DANIEL SNYDER IS A REAL DICK!!
The news the other day that the Washington Redskins had claimed NFL player Rueben Foster off of waivers is just the latest in a series of idiotic gaffes and blatantly insensitive behavior demonstrated by the team and its owner, Daniel Snyder. The Washington Redskins claimed former 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers, the team announced Tuesday, just two days after Foster was released by San Francisco following a weekend arrest on a domestic violence charge. The 2017 first-round pick was arrested at the team hotel in Tampa on Saturday night, and the 49ers released him the next day. Tampa police said a 28-year-old female victim, later reported to be his girlfriend, said Foster “slapped her phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face.” It was the third time this year that Foster, 24, had been charged with a crime. He was arrested in January in Alabama for marijuana possession; the charges were later dropped because he was considered a first-time offender. In April, he was charged with felonies for domestic violence, making criminal threats and assault weapon possession after his girlfriend said he struck her in February. She later recanted the allegation, and the domestic violence charge was dropped. In June, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon and was given two years of probation, a 50-day work sentence and a $235 fine. The NFL suspended him for the first two games this season for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies. He also was sent home from the NFL scouting combine in 2017 after an argument with a worker at an Indianapolis hospital. A person with knowledge of the NFL’s waiver system said the Redskins were the only team to make a claim on Foster As you can see, Foster is an absolute poster child for the new NFL!! Ray Rice would be proud indeed!!! Aside from this politically insensitive move, the Redskins and Snyder have been involved in both sexist and racially divisive behavior involving the team’s cheerleaders and also the name of the team itself, the REDSKINS. The cheerleaders were offered up as “red meat” a Times story detailed a 2013 trip the Washington cheerleaders took to Costa Rica for a calendar photo shoot, during which the women posed topless or in body paint while team sponsors and suite holders – all men, of course – gawked. And the team name, Redskins, has been a subject of controversy for many years with Native Americans. Snyder has been pressured to change the team's name by various fans, politicians, and advocacy groups because the word redskin is a derogatory term for Native Americans. In May 2013, in response to a question regarding the teams' Federal Trademark, Snyder told USA Today "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER—you can use caps. I’m sure that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cringes every time he hears Snyder’s name mentioned. Daniel Snyder is an embarrassment, the worst owner in the NFL. The Redskins themselves haven’t been relevant as a competitive entity in as long as I can remember, so even the Al Davis mantra of “just win, Baby!” doesn’t even hold water in describing the actions of this man and his management team. In a league where ownership is a true “Billionaires Boys Club”, apparently abhorrent behavior is allowable as long as you have enough cash. All I can say is Washington deserves better than this. Or maybe they don’t, come to think about it!!!! Until next time……..
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WEEKEND UPDATE
CFB Alabama-Tide just keep on rollin along on their way to a national championship showdown with either Clemson or Notre Dame, whether they beat Georgia in the SEC championship game or not (I believe they win in Atlanta on Saturday over the Dawgs). University of Kentucky-as expected, mauled a hapless Louisville team 56-10 to finish their best campaign since 1977 with nine victories, finishing up at 9-3. They should be in line for a major bowl bid. The losses to Georgia and Texas A&M could be expected; the only real blemish was the Tennessee loss. I have to take my hat off to Mark Stoops-after ragging on him for two years about mediocrity, he has finally taken UK football to the next level-now only one more to go to REALLY compete in the SEC against the Georgia’s, Alabama’s, LSU’s and Texas A&M’s….. University of Louisville-I have a female friend who is a RAPID Card fan-I saw her for the first time in a while the other day and her first comment was “I’m glad that’s over!!!” I’m sure every other Louisville fan is, too, after a disastrous 2-10 record and beat downs nearly every week, with most off their opponents racking up 50 or more points while romping up and down the field on a “D” that was simply non existent. Now the search is on for a replacement for the unceramoniously deposed, and while the popular choice on the U of L wish list is Jeff Brohm of Purdue, I don’t see it happening. I know he has family here, but he loves Purdue and has the #3 ranked recruiting class coming in-WHY would he come to the dumpster that is Louisville football right now? NFL Cincinnati Bengals-Not only found another way to lose in getting mauled by the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield 