TrumpReich in action

[Rach3]

”TDS? Our fam’ly yuse to call it Doo-doo Economicz. Now it goes by jest plain ol’ Wonder Woman White Bread.”[/b][/size]

LOL !!

[barney]

I come across TDS constantly on the right-wing sites Belle loves. There it stands for Tedious Donald Sycophancy.

[maestrob]

Joe, you're really good with finding cartoons! You made my morning! Again!

[jserraglio]

Immanentize the eschaton! His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called . . . El Hombre Donaldo.


Artist, KAL, Baltimore Sun, June 12, 2018.

[barney]

Great cartoon, Joseph. Really captures something.

[lennygoran]

Joe, you're really good with finding cartoons! You made my morning! Again!

Brian here's something I saw yesterday which is not the kind of cartoon I go for-the woman who stole Pelosi's computer saluting nazi style. Regards, Len

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/america ... zi-salute/

[maestrob]

Joe, you're really good with finding cartoons! You made my morning! Again!

Brian here's something I saw yesterday which is not the kind of cartoon I go for-the woman who stole Pelosi's computer saluting nazi style. Regards, Len

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/america ... zi-salute/

Good Lord!

Why am I not surprised?

I decided I couldn't watch the video, but read most of the article. The thing is, Len, although I'm obviously not Jewish, I still grew up in the aftermath of WWII and absorbed as a kid the horrors of the Nazi regime that were all over television at the time, so I'm extremely sensitive to information like this.

I remember as a young lad of perhaps 9 or 10, watching the Eichmann trial which was televised from Israel. I saw Adolf Eichmann, a small, weak-looking man, in a glass (probably bulletproof) box in the courtroom, looking like a little nothing, although he was responsible for so much horror. He had just been captured and brought to Israel for trial in 1960. Either I read about this, or saw it happen, but one of the witnesses against him broke down sobbing while testifying, as he realized that this puny human being, who had been so God-like in the death camps, was just another man.

Of course I don't need to go into details here, but these horrors are being promoted again by white supremacists here in the USA and, frighteningly, in Germany itself, where a resurgent radical right party has gained a foothold in their Parliament. The good news is that, since WWII, Germany's constitution has provisions where such parties can be challenged by the liberal majority and ruled illegal, thus removing them from having any political power. This is already happening now, and has happened IIRC three times since WWII already.

We have no such provisions here. Hate speech is much more strongly protected in the USA than it is in Western Europe, where swastikas cannot be displayed and media can be censored. Thus, we have Fox News here, but nothing like that in France or Germany, thanks to Reagan's repeal of the fairness doctrine in 1987, which led to the rise of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

Certainly, we have cause to worry, but these mad radicals are definitely in a now-shrinking minority, and we have two years to investigate a root them out of our government before the 2022 election.

In spite of all that's happened during the past four years, I still have faith in the goodness of the majority of the American people, even though that terrible chill in my spine and I have now signed a lease, with options for renewal in 2022 and 2024.

All good people must be vigilant and incessantly warn everyone we can about the possible danger that some Republicans represent to our republic.

That said, I was heartened by Liz Cheney's remarks yesterday to the press that Donald Trump should not have anything to do with the Republican party or its future. We should do everything we can to encourage other Republicans to turn against Trump. Sadly, we have become too complacent about our government, which has lead to the terrible cowardice in the majority of Republicans in Congress.

We must do whatever we can to stop Republicans from ever having the presidency or even gaining a majority in either the House or Senate until this insanity is rooted out and eliminated. The many investigations in Congress and the Justice Department, along with the FBI, are a good place to start that process.

Take a deep breath now, Len & Sue, because I still believe that the American Experiment will not fail, in spite of the best efforts of all the madness in our society right now.

But in the meantime, I am truly glad that we live where we do, and not in a Republican-controlled state.

Never forget.

[lennygoran]

All good people

Brian agree with everything you say-all good people made me think of trump-there were good people on all sides. I've heard about a rise of nazis in Germany, another unsettling phenomenon. Regards, Len

[Rach3]

Great timing by the Fascist Iowa GOP, right after the Florida and Colorado massacres:

Cedar Rapids Gazette, 3/23/21
" DES MOINES — Legislation that would eliminate a requirement that Iowans obtain a permit to acquire or carry handguns and loosen other state restrictions is headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk following Senate passage Monday on a 30-17 party-line vote.

Majority GOP senators said adopting permit-less “constitutional carry” provisions of House File 756 — like 18 other states — would enhance Iowans’ individual rights while removing intrusive government regulations. But Democrats said the proposed changes — if signed by the governor — would make Iowans less safe and run counter to public support for the current system of background checks and permitting requirements.

“This bill fundamentally changes the relationship between our state government and our citizens,” said Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, the bill’s floor manager. “Currently, whether we want to admit it or not, our system of permits is one of mistrust. That means you can exercise a fundamental right but you must prove yourself not guilty in advance.

