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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281926: May 31st 2019 at 5:51:53 PM

If someone brings up Barr and Manning again, I'm going to add the obligatory reminder that they are in contempt of different institutions. Barr is in contempt of the House while Manning is in contempt of the DOJ.

So it's not actually hypocrisy. It'd be hypocrisy if, say, the House were charging them both.

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#281927: May 31st 2019 at 6:05:58 PM

.*sigh*

Look, the reason I put that as a footnote is because I really don't want to rehash it again. All things considered, not the main reason I'm posting here again. In fact, its the reason I had stopped posting here.

Though if I must, considering the DOJ also thinks that you should be able to fire people for being Trans as stated above, an appeal to them being better than or one needing to listen to them more than Congress is going to fall a bit flat here. All things considered, I trust them to treat Trans people fairly...not very much.

Edited by AzurePaladin on May 31st 2019 at 9:08:36 AM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281928: May 31st 2019 at 6:06:35 PM

Barr in contempt of Congress.

Manning is in contempt of Barr (Justice)

So, yes, the hypocrisy angle is entirely valid.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281929: May 31st 2019 at 6:33:57 PM

[up]It's hypocrisy on Barr's part.

The point is that some people were arguing it's hypocritical as if Congress was charging them both.

[up][up]If you didn't want to bring it up again...why bring it up again?

Edited by M84 on May 31st 2019 at 9:34:28 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#281930: May 31st 2019 at 6:56:43 PM

[up] Honestly? Because I feel that someone needs to.

When I saw that a Trans person had been targeted by the DOJ after they tormented her enough already, I saw it as an issue of how society treats Trans people. Not the most alarming case, nor the most important, but a high profile case of a Trans person being locked up and tortured for political reasons. Its about whistle-blowing and freedom of information, yes, but it is undeniable that the specter of Trans rights and how Trans prisoners are treated hovers over the case too. And so, I started posting about it, hoping others would sympathize.

And I'm not willing to stop posting updates, because its something important to me that no one else will talk about if I don't. That it starts an argument every time its mentioned kinda drains me, both because I'm playing a lot of the defense myself and partially because its sometimes not the most important thing I'm discussing. In this case, it was an endnote to a larger point about Trans rights, one that I don't think should just be glossed over in the span of less than a dozen posts. And thus, why I don't want to talk about it. I'm kinda more concerned about the rollback of protections.

Ya know?

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281931: May 31st 2019 at 6:58:22 PM

[up]Maybe you should stop comparing it to Barr's contempt charge.

That helps reinforce the false impression that Pelosi is being a hypocrite when it comes to the matter, when in fact she and the rest of the House Democrats have no say in what happens to Manning.

Edited by M84 on May 31st 2019 at 10:00:23 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#281932: May 31st 2019 at 7:04:23 PM

Not once have I referred to Pelosi. Because she's not whom I'm upset at.

As Charles had said, that Barr imprisons others for violating subpoenas while dodging it is ridiculous.

And my anger here is more directed at those who think its fine for Manning to be in jail, and especially when they then don't seem to care about Barr getting off considerably lighter. It may not be Pelosi's fault, but it still shows the mockery of the idea that everyone is equal before the law here pretty clearly.

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281935: May 31st 2019 at 8:49:01 PM

Even if people are furious at Pelosi for various reasons (like Barr not being in jail when he should be), most of the rage is for the genuine transphobes and human excrement going after them in the White House as well as serving it.

Whether because of their hypocrisy on legal matters (Lindsay Graham said all people helping Clinton during his impeachment needed to appear before Congress or be jailed—guess who changed his tune) or the attack on trans rights.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#281936: May 31st 2019 at 9:51:33 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/05/31/day-862/

    Day 862: A colossal blunder 
1/ Trump threatened to impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods unless the country stops all "illegal migrants coming through Mexico," linking his immigration policy to trade. The tariffs would begin on June 10th and "gradually increase" to 10% on July 1st, followed by an additional 5% each month for the next three months. Tariffs would remain at 25% "if the crisis persists." The National Foreign Trade Council called the move "a colossal blunder," as U.S. companies pay the import penalties and pass some costs along to consumers. The White House defended the legality of the move, saying Trump was acting under the powers granted to him by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives the president broad power to take action to address any "unusual or extraordinary threat." (Washington Post / New York Times / The Guardian / Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-trump-idUSKCN1T01GJ

