized young voters in swaths of gentrifying Brooklyn, despite near-constant controversy in the final weeks of the campaign.

“This is a victory for workers,” Ms. Salazar said standing atop a staircase in front of her voters at a party in Bushwick. “This is a victory for all of you, who every day have knocked on doors and have had meaningful conversations with our neighbors about these issues.”

The Democrats still need to pick up a seat, as Simcha “Shande Far Di Goyim” Felder will almost certainly caucus with the Republicans again, but I think that they can manage that,

As much as it pains me, I think that I have to quote Matt Yglesias:

Nixon, it should be said, really took one for the team here. 

No real politicians wanted to run a hopeless race, she stepped up, pushed Cuomo left on issues, shed light on the IDC situation and contributed meaningfully to their defeat. 

 Not bad work at all.

On the down side, Cuomo beat Nixon by 30 points, and Letita James beat Zephyr Teachout in the AG primary.  (Teachout had promised to aggressively investigate Cuomo, and James appears to be joined at the hip to Cuomo)
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1040433354229907456

Tru Dat

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The good folks at Naked Capitalism came across this post mortem of what is now 8 years of electoral failure by the Democrats, and concludes that a lack of vision, and a complete unwillingness to stand for everything have led to the ongoing rout of the party.

The party establishment has refused to do anything even remotely like an analysis of what went wrong, so these folks did, and they say what I’ve been saying since about 2010.

People will vote for a bad something over a not-bad (good is too strong a word) nothing:

Executive Summary

Sample of Findings

The Party’s Base

  • Aggregated data and analysis show that policies, operations and campaign priorities of the national Democratic Party undermined support and turnout from its base in the 2016 general election. Since then, the Democratic leadership has done little to indicate that it is heeding key lessons from the 2016 disaster.

  • The Democratic National Committee and the party’s congressional leadership remain bent on prioritizing the chase for elusive Republican voters over the Democratic base: especially people of color, young people and working-class voters overall.

  • After suffering from a falloff of turnout among people of color in the 2016 general election, the party appears to be losing ground with its most reliable voting bloc, African-American women. “The Democratic Party has experienced an 11 percent drop in support from black women according to one survey, while the percentage of black women who said neither party represents them went from 13 percent in 2016 to 21 percent in 2017.”

  • One of the large groups with a voter-turnout issue is young people, “who encounter a toxic combination of a depressed economic reality, GOP efforts at voter suppression, and anemic messaging on the part of Democrats.”

  • “Emerging sectors of the electorate are compelling the Democratic Party to come to terms with adamant grassroots rejection of economic injustice, institutionalized racism, gender inequality, environmental destruction and corporate domination. Siding with the people who constitute the base isn’t truly possible when party leaders seem to be afraid of them.”

  • The DNC has refused to renounce, or commit to end, its undemocratic practices during the 2016 primary campaign that caused so much discord and distrust from many party activists and voters among core constituencies. • Working to defeat restrictions on voting rights is of enormous importance. Yet the Democratic National Committee failed to make such work a DNC staffing priority.

The full autopsy is here.

The malefactors of the party are on the run right now, even if the number of primary defeats are relatively small.

I hope that  the pressure is kept up in 2020, because the party establishment is definitely running scared.

Linkage

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Daniel Ellsberg on why Julian Assange is a Journalist, and should not be prosecuted:

Why Does This Guy Have a Job?

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In a Congressional district that is important for Democrats if they want to retake the house, Rep. Henry Cuellar, nominally a, “Democrat”, is raising money for the Republican:

Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, had breakfast on Tuesday with an embattled Republican colleague, Rep. John Carter.

But this wasn’t just a friendly bipartisan chat over huevos or chorizo at San Antonio’s Mi Tierra Cafe.

This was a campaign fundraiser for Carter, who is badly in need of cash as he fights for political survival against former Air Force combat pilot MJ Hegar. Ticket prices ranged to $2,700 and Cuellar didn’t just attend. He also encouraged others to donate.

Congressmen cross party lines to write and pass bills, and Cuellar and Carter have worked together for years. But it’s highly unusual for a lawmaker in one party to help a colleague from the other to keep his job. It’s especially remarkable given that Democrats are angling for a “blue wave” potent enough to dislodge lawmakers who, like Carter, have held safe seats for years.

………

“Sadly, this is far from out of character for Cuellar,” wrote the liberal Daily Kos, which noted that Cuellar votes with President Donald Trump more than any Democrat in Congress.

………

As a member of the Texas House, he supported then-Gov. George W. Bush for president in 2000. Bush’s successor, Rick Perry — now the energy secretary — named him secretary of state, Texas’ chief election officer and the governor’s emissary on Mexico and border affairs.

………

As The Dallas Morning News has documented, Cuellar has a long history not just of bipartisan cooperation but of going out of his way to provide political aid to members of the other party. 

