Political Theatre category archive
The Rule of Lawless 0
At the Portland Press Herald, Roger Smith thinks he may have caught a tell.
Whether or not he’s right about that (I just can’t bring myself to check it out for reasons that should be obvious), methinks he still makes a valid point
The Fifth Columnist, Reprise 0
Mary Trump, niece of Donald Trump and holder of a doctorate in clinical psychology, minces no words in discussing how Donald Trump and his Trumpettes treated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
My government has done many things that I have not agreed with during my lifetime–and many things that I have agreed with–but never before have I felt so ashamed of my country and the direction it has taken, thanks to Donald Trump and to those who thought him competent to lead.
The Fifth Columnist 0
In World War II, my father was in the Ardennes during the winter of 1944-45. He almost never spoke of his experiences there, but I am confident that he would agree with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Adriana E. Ramírez, who writes
Go read the rest.
The Agent of Chaos 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Kim Shinkoskey asks a question, then he answers it:
Follow the reasons for his answer.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Michael in Norfolk perceives a rhyme in the news. A snippet:
__________________
*Mark Twain.
The Wage Slave 0
PoliticalProf thinks he has a handle on the division of labor in our current federal (mal)administration.
Along those lines, the Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini imagines that Elon Musk emailed Donald Trump demanding that Trump justify his being on the federal payroll. Then he goes on to imagine just what Trump might write in reply. A nugget:
Monday: Played golf in Florida.
Tuesday: Played golf in Florida.
Now, he’s even more troubled, thinking that he needs to dress things up a little because he is the president, after all, and he actually did do a lot more than just play golf. So, moving on to the next day, he writes:
Wednesday: Played golf in Florida. But, BUT, I also spoke to a group where I slammed federal employees for not working in their offices and said, “All federal workers must once again show up to work. Show up to work in person like the rest of us. It doesn’t work when you don’t show up … They’re not working. They’re playing tennis, they’re playing golf …”
Vaccine Nation 0
Afterthought:
I had both kinds of measles when I was in elementary school. I can’t say they were terrible agony–certainly not any worse than the three cases of strep throat I had in my 20s–but they were not fun.
Why any sentient parents would choose to put their children at risk for that when it’s preventable is beyond me.
Doing so is cruel.
I do not think it an exaggeration to say that the anti-vax community promotes cruelty. Cruelty due to willful ignorance is still cruelty.
What’s in a Word? 0
Sometimes, not much. For example:
Ronald Greenberg argues that the word “conservative” no longer applies to today’s Republican Party. He finds aanother term more appropriate.
All the News that Fits 0
At The Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Bunch covers Donald Trump’s efforts to curtail freedom of the press, from banning the AP from Air Force One for not using the Trumpian term, “Gulf of America,” to threatening local news outlets with reprisals if they dare to (gasp!) report breaking news. In his article, Bunch points that this assault on the Constitution has been brewing for some time.
I commend the entire article to your attention.
The Rule of Lawless 0
Tom Moran finds a straw at which to grab.
Penny Dreadful 0
Mike and Farron argue that Trump’s edict that the Mint stop minting pennies is a misdirection play. Methinks they may be onto something. Trump is skillled at creating destruction distraction.
Afterthought:
“Smart” and “cunning” are not synonyms.
Trump is most certainly cunning.
Extra-Special Bonus QOTD 0
California State Sen. Scott Wiener, reacting to Donald Trump’s attempt to defund the Presidio Trust, which oversees the Presidio Park in San Francisco:
Trump . . . can’t tolerate success if it doesn’t benefit him personally.