2/ Republicans warned Trump that imposing tariffs on all Mexican imports could upend the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and undermine the economy. Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley called the move "a misuse of presidential tariff authority and contrary to congressional intent," adding that implementing the tariffs would "seriously jeopardize passage" of the USMCA. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, meanwhile, blamed Congress for refusing to deal with problems at the border, saying if they "were stepping up and doing more the president wouldn't have to continue to look for ways to stop this problem on his own." (Politico / Washington Post)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/31/trump-mexico-tariffs-trade-deal-1494055

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and business groups are considering suing the White Hose over Trump's new tariffs on Mexico. The tariff threat was reportedly "hurried out the door" in order to appease Trump, who did not consult business groups or federal agencies in advance. A 5% tariff on imported goods from Mexico would result in a potential tax increase on American businesses and consumers by about $17 billion. That would eclipse $86 billion if the tariffs reach Trump's cap of 25%. (CNBC / NBC News / U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

https://www.uschamber.com/press-release/analysis-the-state-state-impact-of-new-tariffs-mexico

3/ Trump's Treasury secretary and top trade advisor both opposed the plan to impose tariffs on Mexico. Steve Mnuchin and Robert Lighthizer have stressed the importance of enacting USMCA, meant to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, and argued that the tariffs could derail ratification of the deal in Congress. "Lighthizer is not happy," an unnamed administration official said. The tariff strategy was spearheaded by White House adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hawk, after Trump was "riled up" by conservative radio commentary about the recent surge in border crossings. (Wall Street Journal / CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/31/mnuchin-and-lighthizer-were-opposed-to-trump-tariffs-on-mexico-source-says.html

4/ The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General found "dangerous overcrowding" and unsanitary conditions at a Border Patrol processing facility following an unannounced inspection. The IG found "standing room only conditions" at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center with "approximately 750 and 900 detainees." The facility has a maximum capacity of 125 migrants. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/31/politics/inspector-general-warns-overcrowded-conditions/index.html

About half of the nearly 2,000 unaccompanied migrant children held in overcrowded Border Patrol facilities have been there beyond the legally allowed time limits. Federal law and court orders require that children in Border Patrol custody be transferred within 72 hours after being apprehended. Some unaccompanied children are spending more than a week in Border Patrol stations and processing centers and children 12 or younger have been in custody for an average of six days. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/hundreds-of-minors-held-at-us-border-facilities-are-there-beyond-legal-time-limits/2019/05/30/381cf6da-8235-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html

5/ Trump is considering a proposal to enact restrictions on asylum claims that would deny Central American migrants from entering the U.S. The draft proposal would prevent migrants from seeking asylum if they lived in another country after leaving their home country and coming to the U.S., which would impact thousand of migrants who have been waiting on the other side of the border after traveling through Mexico. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/30/asylum-restrictions-trump-central-america-1489012

6/ Attorney General William Barr disagreed with Robert Mueller's "legal analysis," saying it "did not reflect the views" of the Justice Department, which is why he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "applied what we thought was the right law" instead. In Barr's written testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, he wrote that "we accepted the Special Counsel's legal framework for purposes of our analysis and evaluated the evidence as presented by the Special Counsel in reaching our conclusion." Barr also said he was surprised that Mueller "did not reach a conclusion" as to whether Trump had obstructed justice, despite Mueller stating in his report and at yesterday's press conference that "charging the president with a crime was […] not an option we could consider," because Justice Department policy prohibits the indictment of a sitting president. Mueller also noted yesterday that the Constitution "requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing." Barr went on to claim that Mueller's report shows "no evidence of a conspiracy […and…] this whole idea that the Trump was in cahoots with the Russians is bogus." (CBS News / Talking Points Memo / New York Magazine)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-interview-attorney-general-says-mueller-justice-department-sparred-over-russia-report-legal-analysis/

A federal grand jury used in the Mueller investigation remains interested in Roger Stone after Andrew Miller, who worked for Stone in 2016, testified last week. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/31/politics/andrew-miller-grand-jury-roger-stone/