“That is not how America is supposed to work and I’m not happy with the way our federal government is moving right now. But I know it’s not the way Iowa works and we’re going to deal with that now,” he told his Senate colleagues.

“After House File 756, the honest citizen is free from government intrusion in this aspect of their lives. Those who prove themselves not worthy through their own actions, however, will see their penalties increase. This is the proper role and work of government.”

Currently, to acquire and carry a handgun, an Iowan needs to get a permit from a county sheriff who runs a required federal background check on the individual and then issues a permit that lasts for five years if the applicant meets the criteria. After that, the individual who buys a handgun would be required to display a permit to carry if a law enforcement officer requests to see it.

Proponents said Iowans aged 21 and older who wish to have a permit will still be able to do so under a revamped optional system. Iowans buying a gun from a federally licensed dealer still would have to either pass a federal background check or present a permit to carry.

But firearms purchased from an unlicensed seller over the internet or at a gun show would not be subject to Iowa’s background check or permit requirements.

Critics said the measure would make it easy for felons, domestic abusers and those prohibited based on mental illness to buy handguns in Iowa. Republicans turned back an amendment seeking to maintain Iowa’s background-check requirement that Democrats said would maintain Iowa’s lower firearm homicide rates, lower firearm suicide rates and lower rates of firearm trafficking.

“We don’t need to make it easier for bad guys to get guns,” said Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids.

Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, said Republicans have “lost their way” in protecting Second Amendment rights by taking a direction counter to public opinion polls showing a large majority of Iowans support responsible gun regulations that include background checks.

Proponents contended the new approach actually would result in more background checks, as a permit to purchase or carry a handgun now is issued for five years.

Also, the bill includes language that private sellers may not transfer a firearm if they “know or reasonably should know that the other person is ineligible to possess dangerous weapons.” For a seller to do so would constitute a Class D felony carrying a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine up of to $7,500.

Other provisions would allow law officers to carry a weapon onto school grounds and would preempt local governments from imposing certain restrictions on authorized gun owners.

Reynolds’ office did not respond to a request for comment on HF 756, but Schultz recently told a radio audience that she is “excited” to sign it.


Reynolds refused to support permit-less carry in 2019. She called the background check for a permit to carry, which she had voted for as a state senator in 2010, “good policy and the right thing to do.”

After Monday’s Senate vote, the Iowa chapters of Moms Demand Action — a part of Everytown for Gun Safety — called on Reynolds to veto it.

“Proponents have misled the public about the real impact of this bill, and falsely claimed that it will increase background checks — in reality, the bill does nothing short of completely decimating our current background check laws,” said Traci Kennedy, a volunteer with Iowa Moms Demand Action.

Also Monday, senators voted 30-17 to approve House File 621, a separate measure that would prohibit individuals from suing firearm manufacturers and dealers for damages resulting from a third-party’s criminal or unlawful use of a firearm. Gunmakers still could be sued for breach of warranty, damage caused by a defective firearm and injunctive relief to enforce a law.

The bill would require courts to dismiss any claim with conclusive evidence that the action is groundless and award the defendant reasonable attorney costs.

Schultz said the immunity is needed to guard against frivolous suits.

“This is a good move to protect the Second Amendment rights by making sure that backdoor, gun-control, people-control gun prohibition schemes are not allowed to proliferate in Iowa,” he said."

[Rach3]

Great timing by the Fascist Iowa GOP, right after the Florida and Colorado massacres:

Cedar Rapids Gazette, 3/23/21
" DES MOINES — Legislation that would eliminate a requirement that Iowans obtain a permit to acquire or carry handguns and loosen other state restrictions is headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk following Senate passage Monday on a 30-17 party-line vote.

From "Men Yell At Me" newsletter today :

"On March 20, at the Van Horne (Iowa) Community Center, a low cement building with drop ceilings and squeaky folding chairs and the bland walls that defy all color, Iowa State Senator Dawn Driscoll (GOP ) sat and talked to her constituents. Driscoll represents Benton and Poweshiek counties.

Just four days after a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, Driscoll talked about gun laws that had just passed through the Legislature, allowing Iowans to buy handguns without a permit.

“If you don’t like it, then you need to move,” she said.

Two days later, 10 people were shot in a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.

If you don’t like it, move is a refrain I hear a lot in the emails and tweets that well up in my inbox and mentions, like a backup on a sewer main. And I always think, where am I supposed to go? What place is free of racism, of misogyny and hate? What place is truly safe and what place just lets me lie to myself for a little while.

If you don’t like it, move is a logical fallacy known as ergo decedo or the “traitorous critic.” As a subset of the ad hominem, it responds not to the criticism itself but to the critic, implying that they must be some sort of traitor to ask a question or request to have basic needs met. In this case, it’s the basic need not to die at the hands of men with guns.

