A big part of the socialization process we hopefully went through as children was to learn about and accept the moral compact at the core of our national identity. Truth, justice, fair play, and opportunity feature prominently. We haven’t always managed to live up to the soaring rhetoric, but we’ve generally spent the last couple of hundred years moving closer to our ideal.
What republicans are engaged in today is a repudiation of our historical shared moral vision. Selfishness and bigotry have supplanted compassion and unity as tenets of republican political and religious philosophy. Practically speaking, any republican angels have exchanged their wings for horns and cloven hooves.
We are not talking about moral bankruptcy or moral decrepitude. Both of those descriptors imply at least a scintilla of moral fiber to begin with. Any group of people who can justify kids in cages would not recognize a moral choice if it was laser etched into the empty place where their souls are supposed to dwell. The safe containing all those bills of soul sale must be stuffed beyond capacity by now.
When historians sit down to write the story of the decline and fall of the republican party, we’ll be able to trace it to the 1960s and their embrace of racism and general divisiveness. Before that their main downside was being lackeys of the obscenely wealthy.
Let’s take a peak at the current republican roster: bottom feeders, predators, thieves, bigots, hatemongers, hypocrites, zealots, bullies, racists, misogynists, homophobes, and other assorted assholes. It just doesn’t get any sleazier.
A synthesis of blatant hatred, divisiveness, and deceit is neither reasonable nor viable as a governing strategy. Previous attempts have ended badly for the haters — The Third Reich, The Confederate States of America, and The Soviet Union come immediately to mind.
As we’ve watched the performance of the Russian army in their war of unwarranted aggression, I wonder whether it’s possible for a bullshit factory to culminate. At some point does the cumulative total of all that smoke blown up our collective ass result in a reactive eruption strong enough to burn all the hair out of their noses and blow them into the irrelevance they so richly deserve?
Regardless as to whether you describe them as immoral, amoral, deranged, or simply evil, we can accelerate their removal from our political stage by vigorously contesting their lies and inspiring our fellow citizens to get to the polls this November.
GET OUT THE VOTE!
We have the power. We have the ability. We can and we will do this.
Slava Ukraini!
Remember the Children
Screw you, Samuel Alito
Don Caron has a spot on take about election deniers. [3:31]
The Critique Around Pooty-Poot’s Unjust War Intensifies Inside Russia
Being an international war criminal isn’t a particularly good starting point for a regime. Having your nation’s Dolly Parton call you out for it isn’t going to help the situation. Here’s hoping Putin has another horrible, awful day today (and every other day until he’s done and gone).
Alla Pugacheva, a hugely and broadly popular pop singer in Russia since the Soviet era, criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been facing increasing internal criticism of the war since Russian forces were pushed out of Kharkiv province in an ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, and Putin conceded at a recent summit of allies that China and India have "concerns" about his foreign adventure. But Pugacheva seems to have been pushed into dissent by Russia labeling her husband Maxim Galkin a "foreign agent" over his criticism of the war.✂️
"I request to be added to the ranks of foreign agents of my beloved country," Pugacheva, 73, wrote on Instagram, where she has 3.4 million follower. "I am in solidarity with my husband, an honest, respectable, and genuine person who is a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia, who wishes his Motherland prosperity, peaceful life, freedom of speech, and the end of the death of our guys for illusory goals that are turning our country into a pariah and worsening the lives of our citizens."
"Scores of major Russian cultural figures have already criticized the war,"The New York Times reports, but "Pugacheva is uniquely popular among a broad cross-section of Russians" and throughout the former Soviet Union. "Who is the analogous person to Alla Pugacheva in the U.S.?" former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul mused on Twitter. "Dolly Parton? Oprah? This is a big blow to Putin." The Times in 2000 called Pugacheva"the goddess of Russian pop, Moscow's Tina Turner with a hint of Edith Piaf."
Another Attempt to Drag Out tfg’s Accounting Has Ended
I guess they thought if they could delay and obstruct long enough none of this stuff would ever be exposed. Guess what? They were wrong.
Donald Trump’s former longtime accounting firm has begun turning over financial records to Congress as part of lawmakers’ investigation into the former president’s business practices,The New York Times reportedSaturday.✂️
Documents from 2016 to 2018 related to the Old Post Office Building, which the former president converted into the Trump International Hotel, must also be provided under terms of the settlement. The hotel, oncetermed the “epicenter” of corruptionby a local watchdog, was frequented by politicians — both domestic and foreign — while Trump was in office.✂️
“These documents will inform the committee’s efforts to get to the bottom of former President Trump’s egregious conduct and ensure that future presidentsdo not abuse their position of power for personal gain,” the statement added.
Crowdfunding Justice
This story is both good news, in that people came together to help out this victim of a ridiculous law, and outrageous news that their help was needed in the first place. Iowa is in desperate need of rational lawmakers.
