Ugh

No. Sleep. Till Brooklyn. OpThr

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by Ugh The President is horrible. His Attorney General is horrible. His press secretary is horrible. ICE is horrible. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are horrible. The GOP is horrible. Also, too, horribly racist. The GOP is the party of Sarah Palin on her worst day now. I mean, fnck. Open thread…………………. Update the First:  … Read more

Thread Thread Thready Thread

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by Ugh Because why not, eh? I forget who said that capitalism needs to be kept safe from the capitalists, but gee ABC, what did you think you were getting? Also, too, I'm spending way too much time on the twitters, and encountering some very special people. My kids are casting Harry Potter spells on … Read more

Dear God Make it Stop, Open Thread

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by Ugh Today in what must be the eleventy-billionth article on the subject, the WaPo makes the rugged, overland, sometimes I'm sure dangerous, journey to the restive provinces to find out just why Trump voters voted for Trump and what Trump voters think of Trump now that Trump has been Presidenting.  Farming, lamb processing, and … Read more

Corporate Power & Responsibility

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by Ugh Back in the day I suggested that perhaps the higher ups at VW would not run into any trouble for the emissions scandal.  Indeed, informed commentators deemed it "highly unlikely" that gaming the emissions system was a senior management decision and was "relatively contained" in VW.  Well, it seems my and others' surmisings … Read more

W is still worse (open thread)

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by Ugh While there's a lot of norm breaking, rampant corruption, and likely a fair bit of criminality, Trump still has a ways to go before he reaches the truly great heights of horribleness that was the W administration.  Hundreds of thousands of unnecessarily dead people, for example, plus torture and a number of other … Read more

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

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by Ugh So I won't have fraud and noted stupid spineless squish Paul Ryan to kick around any longer. So sad, so sad. I'm sure he will go on to that great K Street suite in the sky.  But I will miss his ability to gracefully and with strangely weird-eyed aplomb sh1t on the poor, … Read more

What will Japan do about Syria?

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by Ugh In light of another apparent chemical attack by the Assad regime in Syria, the world turns its eyes to Japan and asks what will its government do in light of the most recent atrocity.  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday promised a “big price” to be paid. In a tweet, Mr. Abe laid … Read more

Musical Titanic Cabinet Torture Chairs

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by Ugh Tillerson out! He very much wanted to stay, apparently. Wasn't told, doesn't know why.   Mike Pompeo to State.  Some wag on twitter notes that with access to both the CIA and State Department files, Pompeo can surely get to the bottom of….Benghazi! Gina Haspel will lead the CIA, she was directly involved in … Read more

I got nuthin’ Open Thread

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by Ugh The perpetual infrastructure week debacle is entertaining in an "OMFG look at that train wreck" dumpster fire-esque sort of way. I think. I'm sure our deal-maker-yet-can't-get-the-hush-money-NDA-correct-in-chief will end up getting North Korea to… eh.  Maybe he'll end up like John McCain, tweeting about his visit with "Qadhafi" and how he is an "interesting … Read more

We’re All Gonna Die – Open Thread

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by Ugh Well then.  This has been, uh, a quite something of a week. Latest is that McMaster is on his way out as NSA and one of the possible replacements is….John Bolton!  Mr. "Let's Launch a Preemptive Strike on North Korea Because Wheeee!"  These are not the good times you're looking for. And woke … Read more

Gin, Guns, Gab and Galt

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by Ugh I don't drink anymore due to an issue with rather excessive consumption over a long period that now is four and a half years in the past (knock on wood). Gin & Tonic really wasn't my drink, but damn those gin hangovers were awful when that's what I was drinking.   Aside my individual … Read more

Whatever Open Thread

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by Ugh I guess the Olympics are going on. Adam Rippon is kicking a$$ in interviews and twitter.  Otherwise, this week reminds me of a line from Se7en "Ernest Hemingway once wrote 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for'. I agree with the second part." You do you. UPDATE:  No puppet! No … Read more

Podcast of Doom Open Thread

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by Ugh The radio reception in my car suddenly turning sh1tty and me too lazy/incompetent/scared to get it fixed has finally given me cause to start listening to podcasts (this is also in me keeping up with my aspiration to be at least 5 years or more behind the times technology wise).   Man, there's a … Read more

Super Bowl Weekend Thread of Openness

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by Ugh Yes I'm rooting for the Patriots. For some reason I like to see records pushed as high as they can go.  Thus, Brady wining a 6th ring in his 8th Super Bowl appeals to me.  As does Federer continuing to win grand slams (do we really have to wait until Wimbledon to see … Read more

Ur American Sh1thole Values NFL Open Thread

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by Ugh More Trump because why not? Eh. I've seen responses to the latest sharted eruption from POTUS saying that it "does not represent American values," to which my response of late is "Are you sure?" Almost 63 million people voted for this waste. There is a long history of American racism in immigration (and … Read more

AHCA, Trump, Comey, Taxes, Twitter -GAH!

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by Ugh

This is an open thread for all the nuttiness this week. New and Improved AHCA – now with more pre-existing conditions, bankruptcies and moral monstrosities.

Trump is trumpernating.

Comey is testifying.