35-20, they lost Andy Dalton for the rest of the year to a thumb injury. This team, like Bobby Petrino’s Louisville team this year, has QUIT on Marvin Lewis. It was time for him to go several years ago, having failed to EVER win a playoff game in his FIFTEEN years as head coach!!! Then he brings in Hue Jackson (who was snubbed by Mayfield after the game and disrespected by the browns “D” during the game when he was handed the ball by a Brown’s D back on an intercepted pass in a mocking gesture. The rumors that Jackson is in line to become the next head coach should Mike “I’M ASLEEP UP HERE” Brown ever decides to fire Lewis are completely laughable, but this IS Mike Brown we’re talking about here. The season is pretty much history for the “BUNGLES”….. Indianapolis Colts-somehow managed to subdue the Dolphins in what was really a must win game to keep their playoff hopes realistically alive, 27-24. Tennessee Titans-proved last night on MNF they are NOT ready for prime time, despite an incredible night by Marcus Mariota. The Houston Texans and Desean Watson simply have too many weapons and beat them handily, 34-17. With EIGHT wins in a row by this team, they are a force to be reckoned with come play off time!! College Hoops University of Kentucky-improved to 5-1 on the season with several lackluster performances against very mediocre competition. Without a dramatic improvement in their guard play to supplement their inside power game, and with the increased competitiveness of the SEC, I think Cat fans are in for some disappointment down the road. The Dukes and KU’s of the world have caught up to “Carnival” Cal’s “one and done” scheme, and his act is growing thin in Lexington. Still only ONE banner hanging in Rupp under his leadership! But hey, BIG BLUE NATION, just think about how many guys he has gotten placed in the NBA-that, after all, in his own words, is “his greatest achievement since coming to town. I beg to differ. University of Louisville-So now we know there WILL be a learning curve for these young Cards and new coach Chris Mack-after two losses, to a real good Tennessee team and a decent Marquette team, Michigan State looms tonight in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. I still feel while this team can be competitive, even in the brutal ACC, they are at least a year away from regaining the prominence they once enjoyed under Rick Pitino. Indiana University-the 5-1 Hoosiers will get a dose of reality tonight in that same Big Ten-ACC Challenge, where they will be taking on Duke, the #3 ranked team in the country in Cameron Indoor Arena, home of the “Crazies”. We’ll see just how good this Hoosier team is, their only loss coming on the road in Fayetteville to Arkansas on a controversial foul call at the end of the game that went against them. JEKYLL and HYDE-(SMITH)
For those of you who are unaware, there’s another Civil War battle going to be waged in Mississippi tomorrow, pitting black against white instead of north against south. On one side, we have the old guard racist bigots representing the REPUBLIKAN party, Governor Phil Bryant, the Senator whom he named to serve out outgoing Senator Thad Cochran, Cindy Hyde-Smith, the full resources, financial and otherwise, of the national REPUBLIKAN party, and last, but not least, the Chief racist himself showing up tonight for a couple of his so called “political rallies” to boost support for her, Donald Trump. On the other side, we have an African American candidate, Mike Espy (no, not the ESPN sports award!!). During the recent televised debate he repeatedly took advantage of the opening Hyde-Smith’s comments created, accusing her of giving the state “another black eye that we don’t need” and potentially hurting the state’s economy. “We got a senator here talking about public hangings and talking about voter suppression,” he said in his closing statement. “Ladies and gentleman, I am not going back to yesteryear. We are going to move forward.” Let’s first examine the record of Hyde-Smith. (How does a southern belle get a hyphenated last name, I wonder?!?). It is reported that she attended a segregated school, has posed for photo ops wearing confederate battle gear, said she’d be in the front row at a “public lynching” and that voter suppression among college age voters is “probably a good idea”. That’s just the beginning, folks. It gets even better. Espy called the senator's comments during the campaign a “black eye” for the state, and a recent TV ad by his campaign said she's reinforced stereotypes the state has worked to overcome. Multiple national companies, including Walmart and Major League Baseball, have requested their donations to Hyde-Smith be refunded because of the comments. The Governor, himself no stranger to racism and bigotry, stood by her side at a recent press conference where she repeatedly refused to address the issue of overt racism in her lynching comment, the two of them together on the podium setting equal rights back one hundred years in Mississippi. And finally, riding in like a white KNIGHT (of the KKK) comes our illustrious President, Donald Trump, the biggest racist to EVER occupy the White House, to her rescue as her campaign falters (you think?!?). You’d think Trump would have learned his lesson