First there was this:

The arrogance, the dismissiveness, the smug cackling, the accents.

If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened. pic.twitter.com/8kQ6zN9AZV

— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) January 28, 2020

Steve Krakauer is (or, rather, pretends to be) disgusted at the “elitism” and “arrogance” of three guys (two of whom are black, you might notice) mocking the ignorance of Trump and the evil of Pompeo, as if that’s more shocking and reprehensible than Trump’s ignorance and malevolence and Pompeo’s bullying and evil.

Then there was Act Two, when Princess Ivanka seconded the fake outrage of Steve Krakauer.

The president’s daughter said:

A good job on her.

Pres. Trump to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo: "That reporter couldn't have done too good a job on you yesterday, huh? I think you did a good job on her, actually." https://t.co/GJHB6Sx4Dt pic.twitter.com/eyxHU30j0M

— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) January 28, 2020

… Read the rest

This is nuts. The Guardian:

Anyone who films a partner during sex without their consent is committing the criminal offence of voyeurism, the court of appeal has ruled in a case that may affect the Crown Prosecution Service’s apparent reluctance to bring charges.

In other words the CPS thinks filming a partner during sex without their consent is and should be legal legal legal.

The ruling by three judges came at the end of an unsuccessful appeal by a man convicted of filming himself having sex with prostitutes. His lawyers argued that the voyeurism law allowed him to do so since even a bedroom is not a private place if he was there legitimately.

And he was totally there … Read the rest

Don’t mention the war.

Yesterday, Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez tweeted a link to a 2016 Daily Beast story about the rape allegations. The story recounts, in excruciating detail, the accuser’s version of events of what happened the night of June 30th at the Lodge and Spa at Coridellera in Colorado, where she worked as a hotel desk clerk. According to her version of events, after Bryant, then 24, invited her into his hotel room, where the two shared a consensual kiss. After that point, she told police, he allegedly barred her from leaving the room, held her by the neck and forced her to have sex with him, then told her not to tell anybody. A subsequent medical

Because Pompeo wasn’t looking childish and vindictive enough yet.

The State Department on Monday removed a National Public Radio reporter from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s upcoming trip following a days long spat with a different NPR reporter, who said Pompeo berated and cursed [her] after an interview.

It wasn’t a “spat” and it wasn’t “with” – it was Pompeo bullying a reporter. Period.

The State Department Correspondents’ Association in a statement confirmed the decision to remove NPR correspondent Michele Kelemen from Pompeo’s plane on his upcoming trip to Europe and Central Asia, calling the move “retaliation” after Pompeo’s public attack on NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly.

In other words Pompeo publicly attacked Kelly and then in “retaliation” against Kelly … Read the rest

Oh yay, an award for service to gender equity.

Activist and author Bettina Arndt, who has dedicated the latter part of her career to what she sees as the unfair treatment of men in today’s society, has received an Australia Day honour for her work.

In a decision certain to outrage feminists and other community members, Ms Arndt was admitted as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for her “significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men”.

Oh that kind of “equity.” The way a white person would be providing significant service to racial equity through advocacy for white people.

The citation for her honour mentions her 2018

Uh…what???

CNBC reports:

The Trump administration also employs the son of Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney. The White House pays him nearly six figures to serve as a sports liaison. According to government documents, Giuliani’s son, Andrew H. Giuliani, makes $95,000 per year working for the White House. His official title is “Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of the Office of Public Liaison.”

Joe Biden should have told Hunter Biden he couldn’t take that 50k per month job with Burisma because the only reason he was offered it was the fact that Joe was Vice President.

By the same token, and several other tokens in addition, Rudy former prosecutor Giuliani should not be … Read the rest

Trump in 2014:

How dumb is our president to send thousands of poorly trained and ill-equipped soldiers over to West Africa to fight Ebola. Stop all flights

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2014

Tremendous pressure on President Obama to institute a travel ban on Ebola stricken West Africa. At some point this stubborn dope will fold!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2014

Trump’s administration in May 2018:

The top White House official responsible for leading the U.S. response in the event of a deadly pandemic has left the administration, and the global health security team he oversaw has been disbanded under a reorganization by national security adviser John Bolton.

The abrupt departure of Rear Adm.

Of all the people in all the world there is probably just one person who has the very least right to ask “how did we get here?” to what he calls “the age of impeachment.” Who is that one person?