It’s a logic that divides the world in two, mine v. yours—that imagines the rural landscape as a safe white monolith and cities as ethnically diverse centers of crime. It’s a logic of erasure and exclusion.

The reality is, rural communities have higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse than metropolitan communities. Several studies indicate that rural communities have equal if not higher instances of gun violence. Additionally, the 2010 National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect showed that children in rural communities are poorer and more likely to suffer from abuse and neglect..."

[maestrob]

But firearms purchased from an unlicensed seller over the internet or at a gun show would not be subject to Iowa’s background check or permit requirements.

Republican states don't have to secede. All they have to do is is lobby for "states' rights" and enact bizarre laws like this, even when they go against public opinion from their own constituents.

Never forget.

[Rach3]

IF you cant beat 'em, brainwash 'em, with public funds.From IPR tonight:

"In a vote that took place after midnight, the Iowa House passed a bill permitting public funding to support a wider range of charter schools across the state. Under the bill, authority to approve charter schools would go to the State Board of Education. School boards could apply to open a charter, as could ‘founding groups’ that could establish a school independent from the local district."

"Founding groups" = Far right-wing evangelical neo-Nazis.

[Belle]

IF you cant beat 'em, brainwash 'em, with public funds.From IPR tonight:

"In a vote that took place after midnight, the Iowa House passed a bill permitting public funding to support a wider range of charter schools across the state. Under the bill, authority to approve charter schools would go to the State Board of Education. School boards could apply to open a charter, as could ‘founding groups’ that could establish a school independent from the local district."

"Founding groups" = Far right-wing evangelical neo-Nazis.

It's so sad to read these invocations of the Third Reich, comparing it to modern America. It's not only a shocking insult to the millions of Jewish people who survived that horror and who were able to prosper afterwards, but it actually diminishes the real perversion which was that regime in its entirety.

The real thing which you fear, as far as I can tell, is that some people might be able to succeed and grow wealth starting with a system of schooling which isn't interested in the 'war on competence'. Only when everybody is brought to the lowest common denominator can those on the hard Left really feel 'good'. A perversion in itself and absolutely guaranteed to fail. Clue: people will always find ways to defeat a system which is designed to crush success and prosperity for a particular cohort.

Even Beethoven was a capitalist (capable of sharp practice when it suited him).

[jserraglio]

It's so sad to read these invocations of the Third Reich, comparing it to modern America.

ADL Antisemites Implicate Jews, Zionists in DC Violence https://www.adl.org/blog/antisemites-im ... c-violence

[Belle]

It's so sad to read these invocations of the Third Reich, comparing it to modern America.

ADL Antisemites Implicate Jews, Zionists in DC Violence https://www.adl.org/blog/antisemites-im ... c-violence

I feel sorry for you; being trapped in the US-centric world view and seemingly unaware of what is happening outside your own country (much less interested in same) has caused you to become narrow-minded, parochial, rigidly ideological and intolerant. And when criticized, like all good narcissists, you double down. Haven't you got some social engineering to be getting on with?

[jserraglio]

I feel sorry for you; being trapped in the US-centric world view and seemingly unaware of what is happening outside your own country ...

I thought you were focusing your vitriol on the US. Turns out you have taken the entire globe as the bailiwick for your grandiose pronouncements.

[Belle]

I feel sorry for you; being trapped in the US-centric world view and seemingly unaware of what is happening outside your own country ...

I thought you were focusing your vitriol on the US. Turns out you have taken the entire globe as the bailiwick for your grandiose pronouncements.

One person's grandiose is another person's informed and well read. But it would be grandiose if it didn't come directly from the New York Times or WAPO. They just wash, rinse, repeat.

Give me grandiose any day of the week. The thinking person's guilt complex of choice. Not that the analogy of the USA to the Third Reich has anything to do with 'the globe'. Or anything. Clue: Germany is in Europe. And the analogy is Paranoia 101. Try some wide reading; it's great for removing those rusted-on prejudices and isn't really a safe refuge after all.

[jserraglio]

Give me grandiose any day of the week.

’Tis a gift that’ll keep on giving.

[Rach3]

Trump's goons still at it:


From Accounting Today. 3/25/21

The Social Security Administration transmitted the necessary information Thursday to the Internal Revenue Service so it can begin sending Economic Impact Payments to nearly 30 million beneficiaries after an ultimatum from Congress.

On Wednesday afternoon, a group of Democrats on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee had complained about the slowdown in sending payments to retirees and others who depend on benefits in a letter to SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul, giving him 24 hours to send the information. On Monday, several Democratic leaders on the committee had written to the IRS Commissioner and the SSA about the delays in payments to Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement Board, and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries (see story). The IRS informed them that the problem was that the SSA hadn’t sent over the information.