after the failed attempt to elect a fellow racist bigot AND pedophile in Roy Moore in next door Alabama. Apparently he is thirsty for more blood lust and firing up the base since his beat down at the hands of the Democrats in the mid term elections. I sincerely hope that the huge African American voting bloc in Mississippi (nearly 40% of the state population is black), the same state where three civil rights activists were brutally murdered and buried in an earthen dam with the full cooperation of local police and the Klan, a crime only solved when Robert Kennedy decided to intervene and sent in the FBI, turn out in record numbers to put Mike Espy in the United States Senate as a true representative of the new and progressive Mississippi and reject the divisive politics of JEKYLL (Trump) and HYDE (Smith)!! Show the country, like Alabama did, the Magnolia State will not return to the old days of repression and suppression, segregation and hate. The Civil War ended a long time ago. Until next time……. THE TRUTH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time. Climate change may refer to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather within the context of longer-term average conditions. Wikipedia The long awaited government report about the effects of climate changed was released this week. Much to the absolute chagrin of Trump and the rest of his ignorant sycophants in the REPUBLIKAN party, the report detailed the disastrous consequences of the warming global temperatures and the effects on our country. These are some of the findings of the report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 1,600-page report — vetted by 13 government agencies and written collectively with the help of 300 scientists — is perhaps the most authoritative and comprehensive statement on the risks of climate change, which has contributed to extreme weather that has cost the U.S. nearly $400 billion since 2015, the authors found. Scientists say human activity is changing the planet’s climate faster than at any point time in modern civilization, heralding costly and, in some cases, life-threatening consequences in every region of the country. Though the monstrous 2017 hurricane season and wildfires in California in recent years may be some of the most visceral images of the devastation a changing climate can wreak, the subtle effects from increasingly unpredictable water availability, more frequent heavy rainfall and hotter weather in the Midwest are just as important, according to Jim Angel, Illinois’ state climatologist, who contributed to Friday’s report. On a more level that hits closer to home, the ferocious nature of the thunderstorms, ice storms and snow storms we have experienced in the last several years have become noticeable. One such storm this summer nearly burned my house down with a lightning strike on a tree not thirty feet above it! My pine trees have been pruned several times by Mother Nature, be it ice or late spring snow storms. Against this backdrop, let’s study the current administrations record with regard to climate change. The environmental policy of the Donald Trump administration represents a shift from the policy priorities and goals of his predecessor, Barack Obama. While Obama's environmental agenda prioritized the reduction of carbon emissions through the use of clean renewable energy,[1] the Trump administration has sought to increase fossil fuel use and scrap environmental regulations which he has often referred to as an impediment to business.[2] While campaigning Trump had proposed the elimination of the EPA[3] and following his election he proposed a 31% cut to the 2018 EPA budget.[4] Neither Trump nor his first Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruit believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming.[5] On July 5, 2018, amid numerous ethics investigations, Pruitt resigned and was replaced by Andrew Wheeler. Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris climate accord.[6] Immediately upon his inauguration, the White House released an "America First Energy Plan", which focused on increasing combustion of fossil fuels without mentioning renewable energy. The plan would repeal many Obama policies including the Climate Action Plan, and limit the EPA's mission of protecting air and water quality. In April 2018, Pruitt announced plans to undo the Obama administration's auto fuel efficiency and emissions standards. Trump's appointments to key agencies dealing in energy and environmental policy reflected his commitment to deregulation, particularly of the fossil fuel industry. Several of his cabinet picks were people with a history of opposition to the agency they were named to head.[13] Three of the four chair-level members of Trump's transition team commissioned to draw up a list of proposals to guide his Native American policies have links to the oil industry."[14] He also invited American manufacturers to suggest which regulations should be eliminated; industry leaders submitted 168 comments, of which nearly half targeted EPA rules.