Happy Birfday to Me! » « No Mercy for Pope Francis.

Drain the Swamp?

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© Marty Two Bulls.

Drain the swamp? No, more like fill it up with a fucktonne of sewage to drown and choke us all. I can almost work up the tiniest of sympathies for the dumbfucks who bought this rotten tripe, but I can’t quite bring it to fruition because I’m standing in the damn swamp thanks to them. Those of us out at Standing Rock are already facing the Swamp’s Police State, it will get to the rest of you quickly enough. Soon enough, anyone who speaks out will be branded an economic terrorist. None of that is “draining the swamp”, and neither is any of the following, which illustrate two things: this is no longer even a pretense of a “land of the free”, and Trump and his cronies have one thing on their mind: let’s get rich, fellas!. Oh, one other thing: all you fucking dumbfucks, you got played. Hard. You’re going to get royally screwed over too. On with this day’s reading – do your homework, people.

Trump registered 8 companies in Saudi Arabia during presidential campaign and it gets so much worse than that. Source one. Source two.

’20 million Trump voters’ will lose time and half overtime pay under GOP plan. Source one. Source two.

President-elect Trump reportedly asked foreign leader to approve permits for high-rise. Source.

Inside the GOP’s plans to raid the Treasury to enrich private companies. Source.

Who is Steven Mnuchin? Source.

Trump spokeswoman says Americans should ignore conflicts-of-interest, focus on Trump’s ‘sacrifice’. Source.

Trump’s plan to bring back overseas profits is a bonanza for wealthy shareholders. Source.

FEC: Trump campaign may have received $1.3 million in improper donations. Source.

Let’s take a look at what Republican lawmakers are focused on, shall we?

Texas lawmaker’s bill would force schools to out LGBT students to their parents. Source.

State environmental officials ask Trump to do less on the environment. Source.

Detroit school children have no fundamental right to literacy. Source.

Oh, one more thing:

White Lives Matter protest in Texas demands the ‘preservation’ of white people. Source.

Happy Birfday to Me! » « No Mercy for Pope Francis.

Comments

  1. says

    The rule for o overtime being paid more than regular time is not about ensuring that people get higher pay. It is a way to force employers to actually have enough staff to do the job and not overwork a a few people.
    When this gets repealed, expect (again) rise in unemployment.
    Working people who voted for Trump are simply idiots.

  2. says

    Charly:

    Working people who voted for Trump are simply idiots.

    Yes, they are. They wanted that metaphorical dog to kick so damn bad, “you’ll be able to kick those brown people in the teeth! You’ll be able to knock immigrants on their ass!”, they couldn’t take five fucking minutes out to pay attention to what was actually going on.

  3. AlexanderZ says

    I can almost work up the tiniest of sympathies for the dumbfucks who bought this rotten tripe, but I can’t quite bring it to fruition because I’m standing in the damn swamp thanks to them.

    Here’s a second reason: Not a single one of them would blame Trump’s ideology/worldview for their oncoming hardship. They’ll blame the left, and the harder they’ll be hit the harder they’ll hit anyone who isn’t a white cishet man.

  4. says

    Alexander:

    Here’s a second reason: Not a single one of them would blame Trump’s ideology/worldview for their oncoming hardship. They’ll blame the left, and the harder they’ll be hit the harder they’ll hit anyone who isn’t a white cishet man.

    That’s a fuckin’ fact.

  8. samihawkins says

    If we’re repositing links I here I listened to this driving into work the other day and found it just fascinating:

    http://www.npr.org/2016/11/18/502539411/trump-needs-a-people-on-his-cabinet-fund-manager-scaramucci-says

    It’s an interview with some wall street parasite on Trump’s transition team. The guy oozes sleaze with every word as he talks about how opening up the federal trough to him and the rest of his thieving ilk is in no way a betrayal of Trump’s campaign promises to stand up for the little guy against greedy elites.

    The best part is when he helpfully explains that while wall street types like him might deserve some of the blame for the financial crisis those homeowners who ‘overreached’ are equally responsible.

  10. Saad says

    What a Maroon, #9

    You read my mind.

    And thank you Charly too for saying it like it is. I’m so sick of so many people treating his voters like they acted innocently.

  11. rq says

    So much attention on Richard Spencer and I’m disgusted by the blase attitude taken in most articles. (Seriously, alt-right, difficult to define? Don’t make me puke.) Also, from the horse’s mouth:

    White identity, he said, is at the core of both the alt-right movement and the Trump movement, even if most voters for Trump “aren’t willing to articulate it as such.”

    Not racist, pfa.

  12. says

    rq:

    I’m disgusted by the blase attitude taken in most articles.

    I’ve been in a state of disbelief about that, a form of self defense, I think, because I don’t know how much more I can take. Oh, look, they put the hoods away, they aren’t carrying rope, and they aren’t setting anyone on fire, so it’s all good! FFS.

  13. rq says

    Then they cry out about the normalization of racism. “How did this happen? This is unacceptable, why are we accepting this?”
    It’s because you’re not calling the nazis nazis, you assholes. You’re giving them a legitimate platform, presenting them as legitimate proponents of a legitimate idea, and you’re not giving them nearly enough grief over being horrendous violence-loving bigots with a nasty, dangerous agenda.

    (Aside: The more I write the word ‘nazis’ the more confused I get, <a href="http://letonika.lv/groups/default.aspx?g=2&r=10621033&q=nazisit’s a language thing.)