“We are aware that the IRS asked SSA to start sending payment files two weeks before the American Rescue Plan became law on March 11, 2021,” wrote Ways and Means Committee chairman, Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Bill Pascrell, Jr. D-New Jersey, and Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis, D-Illinois. “As of today, SSA still has not provided the IRS with the payment files that are needed to issue EIPs to these struggling Americans. We demand that you immediately provide the IRS with this information by tomorrow, March 25, 2021.”


Solomon responded within the 24-hour allotment, and the lawmakers applauded the move. “The Social Security Administration has notified us that at 8:48 this morning, the agency has transmitted the necessary payment files to the IRS that have been blocking the sending of stimulus payments to nearly 30,000,000 Americans,” said Neal, Pascrell, Davis and Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, in a joint statement Thursday. “We are gratified that the SSA leadership finally recognized the urgency of the moment and acted swiftly on our ultimatum. None of this would be possible without the hard work of SSA’s dedicated public servants and leadership from the White House. The landmark American Rescue Plan was enacted by Congress and signed by President Biden to provide relief to Americans struggling to survive the pandemic. The delays imposed by Commissioner Saul defied congressional intent and imposed needless anxiety and pain on taxpayers. Now the IRS needs to do its job and get these overdue payments out to suffering Americans. Further delays will not be tolerated by this Committee.”


Saul and his deputy administrator have come under fire from some Democrats as a holdover from the Trump administration who has been undermining Social Security benefits. “As agents of the Trump Social Security agenda, they cut the benefits that hardworking Americans have earned, attacked the Social Security Administration’s employees, denied beneficiaries due process, and needlessly increased disability reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in a statement last week. “No one has been safe from their path of destruction.”The employee union at the Social Security Administration is also upset at Saul for ending a popular telework program during the pandemic, failing to communicate to the union about return-to-work plans, and denying leave for employees during a hurricane last fall.

The IRS has been prompt about sending out millions of stimulus payments since President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law this month. According to the latest report from the IRS, approximately 127 million stimulus payments worth about $325 billion have gone out (see story). Many of the initial payments were transmitted by direct deposit last week based on taxpayers’ previous tax filings, and the IRS began mailing out a second batch of payments via check and debit card. But the IRS has lacked information on many retirees and beneficiaries of social safety net programs like disability insurance who often earn so little money that they don’t file a tax return. Last year, it set up a non-filers tool on IRS.gov where people could enter such information, but so far it hasn't been revived this year.

Michael Cohn Editor-In-Chief, AccountingToday.com

[maestrob]

Now I understand why our stimulus money was deposited yesterday. We had to wait for our other payments to be sent by check under the Trump administration, all because DJT wanted checks with his signature on them mailed. Talk about a narcissist!

Never forget.

[Rach3]

Did not the Nazis send gays to the camps even if not Jewish ? Any doubt what they would have done , or did do, with transgenders ?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/us/tenne ... index.html

Missouri GOP refuses to follow a voter - approved amendment to State Constitution expanding Medicare.Didn’t the Nazis also send poor people to the camps even if not Jews ?

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 70945.html

[Rach3]

Missouri GOP refuses to follow a voter - approved amendment to State Constitution expanding Medicare.Didn’t the Nazis also send poor people to the camps even if not Jews ?

From the Kansas City Star:


"... The fact that Republicans want to do so is extraordinarily enlightening, and frightening. They’re turning down billions of federal dollars. They’re ignoring voters. They’re violating the state constitution. Why?
Because they hate the poor. There can be no other explanation. That hatred is so intense, it overrides greed, political ambition, even respect for the law. Far too many GOP lawmakers don’t want this to be a state where even one poor Missourian gets treated for a cough or a broken finger.

“To the people of Missouri who did the work to get their neighbors healthcare, you deserve so much better than being told your voice doesn’t matter,” state Rep. Betsy Fogle tweeted after the vote.

To that, we would add: Missourians deserve representatives who understand the law, and have some feeling for other human beings..."

https://www.kansascity.com/article250209005.html

[Belle]

Now I understand why our stimulus money was deposited yesterday. We had to wait for our other payments to be sent by check under the Trump administration, all because DJT wanted checks with his signature on them mailed. Talk about a narcissist!

Never forget.

You are waiting for a government hand-out so give thanks when you get it, no matter whose name those checks bear.

[Belle]

Missouri GOP refuses to follow a voter - approved amendment to State Constitution expanding Medicare.Didn’t the Nazis also send poor people to the camps even if not Jews ?

From the Kansas City Star:


"... The fact that Republicans want to do so is extraordinarily enlightening, and frightening. They’re turning down billions of federal dollars. They’re ignoring voters. They’re violating the state constitution. Why?
Because they hate the poor. There can be no other explanation. That hatred is so intense, it overrides greed, political ambition, even respect for the law. Far too many GOP lawmakers don’t want this to be a state where even one poor Missourian gets treated for a cough or a broken finger.