Ken Starr, whose investigation led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, now says impeachment is happening "all too frequently": "We are living in what I think can aptly be described as the age of impeachment." https://t.co/iwYPRsRtGP pic.twitter.com/JO12w11rd9

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 27, 2020

… Read the rest

From a different corner of humanity, via Rosa Freedman:… Read the rest

So now the Senate Republicans are trying to figure out how they can possibly ignore what Bolton wrote.

Republican sources thought Saturday they were confident that they had the votes to defeat a motion for additional witnesses and documents, leading to an acquittal vote by the end of the week.

Pause a moment to absorb that – the fact that Senators wanted (and of course still want) to block all witnesses and documents that would show Trump’s criminal effort to weaken Ukraine and thereby the US for the sake of his own political gain. The Republican Senators wanted and still want to hide all that from us, so that Trump can continue doing things like that, and more and … Read the rest

From the Times scoop by Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt:

President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including [the two Bidens].

So why hasn’t Bolton testified? The trumpies told him not to of course but they can’t stop him. He doesn’t work for them any … Read the rest

Well that’s interesting.

SCOOP: Bolton book draft, circulated to associates and sent to WH for review process, describes a convo w POTUS where he says he doesn't want to release withheld aid till Ukraine turned over material related to investigations @nytmike and me https://t.co/N3Tsce4gR7

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 26, 2020

So…the White House will say no, but it’s too late?

But the Republican Senators will look fixedly in the other direction so it still won’t matter.… Read the rest

I saw the news of the CPS “pack” via LGB Alliance, who have apparently read it (someone has a password).

The new CPS Guidance on “hate crime” in schools has been issued but only teachers and schools can request a password to receive it. Here’s an example of hate in the Guidance. Lesbians may not reject someone who asserts they are a trans woman. This is now officially “hate”: / 1of4

— LGB Alliance (@AllianceLGB) January 26, 2020

EXCUSE me? How are they defining “reject”?

This is just one example of undefined behaviour that can be classed as a hate incident if a victim or bystander asserts that it is so. The Guidance suggests that bullying trans kids is much

The Crown Prosecution Service has issued a new “schools pack” on ” LGBT+ Bullying and Hate Crime.”

Before we even get to the content, I have to say I don’t understand what prosecutors are doing issuing such things in the first place. Prosecutors prosecute, they don’t teach or preach or create content for schools (or hospitals or factories or any other institution). I don’t get it. Do UK schools have whole rows of “packs” that tell children what they can’t do if they want to stay out of the slammer?

So now for the content of this bizarre CPS news item:

“Hate incidents and hate crimes can have a devastating effect on the individuals and communities who are targeted for

Welllllll that’s scary.

“We command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now” — Special Adviser to the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative Paula White https://t.co/gtdZyGfkxy

— Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons (@GuthrieGF) January 25, 2020

… Read the rest

In today’s snake eats its own tail story, NPR reports on Pompeo’s abuse and lies aimed at NPR’s reporter.

Notice I simply assume Pompeo’s claims are lies. I do, yes. He has form in this area. He works for the colossal shameless brazen liar Donald Trump. He backs Trump’s lies. Kelly works for a reputable news organization, one that has its flaws (way too much fake “balance” in my view) but doesn’t just peddle lies the way Fox does. Between the two of them, it’s not Pompeo I’m going to believe.

One day after a contentious interview that was followed by an expletive-filled verbal lashing of NPR host Mary Louise Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is publicly accusing

Originally a comment by G Felis on The caucus has become a mob.

An interesting fact about cognitive dissonance development theory: From the start (Leon Festinger in the late 50s), it was more or less just an article of faith that the unpleasantness of cognitive dissonance is a spur for people to resolve it, and so a direct cause of cognitive developments such as attitude or belief change. Eventually, someone came along and asked the obvious question: whether cognitive dissonance is actually unpleasant for everyone, or if it’s variable like most psychological phenomena. It turns out, it’s the latter. Discomfort at cognitive dissonance is not universal, it’s distributed across the population in slightly skewed bell curve, just like nearly … Read the rest

Behold the disgusting blob of flesh who pretends to be a real boy.

Our case against lyin’, cheatin’, liddle’ Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, Nervous Nancy Pelosi, their leader, dumb as a rock AOC, & the entire Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrat Party, starts today at 10:00 A.M. on @FoxNews, @OANN or Fake News @CNN or Fake News MSDNC!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2020

… Read the rest

For completeness, here is Pompeo’s nasty stupid childish “statement” in full, on official State Department letterhead.

NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency. This is another example of how unhinged the media has become in its quest to hurt President Trump and this Administration. It is no wonder that the American people distrust many in the media when they so consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity. 

It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine. 

He … Read the rest