June, 2018 archive
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
Thom talks with Greg Palast about Palast’s efforts to expose the workings of the “voter purge” scam.
America’s Gulags 0
Farron explains how Donald Trump’s claim to be ending the practice of ripping children from their families is con and sham.
In related news (follow the link for details):
The stench of vile is sick-making.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Getting playful with his portable penis . . . .
His girlfriend, Mary Neace, 28, was seriously injured when she was shot in the torso. The trigger was pulled during what police had described as “amorous role-playing.”
The grand jury didn’t buy the playful part.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. More bullets than brains.
Dehuman Race, Base Desires Dept. 0
At the San Francisco Chronicle, Michael O’Hare summarizes what he sees as the rationale for Trumpling refugees and immigrants and identifies three elements to the strategy. He starts by pointing out that many, if not most, of the persons being Trumpled are fleeing violence, gang warfare, and tyranny in their home countries.
Here’s an excerpt; follow the link for the expanded version and his prediction as to what to expect next (emphasis added):
First, characterize these refugees (and actually all immigrants) against all the facts as dangerous criminals.
Second, make it known to refugees from the hellholes south of Mexico that they will be so abused should they reach the United States (here’s where breaking up the families was just the ticket), that that fear, added to the cost and hazards of the journey itself, will make them stay home and be killed quietly.
Third, turn refugees away from the ports of entry where they can apply for refugee status, and seize the kids when mom and dad commit the misdemeanor of walking across wherever they can and trying to apply at a U.S. Border Patrol station. This is just catnip for the fearful, vengeful core of Trump’s political base and only draws the meekest diffidence from a few congressional Republicans.
Tales of the Comeyuppance 0
Shaun Mullen takes a look at what was missing from the report by the Inspector General of the Justice Department regarding James Comey’s “But the emails” moment.
As is usual with Shaun’s reports, it probes deeply into detail and nuance; I’m not going to try to excerpt of summarize it. Just read it.
The Slosh of the Slush 0
Mike discusses New York state’s lawsuit alleging that the Trump Foundation was for all practical purposes a slush fund used for various illegal purposes, including Trump’s political campaign. He is skeptical that the suit will do anything to erode Trump’s support among what Bob Cesca refers to as “the Red Hats.”
Warning: Language.
Narcissus Now 0
Bill Eddy offers a field guide to narcissists. Here’s a bit; follow the link for the rest (emphasis added).
This reminds me of someone . . . .
Picture This 0
Donald Trump’s “Again”:
Image via Job’s Anger.
Precedential Lingo 0
In line of the theme of dehumanization that I mentioned yesterday, David Pakman finds that Donald Trump’s language has precedent. And it’s not pretty.
Dehuman Race (Updated) 1
Although Donald Trump has backed away from his policy of ripping immigrant families apart, the impulses that led to it are no doubt still there. At Psychology Today Blogs, Paul Thagard explores one of them: Dehumanization. Only by thinking immigrants less than human can some justify separating children from their parents.
And, really, you don’t have to read many comments from the supporters of Donald Trump’s actions towards immigrants to see dehumanization in full force.
Here’s a bit of his piece:
The transferred emotions include disgust, fear, hatred, and anger. These form a hideous package that can be used to inspire and justify extreme measures against despised groups, ranging from separating children from their parents to slavery to gassing. Dehumanizing groups of people produces a kind of emotional Gestalt shift, replacing the respect and compassion that normally go with recognizing people as human, with a different emotional package that applies to threatening subhuman species. Propaganda campaigns were used by the Nazis, Hutus, and other aggressive parties to bring about this kind of emotional shift.
Addendum, Later That Evening:
Noz passes along Josh Marshall’s suggestion that there’s more to this than meets the eye. Even though subtlety is not generally a Trump quality, it is worth noting that the architect of the ripping families apart was Steven Miller.
(Misconfigured link fixed.)