“To the people of Missouri who did the work to get their neighbors healthcare, you deserve so much better than being told your voice doesn’t matter,” state Rep. Betsy Fogle tweeted after the vote.

To that, we would add: Missourians deserve representatives who understand the law, and have some feeling for other human beings..."

https://www.kansascity.com/article250209005.html

It was the Lefty George Orwell who wrote in the 1930s, "the bourgeois Left hates the rich and dislikes the poor". Couldn't be more true today. That man was a prescient genius.

[Belle]

Talk about viciousness, moral panic and paranoia in these comments about TrumpReich!!

Today I was at my Physiotherapist complaining about the state of my knees and politics in general. He is from Canada and is superbly intelligent and competent. He talked about Woke-ism and the horrendous rise of Cultural Marxism - all brought to us courtesy of the Left.

He held up his hand, fingers splayed: "I have the 5 most vile characteristics it's possible to have in this 'brave new world' - Christian, White, Conservative, Male and Heterosexual. The complete catastrophe. He runs his own physical therapy business and employs a few staff, having started that business about 5 years ago. I said to him, "I'll bet your world view has changed considerably since you started this business: superannuation, staff welfare, utility costs, taxation, sick and annual leave, equipment and capital costs, maintenance, competence and customer satisfaction".

"Yes", he smiled, "It certainly has". I asked him did he know about the "Instant Asset Write-off grant from the Federal government".

"Sure do", he said.

Yes, some peoples' thinking is a world away from the gimme gimme mentality. This latter world view will last only until the money runs our or we all face a war - then it's game over.
Meanwhile, my Physiotherapist will continue in business long after civil servants have been fired. He should have added a 6th undesirable characteristic, had he enough fingers on that hand: successful.

[Belle]

Did not the Nazis send gays to the camps even if not Jewish ? Any doubt what they would have done , or did do, with transgenders ?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/us/tenne ... index.html

Missouri GOP refuses to follow a voter - approved amendment to State Constitution expanding Medicare.Didn’t the Nazis also send poor people to the camps even if not Jews ?

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 70945.html

I'm sure; just be very thankful you don't live in the National Socialist Reich but in relatively free America. I should think, the way it's going, it will be socialist soon anyway. You just have to keep printing money and that way you can import millions more illegals.

Magic!! "Look mummy; no hands!!"

[jserraglio]

“You are waiting for a government hand-out, so give thanks when you get it . . .”

[maestrob]

Did not the Nazis send gays to the camps even if not Jewish ? Any doubt what they would have done , or did do, with transgenders ?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/us/tenne ... index.html

Missouri GOP refuses to follow a voter - approved amendment to State Constitution expanding Medicare.Didn’t the Nazis also send poor people to the camps even if not Jews ?

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 70945.html

From your second link above:

“Rural Missouri said no,” said Rep. Sara Walsh, of Ashland. “I don’t believe it is the will of the people to bankrupt our state.”While urban areas dominated in support for the expansion, it would not have passed without the one in three rural voters who supported the measure.

This is called "The tyranny of the minority." People will die in Missouri because of this decision, which is quite plainly blocking the will of the majority of the voters in that state. Republicans no longer accept democracy in the United States, and now, in their arrogance, wish to impose their minority views on the majority of voters by any means possible. Unfortunately, this has been true for some time.

[Rach3]

You are waiting for a government hand-out so give thanks when you get it, no matter whose name those checks bear.

No, just trying to stop those neo-Fascists in our Right from killing people thru denial of science and inadequate health care availability, disenfranchising people, giving disproportionate tax cuts and disproportionate Federal Reserve " hand outs " and bail-outs, destroying the environment, denying climate change, ignoring infrastructure needs,advocating open carry of AR-15's, and embracing or turning a blind eye to racism,misogyny,xenophobia and homophobia.

That Right's "gimme, gimme mentality" complaint and " big government" complaint, are just pablum for its followers, reminiscent of Hitlers' 30's MGGA rants to the German people that others were to blame for Germany's problems , and also reflected today in the GOP's " election fraud " scam laws. What the pablum really means : We,the chosen ones, get ours first , and we alone will decide who gets what, when,how much, whether some get nothing at all, too bad if not enough left to go around and everyone else suffers, we aren't sharing because we're actually entitled to it all.

I'm not aware of the US Treasury having a problem with voters offering to turn down Medicare,Social Security in return for those payroll taxes not being taken from their paychecks, nor State governments receiving voters' offers to fund State roads if their State taxes are reduced, but am aware of GOP efforts to authorize public tax funds be used for private schools who are prohibited from using the 1619 Project and from conducting "diversity training".

[Rach3]

A whiff of Dr.Mengele ?

"Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed legislation on Friday that will allow doctors to turn away some patients due to religious or moral objections.

Why it matters: It's a move opponents say will enable service providers to discriminate against patients, including LGBTQ people and others, AP writes.