  14. rq says

    Autocracy: Rules for Survival. In short:

    Rule #1: Believe the autocrat. He means what he says. Whenever you find yourself thinking, or hear others claiming, that he is exaggerating, that is our innate tendency to reach for a rationalization. […]
    Rule #2: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality. Consider the financial markets this week, which, having tanked overnight, rebounded following the Clinton and Obama speeches. Confronted with political volatility, the markets become suckers for calming rhetoric from authority figures. So do people. Panic can be neutralized by falsely reassuring words about how the world as we know it has not ended. […] [Note: First time I’ve heard Latvia mentioned as a pocket of normality in a turbulent world is here in this point. Huh.]
    Rule #3: Institutions will not save you. It took Putin a year to take over the Russian media and four years to dismantle its electoral system; the judiciary collapsed unnoticed. The capture of institutions in Turkey has been carried out even faster, by a man once celebrated as the democrat to lead Turkey into the EU. Poland has in less than a year undone half of a quarter century’s accomplishments in building a constitutional democracy. […]
    Rule #4: Be outraged. If you follow Rule #1 and believe what the autocrat-elect is saying, you will not be surprised. But in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock. This will lead people to call you unreasonable and hysterical, and to accuse you of overreacting. It is no fun to be the only hysterical person in the room. Prepare yourself. […]
    Rule #5: Don’t make compromises. […] This will be fruitless—damage cannot be minimized, much less reversed, when mobilization is the goal—but worse, it will be soul-destroying. In an autocracy, politics as the art of the possible is in fact utterly amoral. Those who argue for cooperation will make the case, much as President Obama did in his speech, that cooperation is essential for the future. They will be willfully ignoring the corrupting touch of autocracy, from which the future must be protected. […]
    Rule #6: Remember the future. Nothing lasts forever.

  16. rq says

    Not entirely applicable (yet?), but I got sidetracked into looking up a book I read a long, long time ago (Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler, if anyone’s interested) and came across this article on Orwell’s review: “For what am I fighting?”: George Orwell on Arthur Koestler’s “Darkness at Noon”. I was especially struck by this paragraph right at the beginning:

    Orwell used his review as an opportunity to chastise the left-wing press in Britain for their refusal to speak up; a powerful statement made two years after Kingsley Martin refused to publish his despatches from Spain, fearing they would appear critical of Stalin, and therefore socialism: “What was frightening about these trials was not that they happened – for obviously such things are necessary in a totalitarian society – but the eagerness of Western intellectuals to justify them.” [bolding mine]

    Reflects back on the discussion on normalizing bigotry going on in these parts over the past few days.

  18. Saad says

    California mosques receive letters threatening Trump-led genocide (photo of letter in link)

    The author addressed the letter “to the children of Satan” and called Muslims “a vile and filthy people.”

    “There’s a new sheriff in town,” the letter said, “President Donald Trump.”

    An anonymous group calling itself “Americans for a Better Way” has sent a letter to at least five California mosques, according to the Council for Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group. A sixth letter was sent to a mosque in Savannah, according to the group.

    “He’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews [sic],” the letter said. “You muslims [sic] would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge.”

  19. says

    Saad, yep, got that one, it’s here.

    I was relieved to read that most of the community stood up and stood by them, which is what I’d expect from San Jose. Lots of assholes there, but there’s always been a good core of decent, ethical people there.

  21. Saad says

    The mediocre businessman and rape fantasizer takes the next step toward fascism:

    Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag -- if they do, there must be consequences -- perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!

    And of course, the major media is continuing to still talk about him as a normal valid leader.

    I wonder what he has to do for those fucking cowards to finally do the right thing.

  22. says

    Saad:

    Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!

    Oh for, oh, fuck. This damned asshole thinks he can do whatever he wants, and if we aren’t careful, he’ll be able to. Jesus.

  23. sonofrojblake says

    Bill Hicks had the right idea. “My daddy died for that flag!” “Really? I got mine from K-Mart, cost me three bucks.” See also the Penn & Teller flag-burning routine…

  27. says

    Saad, yeah, I know. Posted about Exxon the other day, there’s a 500 billion dollar deal on the table with Russia.

    Aaaaand, just got a post up about Perry. He’s on the board of directors of ETP and Dakota Access. So sweet, isn’t it, the racket Trump has going? Fuck.

  30. rq says

    I think this put the nail in today’s coffin for me: Here’s a thought: Trump knows what he’s doing. Firstly, I categorically disagree with the title. But maybe that’s just me.
    Reading the article, though, just leads to more WTF. Especially the ‘daring outsider!’ portrayal of Trump-as-renegade-genius. Honestly, I think the author is so full of illusions as to what Trump and his cabinet signify, because they’re not just ‘different’ or ‘unusual’ or ‘blunt’ choices. The bigotry and fascism endemic to these people has been completely veneered to non-existence. Except it exists, of course.
    (This, on top of a local “socio-anthropologist” saying that what our political scene needs for revival is a “local Trump”. I bet he said those words without even considering what that would mean. I could agree with his point that we need less Soviet-thinking folk in office, but to go straight to ‘local Trump’? What is he, a symbol of some kind of political revolution? He’s just an asshole promoting hate and greed. How did he become this lone figure battering down the walls of the establishment? I’m so lost.)

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