7/ House Republicans blocked the $19.1 billion disaster aid package for a third time. The long-delayed bill, which has Trump's support, was blocked by Tennessee Rep. John Rose. Rose called the legislation "another act of irresponsible big government." (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-republicans-block-191-billion-nationwide-disaster-aid-bill-for-third-time/2019/05/30/17eb4b58-82e1-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.662e58178314

8/ North Korea executed its former top nuclear envoy to the U.S. and four other foreign ministry officials by firing squad after negotiations stalled between Kim Jong Un and Trump. The February summit collapsed after Trump called off the talks. Kim Hyok Chol, who led the working-level negotiations, was executed in March along with four other officials. (Reuters / Bloomberg / NBC News)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-purge-idUSKCN1T02PD

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#281937: May 31st 2019 at 10:04:59 PM

So the Congressional Republicans are willing to publicly express how pissed they are about Trump's Mexican tariffs... but will they turn their words into action in the end? Their track record suggests that at best, what they'll do would be either just symbolic opposition with no real consequences, or something with potentially real consequences that gets shot down by a few Republicans that are too staunchly pro-Trump (whether true believers or purely self-serving) to toe the party line if it doesn't support him.

Edited by MarqFJA on May 31st 2019 at 8:07:18 PM

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
singularityshot Since: Dec, 2012
#281938: May 31st 2019 at 10:15:54 PM

Of note however on the shooting: It appears the police (and hopefully the media) are going to try and adopt the Christchurch approach.

Name the shooter once, and once only. Then concentrate on the victims and ensure that they are the focus not the shooter.

It's something. A silver lining on a very dark cloud.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281939: May 31st 2019 at 10:42:16 PM

So Trump got those five people in North Korea killed with his antics.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#281940: Jun 1st 2019 at 1:19:17 AM

Eh, not a fan of "Made me kill him" arguments.

Kim decided to kill them, Trump's shit was "just" his reason.

"You can reply to this Message!"
PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#281941: Jun 1st 2019 at 1:45:16 AM

There were plenty of opportunities to get those people out alive and some of those came about because of Trump being crazy and evil enough to make friends with Kim Jong-Un. Trump's just so fucking stupid that he somehow botched every possible opportunity to save lives, even directly sabotaging a couple of those opportunities personally. It is 100% his fault those people are dead.

Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Jun 1st 2019 at 1:46:08 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281942: Jun 1st 2019 at 1:54:53 AM

Never rely on Trump to save someone. That's not what he does.

Edited by M84 on Jun 1st 2019 at 4:55:02 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#281943: Jun 1st 2019 at 1:59:29 AM

Remember when he openly bragged on Twitter about how he was scamming Kim Jong-Un by telling him that America will pay the ransom to get them returned safely while not actually giving him a cent?

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#281944: Jun 1st 2019 at 4:40:31 AM

Trump is selling ‘LGBTQ for Trump’ T-shirts for Pride month (The GLAAD monitoring referred to in the article is here.)

US President Donald Trump is marketing a “Trump Pride Tee” in his online shop, next to “Make America Great Again” hats.

The T-shirt, which reads “LGBTQ for Trump,” is now on sale for $24, down from $30.

The caption for the T-shirt reads: “Show your pride and your support for Trump with this exclusive equality tee.” It is “proudly made in the USA.”

As of April 2019, the Trump administration had attacked LGBT+ rights more than 100 times, according to GLAAD.

The 100 actions include the Trump administration’s well-documented attacks on transgender rights, banning trans people from serving in the military and stripping protections for trans kids in schools.

GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project recorded almost one regressive action against LGBT+ people every week since Trump took office.

Attorney General William Barr on caring about his reputation: "Everyone dies"

Asked by CBS News' Jan Crawford about concerns over his reputation for defending the president amid ongoing probes into the administration's alleged ties to the Russian government and claims that Mr. Trump obstructed justice, Barr appeared indifferent.

"I am at the end of my career," Barr said. "Everyone dies and I am not, you know, I don't believe in the Homeric idea that you know, immortality comes by, you know, having odes sung about you over the centuries, you know?"