[7] All of this, with the full support of his cronies in the REPUBLIKAN party, such as Marco Rubio of Florida, whose own state was devastated by Hurricane Michael last month, or idiots like Interior Secretary Eric Zinke, who blames environmentalists for the horrific wild fires in California that cost so many lives. And then there is Trump himself, whose only interest in deregulating environmental protections put in place by previous administrations is to reward those interests in the oil & gas and coal industries who have over the years stuffed the REPUBLIKAN coffers of he and other point men for their destructive practices, like Mitch McConnell. Fewer than a third of registered Republicans nationwide say that climate change is caused mostly by human activities, while nearly half say it’s mostly due to “natural changes in the environment,” according to the study, which looked at eight years of opinion data and mapped the results by congressional district. “Being skeptical about global warming has become part of Republican or conservative identity,” said Riley E. Dunlap, a professor of environmental sociology at Oklahoma State University who was not involved in the study. Meanwhile, Paradise burns; northern Florida and Puerto Rico are devastated by Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, monsoons flood southern India killing thousands, famine grips parts of the globe and the rest of the world takes steps to minimize their CO2 emissions. But not the good ole USA!!! It’s America FIRST, people, despite the fact that we are destroying the futures of our children and grandchildren!! It’s time to demand political accountability on the same scale as the issues of gun regulation or healthcare for those incredibly selfish politicians who still cling to the ignorant denial of climate change. Until next time………. WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR
On the day before the Thanksgiving holiday, I’d like to express my gratitude and thanks for all that I can be thankful for in this world. My older brother, who also writes a meaningful blog entitled livinginthebucket.blogspot.com, occasionally accuses me of being overly negative or pessimistic in my outlook. I try to convince him that writing a political blog these days, while rife with daily fodder from you know who contains very little positive news. So, accordingly, I’m going to stress the positive as best I can with the following list of items I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving holiday.
I’m sure I have left some things off of this list that I should have included, but most important is that I AM INDEED THANKFUL!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! IRON(Y)KA TRUMP-LOCK HER UP!!!
And the hits just keep on coming!!! Now it has been revealed that CROOKED DONALD’S daughter, Ivanka, has used her personal e mail account to conduct official government business as an official of the Trump White House. Does anybody remember back to the 2016 Presidential election when Trump led the adoring masses with chants of “lock her up? lock her up!, lock her up!” when it was revealed Hillary Clinton had also used her personal e mail server to conduct official government business. Oh the IRONY of it all!!! Now as her advisors and her father scramble to contain the damage, she claims ignorance of the rules pertaining to use of personal e mail accounts to conduct government business. Apparently she was out of town during the entire campaign, and didn’t converse with him during that period at all!!! Just didn’t get the memo…….after her father had essentially built his campaign around the theme of Clinton's trustworthiness and national security protocol breaches. I CALL BULLSH*T!!!! And, as is as predictable as another lie coming from Donald Trump or his staff today, we won’t hear a word from those very REPUBLIKANS in Congress who spent literally over a year pursuing Clinton like hounds after a rabbit when her e mail scandal erupted. They will stand silently by like the sycophants they have become and try to defer and deflect. With a Democratic majority in the House, however, these tactics will no longer be a viable option for the numerous transgressors in Trump’s administration, including his daughter and her husband, (SCARED) Jared. They will be held accountable, as well they should be. And, of course, FAUX NEWS will probably not even cover the story, unless either Shepard Smith or Chris Wallace, the only journalists the network doesn’t own outright, calls the Trumps on it. It will disappear quicker than the twenty four seven coverage of the “CARAVAN OF THE DAMNED”!!! It has also been revealed that POTUS himself frequently places calls to his billionaire buddies on his own personal and unsecured cell phone, and that it has been seen left lying alone in his golf cart on one of the 160 some rounds of golf he has played since becoming President. (anybody remember him criticizing Obama for playing too much golf??) There have been intelligence reports that both the Russians and Chinese have hacked into some of these conversations. Apparently he doesn’t believe that matters of national security pertain to either he or his family, just like his disregard for the law, Constitution and norms of governance!!! I can’t wait until his scheduled so called “political rallies” in Mississippi next week to hear the chants of “lock her up! lock her up!, lock her up!”. If people are there to support REPUBLIKAN Senator (JEKYLL) Hyde-Smith, they probably won’t know the difference between Hillary and Ivanka anyway!! How smart can you be to support an outright racist to represent a state that is nearly 40% African American?!? Until next time……. WEEKEND UPDATE