Earlier this week, an Iowa judge ordered a teenage girl who survived human trafficking by killing her rapist topay the man’s family $150,000. Outraged, people around the country began sending her donations—and they’ve already raised more than half a million dollars.
Pieper Lewis was 15 years old when she fatally stabbed Zachary Brooks, then 37, after he raped her repeatedly over the course of weeks in 2020. Another man hadallegedly been trafficking herafter finding her homeless; that man had forced her to go over to Brooks’ house by holding a knife to her throat.✂️
Polk County District Judge David Porter ordered Lewis to serve five years of probation, noting that she already spent about two years in juvenile detention during her legal proceedings. He acknowledged that it was unfair to force her to also pay so much money to her abuser’s family as restitution, but said he had “no other option.” The payment is required under Iowa law, which does not make any exception for trafficking victims.
A Whine for All (Four) Seasons
Pro Tip: If everything you say or post sounds like the ravings of a deeply disturbed lunatic, perhaps you should stop watching your Rudi Giuliani instructional videos. Most of us already know tfg is a loser of miniscule stature. It’s nice to see him keep working to convince everyone else.
There’s a stomach churning level of entitlement evident in everything blurted out in Merde-a-Lago. He can’t have it both ways — either the FBI keeps wearing their shoes or they line up to drop them on tfg as part of the deluge.
On Sunday night, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to fume about the FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago, accusing agents of not taking off their shoes when searching his bedroom.
Trump announced earlier on Sunday that he would "soon be heading" to Mar-a-Lago. He wrote that he wanted to see "the unnecessary ransacking of rooms and other areas of the house," adding that he felt "totally violated."
Several hours later, Trump said he had arrived at his Florida residence and "had a long and detailed chance" to look around the property. He claimed in his post that the FBI's lawful search of his property was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights while lamenting that his home would "never be the same."
"It was 'ransacked,' and in far different condition than the way I left it," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Many Agents - And they didn't even take off their shoes in my bedroom. Nice!!!"
And if that’s not enough of a self-owning attempt at making a mockery of the short-fingered orange mockery that is tfg, he went on stage in Youngstown, Ohio (during an Ohio State football game, no less) to further humiliate himself and his endorsed candidate for the Senate. In a highlight of unbelievable stupidity, he noted the similarities between JD Vance and Kim Jung-un
We didn't want to waste time and energy discussing Donald Trump's latest propaganda fest in Youngstown, Ohio, but you can't really ignore rallies where the attendees raise their arms and salute their leader like a pack of Nazis.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Heil Shitler?
Saturday's rally was supposedly about Republican Senate nominee J.D. Vance, who is struggling to dispatch his Democratic opponent Rep. Tim Ryan. However, Trump predictably kept the event focused on himself and his own lengthy list of personal grievances. Whenever he did mention Vance, though, Trump found new ways of humiliating him.
"J.D. is kissing my ass," Trump boasted. "Of course, he wants my support."
It's the one true statement Trump made at the rally. Vance, who oncecompared Trump to Hitler(unfavorably so!), willingly appeared at Trump's Hitler rally. Vance didn't actually invite Trump to his rally that some genius on his staff scheduled on the same day as an Ohio State game, but Trumpexerted his dominance and came anyway.As we all learned after the 2020 election, you just can't get rid of this guy.
And wait, there’s still more. HIs Orangeness wants to take credit for human trafficking. Color me not shocked.
IN RECENT DAYS,Donald Trumphas privately voiced his anger over Florida Republican Gov.Ron DeSantissending planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Trump’s displeasure, however, has nothing to do with moral revulsions at the governor using human beings as unsuspecting pawns for a political attack. Instead, Trump is telling allies and confidants he’s outraged that DeSantis seems to think he’s allowed to steal the ex-president’s mantle as both media star, and as undocumented-immigrant-basher-in-chief.
Since the Florida Republican — possibly under false pretenses — flew migrants from the Texas-Mexico border to Massachusetts, Trump has pointedly complained to some of his closest associates that DeSantis is attempting to take thenationalnews cycleawayfromhim, two sources with knowledge of the matter tellRolling Stone.
Trump has fumed over all the praise DeSantis’ action has been receiving in influential conservative circles lately — such as on right-wing media like Fox News — and has privately accused DeSantis of doing this largely to generate a 2024 polling boost for himself among GOP voters. (Earlier this month, Trump and his political operation blasted out a brief statement claiming, “Mar-a-Lago raid gave Trump a 10-point boost over DeSantis with Republican primary voters, poll shows.”)
Even tfg’s lawyers also jumped right on the idiocy bandwagon. They aren’t going to answer questions from the Special Master they requested because reasons? Maybe they are reluctant to commit perjury?