Details: The provision, which won't take effect until this summer, gives providers "the right to not participate in non-emergency treatments that violate their conscience." It also claims to prohibit discrimination, per AP.

Refusal laws, often called “conscience” laws, are also deemed "dangerous" for women, per NARAL. Such measures "permit a broad range of individuals and institutions—including hospitals, health-care providers, pharmacists, employers, and insurers— to refuse to provide, pay, counsel, or even refer for medical treatment."

The new law is likely to face a challenge in court.

Worth noting: The Trump administration issued a similar rule in May 2019, allowing health care workers to refuse to provide operations like abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide, according to NPR.

A federal judge struck the rule down before it took effect, per CNBC.

What they're saying: "I support this right of conscience so long as emergency care is exempted and conscience objection cannot be used to deny general health service to any class of people," Hutchinson said in a statement.

Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David said: “Governor Hutchinson is proving himself to be a cruel opponent of equality by signing this draconian medical refusal bill,” per a Friday afternoon statement.

HRC cited a number of scenarios in which a medical worker's refusal to provide non-emergency treatment could cause serious harm, such as:

Pharmacies refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control and antiretrovirals to treat HIV infection.

A doctor refusing to maintain hormone treatments for a trans patient who needed inpatient care for an infection.

The big picture: LGBTQ people already face discrimination in health care and are often likely to skip routine care, per the Center for American Progress.

It comes as part of a series of measures aimed at transgender people, many of which flew through the state's Republican-led legislature this year.

Hutchinson on Thursday signed into law a measure to bar trans women and girls from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/arkansas-gov ... 29183.html

[maestrob]

So, whatever happened to the part of the Hippocratic oath that says, "Do no harm?"

I predict many, many challenges to this law, along with many, many malpractice lawsuits.

Never forget.

[Belle]

I'm really super impressed - as are most Australians and, I suspect, the rest of the world - that Biden has been 120 years in the Senate and still looks so good!! He admitted that during his press conference. This will be him in a year of so (not George Clooney):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz-mpgYNUW8

(Never forget? Tell that to President Biden.)

And what has the Left got to say about this endless humiliation and ongoing trainwreck?

Ooh-ee, Ooh-a-a, ting-tang, walla-walla wing-bang.

[jserraglio]

I'm really super impressed - as are most Australians and, I suspect, the rest of the world - that Biden has been 120 years in the Senate and still looks so good!! He admitted that during his press conference.

I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.

[jserraglio]

Ooh-ee, Ooh-a-a, ting-tang, walla-walla wing-bang.

Ooh-ee, Ooh-a-a, ting-tang, walla-walla cha-ching-bang.

[barney]

I'm really super impressed - as are most Australians and, I suspect, the rest of the world - that Biden has been 120 years in the Senate and still looks so good!! He admitted that during his press conference. This will be him in a year of so (not George Clooney):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz-mpgYNUW8

(Never forget? Tell that to President Biden.)

And what has the Left got to say about this endless humiliation and ongoing trainwreck?

Ooh-ee, Ooh-a-a, ting-tang, walla-walla wing-bang.

Trainwreck? How so?
He seems to me to be doing a pretty good job, in acting against the pandemic, in getting the economy moving, and not bellowing rage and bigotry on a daily basis like his predecessor. Who's being humiliated? What's enraging you, Belle? Is it money going to people who don't already have lots, unlike you?

[jserraglio]

Who's being humiliated? What's enraging you, Belle? Is it money going to people who don't already have lots, unlike you?

Ridiculing Biden’s age is purely pretextual. Realpolitik being the ultimate aphrodisiac, preference goes to l'uomo virile—i.e., the Trump type.

[maestrob]

Who's being humiliated? What's enraging you, Belle? Is it money going to people who don't already have lots, unlike you?

Ridiculing Biden’s age is purely pretextual. Realpolitik being the ultimate aphrodisiac, preference goes to l'uomo virile—i.e., the Trump type.

The angriest person in the room is inevitably the one who is on the losing side of the argument, IMHO.

[jserraglio]

The angriest person in the room is inevitably the one who is on the losing side of the argument, IMHO.

Everybody knows that Biden is senile, Trump had 7 million votes stolen from him in Ga. Az., Pa. Mich. Wisc. and Minn. The rest of the world’s problems are caused by narrow reading habits, epic hypocrisy, or both.

[maestrob]

The angriest person in the room is inevitably the one who is on the losing side of the argument, IMHO.

Everybody knows that Biden is senile, Trump had 7 million votes stolen from him in Ga. Az., Pa. Mich. Wisc. and Minn. The rest of the world’s problems are caused by narrow reading habits, epic hypocrisy, or both.

Goodness, Joe, have you been watching Tucker again? Old habits die hard, I guess.

[jserraglio]

Goodness, Joe, have you been watching Tucker again?