CFB Alabama-looked uninspired but still unbeatable. Beginning to look like a Notre Dame vs. Alabama national championship game taking shape-wouldn’t that is interesting…GOD vs. God!!! University of Kentucky-a pedestrian victory over another average team in Middle Tennessee, moving them to 8-3, very respectable. With the final game being at Louisville, nine wins is pretty much a sure thing. A major bowl game should be their rightful reward after demolishing the lifeless Cards. Hats off, albeit begrudgingly, to Bob Stoops. He hasn’t cracked the big boys club yet, but respectability surer beats mediocrity any day in Lexington. University of Louisville-Apparently it doesn’t matter who the coach is or even if there IS a coach after watching the Cards get systematically destroyed by the NC State Wolfpack, aptly named because they might have well been gnawing on a long dead carcass!! With the final game of the season (mercifully) at home against UK, a much improved Wildcat team with a bona fide pro running back, the search for a new coach can begin in earnest. For all those Cards fans who think Brohm is a lock, my question is WHY would he want to come here??????? Stay tuned. Indiana University-After trying to ignore the Hoosiers all season, I must say they looked impressive in their loss to Michigan-they gave the Wolverines all they could handle in the Big House. Perhaps a win in the Oaken Bucket game against arch rival Purdue and the aforementioned Jeff Brohm will propel them to a bowl game. NFL Cincinnati Bengals-Found another way to lose yesterday to the Baltimore Ravens. Marvin “LOSER” Lewis brought in another loser, Hue Jackson, recently fired head coach of the Cleveland Browns as an assistant, a move that obviously paid dividends in yet another loss. Indianapolis Colts-Continue to roll after blowing out the Tennessee Titans by four touchdowns. Andrew Luck is back, and he’s got a lot of weapons to choose from. These guys could be a serious play off contender. Tennessee Titans-How can a team that looked so good in beating the New England Patriots last week look so BAD yesterday while getting demolished by Indianapolis?!? Welcome to the NFL folks! Plus they may have lost Mariota again to an injury. Jury is still out on this team. College Hoops University of Kentucky-put in a lackluster performance in defeating VMI by a final score of 92-82, and were actually outscored by them in the second half. I still believe this team is overrated at #10 right now. Washington is the real deal and I know Cal wants to bring them along, but I believe it’s going to be a tough year for Big Blue Nation. University of Louisville-beat a very good Vermont team by a convincing eight point margin after destroying Southern. Chris Mack is a fine coach, and I think the Cards will be competitive, but let’s not forget the conference in which they play and the teams in that conference…teams like DUKE, for example!!! With a stellar recruiting class, Louisville is probably a year away from reliving the glory days. Indiana University-suffered a tough 73-72 loss to Arkansas on the road, a game they could have easily won. At 3-1 to this point, the Hoosiers under Archie Miller are back. They will be very competitive in the Big Ten (or whatever its called now….BIG something or other???) KHSAA Football Playoffs Trinity vs Male-Friday night, round two, this time the state semi final game in class 6A. Could it be the team that lost FIVE straight games to start the season, including a 17-3 loss to this very Male team, could end up winning their what, 1000th state championship???? Should be a fun match up between two outstanding coaches, Bob Beatty of Trinity and Chris Wolfe of Male. I’m going with the Shamrocks in a revenge game, 28-27. Go Rocks!!!! I would have been Class of ’69 but the good priests asked me to leave in my junior year, something about too many demerits!!!! I also attended St X my freshman year (go Tigers!) before moving to Trinity, and ended up graduating from my dear alma mater Mayme S.Waggener High School (go Wildcats!) in St Matthews. A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. Attention: Donald J. Trump, Commander-in-Chief Subject: Serving your country Dear Mr. President: As we approach the halfway point of your term and prepare for the shift in political power from total REPUBLIKAN control to a split Congress, with the House of Representatives controlled by the Democrats, in the spirit of bipartisanship laughingly put forward by Majority Leader McConnell, I’d like to propose the following changes to your administration and it’s policies for the good of our country. It has been torn asunder by your constant attacks on our institutions and the ethical and criminal violations of our laws and norms of governance that have been the trademark of your time in the Oval Office. I make these suggestions in the spirit of bipartisanship, although I realize that it’s never going to happen as long as you occupy the White House and Mitch McConnell controls the Senate, but here goes.