Barr, who previously served in the George H.W. Bush administration, is only the second attorney general in history who's served in that capacity twice. The first was back in 1850.

He said he knew it would "only be a matter of time" that he would be attacked for what he considers is "behaving responsibly and calling them as I see them." He argued "nowadays, people don't care about the merits and the substance."

"They only care about who it helps, who benefits, whether my side benefits or the other side benefits, everything is gauged by politics. And as I say that's antithetical to the way the department runs and any attorney general in this period is going to end up losing a lot of political capital and I realize that and that's one of the reasons that I ultimately was persuaded that I should take it on because I think at my stage in life, it really doesn't make any difference."

Federal prosecutors demand Cindy Yang records from Mar-a-Lago, Trump campaign

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., this week sent subpoenas to Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, and Trump Victory, a political fundraising committee, demanding they turn over all records relating to Republican Party donor Li “Cindy” Yang and several of her associates and companies, the Miami Herald has learned.

Yang, a South Florida massage-parlor entrepreneur, is the target of a public corruption investigation seeking to determine if she funneled money from China to the president’s re-election campaign or otherwise violated campaign-finance laws. She became a GOP donor in the 2016 election cycle and opened a consulting company that promised Chinese businesspeople the chance to attend events at Mar-a-Lago and gain access to Trump and his inner circle. Some of those events were campaign fundraisers that required guests to buy tickets for entry, payments that are considered political contributions. Foreign nationals are prohibited from donating to U.S. political campaigns.

Investigators are seeking evidence from Mar-a-Lago and Trump Victory as they build a potential case against Yang and possibly others close to her. The president’s club and the fundraising committee are not the targets of the investigation. The subpoenas cover records from January 2017 to the present. A spokeswoman for Yang did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The investigation is being handled by the FBI and the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section in Washington. While special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election has ended, the new probe examining Chinese money may add to growing concerns over foreign influence heading into the 2020 election. (In a separate matter, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami have been investigating possible Chinese espionage operations in South Florida targeting Mar-a-Lago.)

Concerns that Yang could be funneling foreign money to Trump’s campaign began in March after the Miami Herald revealed she was using Chinese-language social media to advertise ticket sales for events at Mar-a-Lago to Chinese business executives, and had been photographed several times with Trump and other leading Republican politicians. She promoted the GOP fundraisers and charity galas at Mar-a-Lago as ways to meet the president, his family and his advisers. The phenomenon was dubbed ”Trump Tourism.”

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281945: Jun 1st 2019 at 5:16:55 AM

I'm a believer and offended by Barr's appeal to atheism to justify his evil.

I also am weirdly sympathetic to the brothel madame being persecuted over every other one of Trump's criminal associates.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jun 1st 2019 at 5:18:11 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#281946: Jun 1st 2019 at 5:19:49 AM

[up] I’m not sure he was appealing to atheism, and that statement doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If you’re a believer, wouldn’t it be more offensive for him to appeal to theism?

That’s like me saying I’m a stamp collector and I find it offensive that someone would bring up not collecting stamps.

They should have sent a poet.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#281947: Jun 1st 2019 at 5:28:36 AM

I'm not a believer in any one specific deity (because I'm not sold on there being any)... and I'm offended that this moral vacuum who has no ethics to speak well of cites "eh — not religious" as an excuse not to give a monkey's about practicalities, principles and people.

Barr — kindly take a long walk down a short pier, you hollow example of a failing personality-based set of strategies. Or get made to.

Also, regarding Trump and those shirts... who the hell is he trying to kid? -_-'

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jun 1st 2019 at 1:30:30 PM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281948: Jun 1st 2019 at 5:30:27 AM

[up]What you said.

But Barr's like, "I don't believe in anything beyond this so I don't see any reason to make a glorious stand."

Just...fuck you, Barr.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#281949: Jun 1st 2019 at 5:33:50 AM

Yeah, that all smells just a bit atheophobic to me. The guy can be a rationalizing asshole without having to bring all that into it.

They should have sent a poet.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281950: Jun 1st 2019 at 6:17:19 AM

Speaking as an atheist...yeah, it's kind of atheophobic.

Disgusted, but not surprised

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