With respect sir, you need to tube more widely.

[maestrob]

Goodness, Joe, have you been watching Tucker again?

With respect sir, you need to tube more widely.

No thanks! I get nauseous just listening to him and others on the extreme Right with their bizarre, hostile and very dangerous propaganda.

Bill O'Reilly made my skin crawl as well, even when he interviewed Obama. I intentionally refuse to waste my time with any of them. Life is too short to raise my blood pressure and heartrate with any of their hostility to reality.

When Crossfire was a "thing" on CNN two decades ago, I used to watch and observe Carlson's antics, along with Robert Novak, who at least had the courage to denounce the coming Iraq War. In fact, I even had an email I sent in read by Carlson on the air. Still, when Jon Stewart went on the show to promote his book (as outlined below), the following incident happened. Stewart was absolutely correct, of course.

Fox news, with their insanity, has done whatever they could to undermine reality and attack democracy in America, being slowed down only by the current lawsuits by Dominion.

In Japan, France, Germany, Australia, and other countries this could not happen. We MUST regulate our media in some way by reinventing the Fairness Doctrine, which has saved these countries from the turmoil that is currently happening here.

Here's the description of Stewart's appearance on Crossfire that ended up persuading CNN to cancel the show:

On October 15, 2004, Jon Stewart, then host of The Daily Show, appeared on the program to promote his book America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. He used his appearance on the show to raise criticisms of the format of Crossfire and the style of arguments presented on the show. He said the program failed its responsibility to the public discourse and indulged in partisan hackery, reducing news coverage of important issues to a series of talking points from both extremes of the political spectrum: "It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."[6][7]

Carlson countered Stewart's criticisms by reading examples of questions Stewart had asked of then-presidential candidate John Kerry during his recent interview on The Daily Show, such as, "How are you holding up?" and "Have you ever flip-flopped?" Stewart argued that unlike Carlson and (Paul) Begala he was a comedian, not a journalist, and therefore it was not his role to conduct hard-hitting interviews. Begala defended the show on the basis that it was intended as a forum for debate, to which Stewart responded that calling Crossfire a debate show was "like saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic competition."[8] During the exchange, Carlson told Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion," to which Stewart replied, "You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."[9]

Needless to say, the exchange went viral, and is now part of media history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfire ... l%20Press.

[Belle]

The angriest person in the room is inevitably the one who is on the losing side of the argument, IMHO.

Everybody knows that Biden is senile, Trump had 7 million votes stolen from him in Ga. Az., Pa. Mich. Wisc. and Minn. The rest of the world’s problems are caused by narrow reading habits, epic hypocrisy, or both.

Absolutely; wide reading essential and I never see any evidence on it here at all!!

The fact that you admit Biden is senile is a shocking indictment of your own views and willingness to sacrifice an old man, the concomitant loss of his dignity and the complicity of his (call me 'doctor) wife shows just how low the US has descended into the mire. You are no better than your adversaries and the world knows it.

If you wanted Ms. Harris you should have put her up as President instead of the cryto-moderate administration which is the present facade.

In any case it won't matter because you'll get the GOP again in 2024; take that to the bank. Trump was a consequence of the swamp and not the cause of it. Failure to understand that doesn't surprise at all.

Maestrob: "angriest" is easily detected through the use of language: invective, viciousness, resentment, tropes on *specific political topics like race and class, and the flaying of popularized targets (note: this should not be confused with 'popular'). Oh and tone; don't forget tone. The reason the Left hates Fox is simple: it presents an alternate narrative to the slavish narratives which emanate from CNN et al.

*the rich, Fox News, charter schools, white supremacists, any GOP politician ... ad nauseum

(One of the benefits of holding a Masters Degree in English is that you're able to EASILY work out how language works and the purpose, audience and ideology behind it: ridiculously easy!)

[barney]

(One of the benefits of holding a Masters Degree in English is that you're able to EASILY work out how language works and the purpose, audience and ideology behind it: ridiculously easy!)

Someone with a Masters degree in English should not split infinitives unless it improves the sentence. This former grammatical principle may be old-fashioned, but you constantly approve old-fashioned values. The EASILY should go before able.

The other thing someone with a Masters degree in English should be able to do is detect irony. Joseph clearly doesn't believe Biden is senile or that Trump had seven million votes stolen.

D minus for that double blunder.

[Belle]

(One of the benefits of holding a Masters Degree in English is that you're able to EASILY work out how language works and the purpose, audience and ideology behind it: ridiculously easy!)

Someone with a Masters degree in English should not split infinitives unless it improves the sentence. This former grammatical principle may be old-fashioned, but you constantly approve old-fashioned values. The EASILY should go before able.

The other thing someone with a Masters degree in English should be able to do is detect irony. Joseph clearly doesn't believe Biden is senile or that Trump had seven million votes stolen.