MISSISSIPPI BURNING REDUX In case anybody needed further convincing that Donald Trump and the REPUBLIKAN party he represents is the party of racism and divisiveness, we need to look no further than the special election in Mississippi to fill a vacant Senate seat. The Republikan Governor appointed one Cindy Hyde-Smith (don’t you just LOVE hyphenated names?), and in the election to fill the seat nobody claimed 50% of the vote, so a run off election between her and Mike Espy, a man of color and former Congressman was necessitated. Here is a little background on Hyde-Smith, who recently made a couple of statements regarding a “public hanging” and voter suppression that has completely alienated black voters in the state and put what was once a sure Red victory into doubt. Hyde-Smith was a member of the Mississippi Senate, representing the 39th District from 2000 to 2012.[8] She had a conservative voting record in the state Senate,[9] and in 2010, she switched parties from Democratic to Republican.[7] Hyde-Smith's switch made the Senate equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, with each holding 26 seats.[9] On March 21, 2018, Governor Phil Bryant announced Hyde-Smith as his choice to fill the United States Senate seat held by Thad Cochran, who indicated he would be resigning the seat at a later date due to ongoing health issues.[12] Cochran resigned on April 1, and Bryant formally appointed Hyde-Smith on April 2.[2] Hyde-Smith became the first woman to represent Mississippi in the United States Congress. The Senate was in a district work period and was not conducting legislative business at that time, so she did not take the oath of office until the Senate reconvened for legislative business on April 9.[13] Hyde-Smith announced that she would seek election to the seat in the 2018 special election on November 6.[14] Special election campaign, 2018The Trump administration reportedly did not support Hyde-Smith's appointment because of her history as a Democrat,[15][16] but in August, Trump endorsed her candidacy.[17] He stumped for Hyde-Smith in suburban north Mississippi.[18] Hyde-Smith declined to debate her Democratic opponent, Mike Espy, before the November 6 special election; Cochran had often done the same.[19] After she and Espy each finished with about 41 percent of the vote,[20] she agreed to debate Espy on November 20.[21] The run-off election will be held on November 27.[22] During the run-off campaign, Hyde-Smith joked about attending a public hanging. While appearing with cattle rancher Colin Hutchinson in Tupelo, Mississippi, Hyde-Smith said, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be in the front row." Hyde-Smith's comment immediately drew harsh criticism, given Mississippi's notorious history of lynchings and public executions of African-Americans. In response to the criticism, Hyde-Smith downplayed her comment as "an exaggerated expression of regard" and characterized the backlash as "ridiculous." [23][24][25][26][27][28] Hyde-Smith joined Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant at a news conference in Jackson, Mississippi on November 12, 2018, where she was asked repeatedly about her comment by reporters. In the footage, Hyde-Smith adamantly refused to provide any substantive answer to reporters' questions, responding on five occasions with variations of, "I put out a statement yesterday, and that's all I'm gonna say about it."[29][30] When reporters redirected questions to Bryant, he defended Hyde-Smith's comment, and changed the subject to abortion, saying he was "confused about where the outrage is at about 20 million African American children that have been aborted."[31] On November 15, 2018, Hyde-Smith appeared in a video clip saying that it would be "a great idea" to make it more difficult for liberals to vote.[32] Her campaign stated that Hyde-Smith was making an obvious joke, and the video was selectively edited. Both this and the "public hanging" video were released by Lamar White Jr., a Louisiana blogger and journalist.[33] (all this information taken from Wikipedia) I don’t know how many of you remember the great flick “Mississippi Burning” starring Gene Hackman and William Dafoe as FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in Mississippi during the so called freedom marches in the late 1960’s, but the rampant racism of the day and the attitudes of white Mississippians was deplorable. I watched the lame ass news conference where the Governor, himself another aging white REPUBLIKAN, went on and on about the great strides the state has made in advancing the cause of people of color. And standing next to him is this contemptible person who made these deplorable comments with a smirk on her face and the repeated comment “I put out a statement yesterday and I stand by it” (statement was utter BULLSH*T, BTW!!) when asked about her racist comments. I fervently hope that the people of Mississippi will come to their collective senses on Tuesday, like the people of Alabama did when it came time to reject Roy Moore, and send this ignorant woman and her racist rants back to Brookhaven where she belongs. The first sign that things will turn out for the Democrats is the scheduled Trump rallies to support Hyde-Smith-we all know how his “kiss of death” support usually works out. I’m wondering if hooded robes will be distributed for these rallies?????? Until next time…….. AXIS OF EVIL- “LYIN” RYAN ZINKE, WILBUR “THE BOSS” ROSS and BETSY “CRUELLA” DeVOS