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump on Mondayresponded to their special master's Saturday requestto identify which top secret documents that were among the hoarded trove at Trump's Mar-a-Lago compound that Trump claims he declassified before he quietly removed them from the White House.
Senior Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is tasked with reviewing the classification and executive privilege statuses of the highly sensitive materials that were seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during its August 8th search warrant execution at the Palm Beach, Florida club, which seasoned national security professionals have warned has been a "magnet for spies."✂️
To date, no independent testimony has been presented to corroborate Trump's assertion. And despite his repeated insistence that he declassified some or all of the documents, Trump and his lawyers are declining to reveal specifics to Dearie.
Andy Borowitz Is a Boebert Whisperer and a Lindellian Prosecution Witness
I succumbed to the “I bet I can’t read just one” challenge. Sir Borowitz makes me smile every time.
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—As critics questioned whether she knew what the Nineteenth Amendment is, Rep. Lauren Boebert stated that “the Nineteenth Amendment doesn’t exist because God gave Moses only Ten Amendments.”
The Colorado lawmaker said that people who believe that there are nineteen amendments “need to turn off their NPR and pick up the good ol’ Bible.”
“God stood up on that mountain and said, ‘Here you go, Moses, my top Ten Amendments,’” she said. “Where are these bozos getting the idea that there are nineteen?”
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized the cell phone of Mike Lindell, better known as the MyPillow guy, in the belief that he may have “committed crimes beyond selling shitty pillows,” an F.B.I. spokesman has confirmed.
Although the F.B.I. took custody of Lindell’s phone, they did not seize any of his pillows. “Nobody wanted those,” the spokesman said.
Shortly after the seizure, Republicans claimed that the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, was acting out of a personal vendetta because he had purchased a MyPillow and had been upset by how shitty it was.
The Required Palate Cleanser
I think we’ll need another palate cleanser after this one. At least he only recommended this for Europeans.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.I think this might be a case of grasshoppers being done well rather than doing well.
Insects are a nutritious food source that can be produced more sustainably than conventional livestock. While eating them is common in many world regions, in western cultures it is more likely met with disgust.
The consumption of insects has slowly increased as the benefits become widely discussed. More than 2,000 edible species have been identified. But would incorporating insects into our diets really reduce the environmental footprint of food production, and can this be achieved?
Insects are high in fat, protein and nutrients. This varies between species and lifecycle stage, however the protein content of insects is frequently 40-60 per cent. Insects also provide all of the essential amino acids required for human nutrition.
Ok, I Get It, Here’s a Real Palate Cleanser
I think one of my greatest fears is loss of cognitive ability. Anything that improves or restores our ability to think is really good news in my book.
One in 800 children are born with Down syndrome, the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. The vast majority of cases are caused by having three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. People with Down syndrome also have reduced fertility, and their sense of smell is often impaired or lost. No treatments have been found so far for the neurological symptoms.
In a study published on September 1 inScience, neuroscientist Vincent Prevot of Inserm (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), Lille, France and a team of European researchers show that a hormone known forregulating reproductive function—gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or GnRH—may represent a promising treatment for cognitive problems in Down syndrome. They found that in mice genetically engineered to model Down syndrome, a decline in GnRH levels closely parallels cognitive deficits and then showed that restoring GnRH reverses the disabilities. They also conducted a trial in seven men with Down syndrome, six of whom showed improvements in cognition. The results pave the way for clinical trials and may even have broader application in other conditions involving cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease.✂️
The team then conducted a pilot study in seven adult men with Down syndrome. The treatment involved administering regular pulses of GnRH for six months using a mini pump that was inserted under the skin. Participants underwent cognitive tests and brain imaging to assess the status of brain connections before and after treatment. “Six out of seven patients improved their cognitive tests by 20 to 30 percent,” Prevot says. “Even more amazing, we saw that functional connectivity was tremendously increased in all seven in cortical areas involved in speech and 3-D orientation.” Specifically, there were improvements in verbal comprehension, temporary “working” memory and attention but not sense of smell.
Bonus Palate Cleanser (Because I Still Owe You for the Bugs)
Great forests of ocean kelp were found in a recent study to be between 4 and 11-times more productive than the most productive crops grown today like wheat, corn, and rice.✂️
As well as assisting in human flourishing, these forests play a critical role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Much like their productivity being much higher than terrestrial counterparts, the rate at which they absorb CO2 has been measured at 30x faster than trees on land.
Scientists from the non-profit Great Southern Reef estimate that if just 0.001% of the ocean’s surface was cultivated with these productive forests, it would offset the emissions of the entire global aquaculture industry.
Musical Interlude
I think the folks at Playing for Change keep hitting it out of the park with their Songs Around the World series
Ok, so it’s not Saturday. But, in honor of tljdk, here’s a performance from April 1972, at the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark from the Dead’s Europe ‘72 tour.