Taxes are taxing – my call is no tax reform this year. Interesting note, if the budget window is 10 years, they can only do a two year temporary corporate rate cut under reconciliation because scoring says it increases the deficit outside that window. New to me! I just thought they could do a temp cut for 10 years and hope it sticks down the road, but no. Of course, they can open up the budget window to 10, 20, 30 or even 1,000 years (or 1,000 generations, like the Jedi). So who knows what sh1t the GOP will pull if they can ever get their sh1t together.

Also, I set up an account at the twitter and it is probably not a good thing but why not.  I will put the handle below the fold if anyone is interested (it sort of links back to here, hope that is okay with the other front pagers and I have not mentioned that I post here in the bio or a tweet).  

Oh, I forgot, potential rollback of LGBT protections via EO tomorrow. Feh.

Only 1300+ days of this to go!

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Immigration Law. Huh.

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by Ugh I saw the recent deportation of someone with status under DACA, which made me wonder how immigration law worked when it comes to proving/contesting immigration status.  Specifically, who has the burden of proof – the individual or the state – when it comes to whether a person is an "alien."  It also made … Read more

Not even going through the motions Open Thread

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by Ugh Well golly, we bombed Syria.  I've seen various reactions from so-called "serious" people on the tweets that this is "not an act of war" and "just a pin prick" strike to "send a message" and "not let thing go unpunished" etc. etc. etc.  As someone else in the twits said, suppose someone dropped … Read more

Anti-Gay Employment Discrimination Already Illegal Under Federal Law

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by Ugh So this is something I can support: On Monday, Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals wrote that anti-gay employment discrimination is almost certainly prohibited under existing federal law. Katzmann urged the 2nd Circuit to reconsider precedent holding that employees cannot sue for sexual orientation discrimination under Title VII … Read more

ACA, AHCA, DBCFT, Showdown Throwdown

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by Ugh So here we are, 7 years and one day after the ACA was signed into law by B. Hussein O. and after eleventybillion prior votes to repeal the law when it didn't matter, the House might finally vote on an ACA "replacement" bill via a process that actually involves all the mythical process … Read more

This view from a Former CIAer is Disturbing

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by Ugh

Vox has an interview with "a 23-year veteran of the CIA and a former deputy officer on the National Intelligence Council."  I picked this up in my twitter feed, that person describing it as "chilling."  But I think they meant chilling from an "isn't Trump a horrible threat?" perspective, although perhaps not.  But my take away is that the intelligence community – or at least this person who spent more than two decades working in it – is full of themselves (and "it") and feels entitled to undermine the President of the United States if they view him as sufficiently not to their liking.

More below.

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He May be a Dumpster Fire, but he’s OUR Dumpster Fire (Open Thread)

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by Ugh The Magical Mystery Reality Show of Doom, Tacos and Discontinued Clothing Lines continues here in the United States of Fnckin' A.  While Week 3 showed a slight down-tick in pictures of CBP-handcuffed pre-Kers and other similar defenses of the national security, we still managed to have our fair share of entertainment, in a "oh-god-we're-all-gonna'-die-pass-the-vodka-and-Valium" … Read more

Your Ugh Fixes U.S. Professional Sports Open Thread

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By Ugh

Because I can’t help myself, and because I need a break from our newly enshrined Dear Leader, my thoughts below and after the jump on how to fix the three major professional American sports (sorry hockey and “soccer”), starting with the one most in need of fixing.*  Also, too, Open Thread.  The best.  Have a steak.

MLB Baseball

(1) Shorten the season by 20-40 games.  Season is too damn long, especially with the current playoff system.  P&C report at the end of February and the WS ended on November 2 in 2016.  That 8 full months.  Then comes award season where the Cy Young, MVP, etc. are dribbled out over the rest of November.  Enough.  The season should finish by early October.  Yes this makes historical record comparisons harder/meaningless, but PEDs have already done sailed that ship.

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A Reminder: The United States is a low-taxed nation

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by Ugh Since this is the issue I know best and as we head further into the darkness that started on Friday, I thought I would post this helpful reminder when it comes to the debate regarding "tax reform" this year:  the U.S. is a low taxed nation among developed economies, our supposed competitors. This may … Read more

Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran

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by Ugh A fun front page above the fold WaPo story on Mad Dog Mattis' time as commander of Cent Comm under Obama and, well, things are going to get exciting in a Trump administration it seems!  E.g.: [Mattis'] proposal, crafted with the support of the ambassador and the senior American commander in Iraq, was … Read more

Whither Ivanka?

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by Ugh Trump seems determined to appoint a murderer's row of Breitbart Illuminati and assorted crazy persons to his cabinet and other associated high level senior positions.  The latest being noted free market loon Larry Kudlow to head the council of economic advisers, whose chief qualification seems to be talking loudly on the TeeVee.  Based … Read more

Where is he going with this?

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by Ugh One would think with a 15+ month Presidential campaign we should know Where They Stand on the IssuesTM, especially the winner.  But alas, it seems heartfelt policy positions are not really part of GOP President-Elect Trump's id nor were they of much interest to the MSM in the lead up to November 8th. … Read more

Post-election Neopostmortems Open Thread

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by Ugh Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.   I just….wow.  Are we relying on Ivanka to be the adult in the room?  Did they give him his twitter keys back yet? Since signing every bill Ryan/McConnell put in front of him and Alito-esque Justices are high probabilities right now….  Jeepers.   And as bad as … Read more