I have been writing about the incredibly incompetent and corrupt “CABINET OF CLOWNS” that Donald J. Trump assembled since his inauguration a couple of years ago (God, it seems like an eternity!!!) There are those who have long since departed, buffoons like Scott “I DIDN”T DO IT!” Pruitt of the EPA, whose transgressions are to too numerous to list, Tom Price of Health and Human Services, resigned over travel expense scandal, Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, Jeff Sessions, Attorney General and on and on. If you’re interested, Wikipedia has a complete listing, and believe me, it’s astonishing. But let’s talk about those who are left. With a Democratic majority set to take control of the House of Representatives come January, you can bet that Nancy Pelosi and friends will be aiming the “Subpoena Cannon” at a number of these appointees who have managed to somehow retain their positions despite records and scandals that reflect gross incompetence and disregard for any ethical standards. I want to focus on three in particular, who I have nicknamed the “AXIS OF EVIL”. Let’s start with Ryan ZInke, Secretary of the Interior. He has been a one man wrecking crew to our environment and natural resources he is supposed to be protecting, selling off nature and wildlife preserves to the highest oil and gas bidder, including the Alaskan Wildlife refuge. Zinke is, in many ways, a typical Trump appointee. A lack of interest in the public interest is, these days, pretty much a precondition for running a federal agency. Consider Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, or Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, or Rick Perry, the Secretary of Energy. Nearly all Trump’s Cabinet members have shown disdain for the regulatory processes they’re charged with supervising. And, when it comes to conflicts of interest, they seem, well, unconflicted. In October, the Interior Department’s inspector general opened an investigation into Zinke’s travel expenses, which include twelve thousand dollars for a charter flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Montana, on a plane owned by executives of a Wyoming oil-and-gas company. Still, Zinke manages to stand out for the damage he is doing. Essential to protecting wilderness is that there be places wild enough to merit protection. Once a sage-grouse habitat has been crisscrossed with roads, or a national monument riddled with mines, the rationale for preserving it is gone. Why try to save something that’s already ruined? “They’re determined to lease and develop every acre they possibly can, which will minimize the potential for conserving these landscapes in the future,” Jim Lyons, who was a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Interior Department during the Obama Administration, told the Washington Post. “They’re quite efficient, and they know exactly what they want to do.” In the decades to come, one can hope that many of the Trump Administration’s mistakes—on tax policy, say, or trade—will be rectified. But the destruction of the country’s last unspoiled places is a loss that can never be reversed. ♦ Next member of the “AXIS” would be Wilbur “THE BOSS” Ross, Secretary of Commerce. He is so incompetent that even Trump berated his futile attempts to negotiate a trade deal with China. In June 2018, it was revealed that Ross had failed to divest from his financial holdings, contradicting Ross' November 2017 promise in writing to the Office of Government Ethics that he had divested all his financial holdings.[59] According to Forbes, Ross may have broken the law in doing so.[59] An investigation by Forbes found that Ross, while secretary of commerce, owned for most of 2017 "stakes in companies co-owned by the Chinese government, a shipping firm tied to Vladimir Putin's inner circle, a Cypriot bank reportedly caught up in the Robert Mueller investigation and a huge player in an industry Ross is now investigating."[59] Rather than divest from all the financial holdings, he put some of them in a trust for his family members.[59] These holdings posed a conflict of interest for Ross, as the Trump administration was in a position to affect the value of the holdings.