Cuellar is in a district that has a PVI of D+9, and this ratfF%$# was renominated without any opposition in the primary.

There is a difference between a conservative Democrat and a disloyal Democrat, and Cuellar is the latter.

Nothing will come of this in the party, because he is good at raising money, his PR flack is quoted saying that, “The congressman is a member in good standing [of the DCCC] and has not only paid his entire dues for this Congress but he is also advanced his dues for the next Congress.”

He raises money that pays the unelected consultants who keep losing elections, so he is safe from the party leadership.

F%$# that.

Quote of the Day

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Cuomo beats Rahm for “worst Democratic politician in America” and I’m including any that happen to be in prison now.

—Atrios

Mr. Black is talking about the fact that “Rat Faced Andy” Cuomo is refusing to do a photo-op on the subway because he thinks that it is not a dynamic enough image for him.

In related news, Andrew’ Cuomo’s push to unveil the Mario Cuomo bridge before the primary election may destroy the new bridge:

A piece of the old Tappan Zee Bridge became destabilized Friday, creating “a potentially dangerous situation,” which caused state officials to call off plans to open the Westchester-bound span of its replacement, the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Matthew Driscoll, the executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, said engineers disassembling the Tappan Zee feared the destabilized piece of the old bridge could fall.

“Given its proximity to the new completed span, out of an abundance of caution, motorists will remain in the current traffic configuration until a thorough evaluation by Tappan Zee Constructors is complete,” Driscoll said Saturday morning.

It’s unclear when the new eastbound span will open.

“The second span is finished and ready to open to traffic as soon as the Thruway Authority is assured there is no risk to the new span,” he added.

The discovery prompted the Coast Guard to close the navigational channel under the bridge and the traffic shift already underway was canceled late Friday.

Seriously, this is the guy running on his successes as an executive?

His only skill is moral degeneracy.

Tweet of the Day

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This is priority 1 of the power elite, to shame debtors, to humiliate debtors, to create a moral opprobrium against debt for the lower classes. Meanwhile the rich can use bankruptcy and strategic default all they want. https://t.co/Koi1BcaEqs

— David Dayen (@ddayen) September 12, 2018

Why some sensible people are getting to the point where they just want to see the world burn.

Capitalism increasingly resembles the fever dreams of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker.

Amazon is Evil, Part Many

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Amazon applied for a patent that would literally put its workers in cages.

Following a mild media sh%$ storm, they are now saying that this was, “A bad idea,” and that they would never do this.

Yeah, right:

No one ever said working at Amazon was a relaxed experience. The e-commerce giant is well known for its taxing workplace culture, but putting warehouse workers in cages seems a bit extreme, even for Amazon.

 But a patent, granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Amazon in 2016, would make that dystopian cubicle a reality. The patent shows a cage built for a human working in robot work zones, a small work station atop a robot trolley like the kind already used in Amazon warehouses to move shelving. The patent was highlighted in a study by two artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, New York University distinguished research professor Kate Crawford and director of the research lab Share Foundation Vladan Joler. In their analysis, Crawford and Joler noted “an extraordinary illustration of worker alienation, a stark moment in the relationship between humans and machines.”

 When the study was reported by news outlets including The Seattle Times, there was (predictable) blowback on social media. Amazon senior vice president of operations Dave Clark even weighed in on Twitter, explaining that even “bad” ideas are submitted for patents, and that the company has no plans to implement the cages.

Yeah, right.

They are saying, “Never,” but I am hearing, “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

Live in Obedient Fear, Citizen!

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In the ongoing corruption trials involving members of the Baltimore City police department, it has been revealed that Baltimore police officers routinely carry toy guns to plant on people when they shoot them:  (I missed this revelation when it came out 9 months ago)

Last week, the beginning of an explosive corruption trial involving eight members of Baltimore’s elite Gun Trace Task Force revealed that a handful of Baltimore cops allegedly kept fake guns in their patrol cars to plant on innocent people—a failsafe they could use if they happened to shoot an unarmed suspect, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Detective Maurice Ward, who’s already pleaded guilty to corruption charges, testified that he and his partners were told to carry the replicas and BB guns “in case we accidentally hit somebody or got into a shootout, so we could plant them.” The directive allegedly came from the team’s sergeant, Wayne Jenkins, the Washington Post reports. Though Ward didn’t say whether or not the tactic was ever used, Detective Marcus Taylor—another cop swept up in the scandal—was carrying a fake gun almost identical to his service weapon when he was arrested last year, according to the Sun. 

………

But the BB gun testimony is particularly disturbing in light of 12-year-old Tamir Rice’s death in 2014, the 13-year-old in Baltimore who was shot twice by cops in 2016 after he allegedly sprinted from them with a replica gun in his hand, and the 86 people fatally shot by police in 2015 and 2016 who were spotted carrying toy guns.

Think about that if you are ever on a jury, or a grand jury, investigating a shooting by a cop.