D minus for that double blunder.

There is much more to English than split infinitives as there is in politics with Donald Trump. (You can blame declining educational standards for my illiteracy, as I was busy being taught postmodernism.)

Nobody believes the 'stolen' story - nor did they when Mrs. Clinton uttered the same shrill cry, with attendant conspiracy theories, in 2016. The Left started this and they have the industrial strength hypocrisy to complain when Trump did this same thing. Self-awareness surplus to requirement.

Sad when somebody cannot detect or recognize senility, but think about it; there is actually a cost benefit to that. One day you won't know when you're losing your own cognitive ability. Or when your spouse has lost his/hers. After "120 years in the Senate", you'd expect the US President to automatically have senility, which he has amply demonstrated. As I said before, 'elder abuse'. The First Lady (call me 'doctor') is right in the frame on this too. Why didn't you take President Biden's advice during the election, when he was "not asking you to vote for me" because he was "running for the Senate".

We all know he isn't running the government anyway.

Yes, sadly my values are 'old fashioned'. I could go on, but it would only be a blast from the past, and many won't know what I'm talking about anyway.

[jserraglio]

Absolutely; wide reading [is] essential . . . .

One of the benefits of holding a Masters Degree in English is that you're able to EASILY work out how language works . . . .

With respect sir, you need to do much wider reading - particularly on the subject of sub-Saharan African famines and wars.

Try some wide reading; it's great for removing those rusted-on prejudices . . .

Get that wider reading up to speed!!!

[barney]

Yes, sadly my values are 'old fashioned'. I could go on, but it would only be a blast from the past, and many won't know what I'm talking about anyway.

I think most of us here are of a certain age and know very well what you are talking about.

[Rach3]

You cant fix stupid, but the typical Trumpist emphasis on " me,myself and mine" as THE definition of " freedom" endangers everyone else and may prevent herd immunity, especially with uncertainty as to length of time vaccines are effective, asymptomatic spread even by fully vaccinated, and proliferation of variants.From Axios Des Moines today:

"Polk County Republican Party Chairwoman Gloria Mazza, who recovered from COVID and had a friend who died from it, doesn't plan to push for vaccinations among her group, arguing that peoples' concerns about potential unknown consequences must be respected.

"I'm not a rebel by any means. I know this stuff is real. I've lived it, but I also believe strongly in personal choice," she told Jason."

[maestrob]

You cant fix stupid, but the typical Trumpist emphasis on " me,myself and mine" as THE definition of " freedom" endangers everyone else and may prevent herd immunity, especially with uncertainty as to length of time vaccines are effective, asymptomatic spread even by fully vaccinated, and proliferation of variants.From Axios Des Moines today:

"Polk County Republican Party Chairwoman Gloria Mazza, who recovered from COVID and had a friend who died from it, doesn't plan to push for vaccinations among her group, arguing that peoples' concerns about potential unknown consequences must be respected.

"I'm not a rebel by any means. I know this stuff is real. I've lived it, but I also believe strongly in personal choice," she told Jason."

Grotesque.

[maestrob]

The angriest person in the room is inevitably the one who is on the losing side of the argument, IMHO.

Everybody knows that Biden is senile, Trump had 7 million votes stolen from him in Ga. Az., Pa. Mich. Wisc. and Minn. The rest of the world’s problems are caused by narrow reading habits, epic hypocrisy, or both.

Absolutely; wide reading essential and I never see any evidence on it here at all!!

The fact that you admit Biden is senile is a shocking indictment of your own views and willingness to sacrifice an old man, the concomitant loss of his dignity and the complicity of his (call me 'doctor) wife shows just how low the US has descended into the mire. You are no better than your adversaries and the world knows it.

If you wanted Ms. Harris you should have put her up as President instead of the cryto-moderate administration which is the present facade.

In any case it won't matter because you'll get the GOP again in 2024; take that to the bank. Trump was a consequence of the swamp and not the cause of it. Failure to understand that doesn't surprise at all.

Maestrob: "angriest" is easily detected through the use of language: invective, viciousness, resentment, tropes on *specific political topics like race and class, and the flaying of popularized targets (note: this should not be confused with 'popular'). Oh and tone; don't forget tone. The reason the Left hates Fox is simple: it presents an alternate narrative to the slavish narratives which emanate from CNN et al.

*the rich, Fox News, charter schools, white supremacists, any GOP politician ... ad nauseum

(One of the benefits of holding a Masters Degree in English is that you're able to EASILY work out how language works and the purpose, audience and ideology behind it: ridiculously easy!)

So many words, so little meaning.

"Lost in Space" was a very funny and popular TV show here in the 1960's. Your bizarre and meaningless rant above is surely emanating from one of those equally odd transmissions.

[jserraglio]

You are no better than your adversaries and the world knows it.

Quillette addiction? Spiked drinking water? Petersonism?