[59] While Commerce Secretary, Ross shorted at least five stocks.[60] In June 2018, it was revealed that Ross shorted stocks in one of the firms before reporting emerged that would likely adversely affect the stock and then he sold the stocks at substantial profit after the story was published. Ross knew in advance that reporters were preparing a potentially negative story.[59][61] Ethics experts said that the shorting was alarming given that federal office-holders are prohibited from profiting on nonpublic information.[61] Ross denied that he had engaged in insider trading.[62] That same month, it was also reported that Ross had shorted stocks in two additional firms.[60] In July 2018, it was reported that Ross had shorted stocks in two more firms.[60] In July 2018, it was reported that Ross had failed to divest from a stock, despite a prior agreement to do so at a specific date. According to an ethics agreement made by Ross, he was supposed sell his Invesco Ltd. stock, valued at between $10 and $50 million, within 90 days of his Senate confirmation. As Ross was confirmed by the Senate in late February 2017, he was supposed to sell the stock before the end of May 2017. However, Ross did not sell the stock until December 2017, during which time the stock's value had increased by between approximately $1.2 million to $6 million since May. Ross said that he "mistakenly believed that all of my previously held Invesco stock was sold".[63] On 13 July, Ross announced that he will sell all of the remaining stock he holds after he received a letter from the government's top ethics watchdog warning of "potential for a serious criminal violation."[64] On August 7, 2018, in a follow-up story by Forbes, five former WL Ross & Co. employees and investors claimed the firm was charging its investors on money it had lost, including allegedly charging fees on one investment that was essentially worthless.[65] In October 2018, documents showed that Ross had participated in a meeting with Chevron executives where they discussed oil and gas developments, tax reform and trade issues. Ross's wife owned a stake in Chevron worth at least $250,000 at the time.[66] Last, but certainly not least of our Evil Triumphrate would be Betsy “CRUELLA” DeVos, This industrious lady is so busy dismantling our public education system that she requires round the clock protection by the United States Marshals Service, costing taxpayers nearly TWENTY MILLION dollars. She also has recently proposed that the alleged perpetrators of sexual offenses on campus should be given the same protections as the victims. On Friday, following months of anticipation, DeVos released her proposal for how cases of sexual assault and misconduct should be handled, noting that "every survivor of sexual violence must be taken seriously, and every student accused of sexual misconduct must know that guilt is not predetermined." While a 60-day public comment period is now in effect before the plan can be finalized, advocates for sexual assault survivors say they're worried that the guidelines would actually make campuses more dangerous, deter victims from coming forward and put them in traumatizing scenarios. "It will return schools to a time where rape, assault and harassment were swept under the rug," said Jess Davidson, interim executive director of the group End Rape on Campus, adding that the proposal is "worse than we thought." The proposal earned a harsh tweet Friday from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who warned DeVos that she "won't get away with what you are doing." “Betsy DeVos, you won’t get away with what you are doing. We are organizing to put an end to your destruction of civil rights protections for students.” Beyond this, “CRUELLA” DeVos has been embroiled in other controversies, such as repudiation of climate change, her opinions on gun regulations and protecting our students, her unabashed support for private schools over public education and shady financial dealings involving her incredibly wealthy family. Let’s all hope that the rumors of Ross leaving by the end of the year are true. Zinke won’t last through the first month of the new session, and I’m predicting DeVos won’t be far behind. These are three of the most corrupt and incompetent individuals to serve in a Cabinet level position, and are charter members of the “CABINET OF CLOWNS”. It’s time to clean house and start taking out the garbage, Nancy!!! Until next time….. |
About Mike ColeBorn in Hamilton, OH but a proud Kentuckian since age two. One brother and three sisters. Suburban, Catholic middle-class upbringing. Attended Jefferson Community College and Pasadena Community College. Proud father of four and grandfather to seven, and most of all, a concerned American citizen! Are you??? Categories |