4 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

There was an Op-Ed piece from a parent who lost a child in the Columbine disaster who gave America, including politicians a thorough tongue-lashing for failing to let her son's death be the last death from a mass shooting at school.

 

At the risk of sounding indelicate, on a different topic but also something of a lashing, apparently Jill Stein is being lashed across all media after having something of a meltdown on one of the morning news talk-shows.

meltdown for what?

Life in a Russian troll factory: “The volumes were colossal — there were huge numbers of people, 300 to 400, and they were all writing absolute untruths.” https://t.co/IRaYOKgrZq

— Greg Barber (@gjbarb) February 18, 2018

Low energy Trump almost lost the nuclear football in China. Sad. — seriously this story is nuts. Presidents security detail and Kelly got into scuffle with Chinese security over football during China trip. https://t.co/8EuIrIIpd0

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 18, 2018

Here’s more from the CNN White House team:
Instead of golfing this weekend in Florida, President Trump has remained mostly indoors at Mar-a-Lago watching television and getting riled up by his sons Eric and Donald Jr., according to a person familiar with his weekend activities.

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) February 18, 2018

4 days since the mass school shooting in Florida, but the further we get from that massacre, the louder the voices of the victims become. Teenagers announcing a day for nationwide protest and walkouts. https://t.co/Bk9W1M8zRW

— CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) February 18, 2018

3 hours ago, Roman said:

meltdown for what?

 

The finding from the investigation that concluded that certain candidates benefited from the actions of the Russian troll farm.  Stein was one of those candidates who was promoted by Russian trolls. It was mentioned in the indictment.

 

 

Jill Stein is on MSNBC right now whining about she was a legit candidate in 2016. It’s like watching Devin Nunes drown in the ball pit at a Chuck E. Cheese.

— Jason Karsh (@jkarsh) February 18, 2018

Edited February 19, 20187 yr by DramatistDreamer

 times -- oh, I don't know -- let's go with a thousand.

10 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

The finding from the investigation that concluded that certain candidates benefited from the actions of the Russian troll farm.  Stein was one of those candidates who was promoted by Russian trolls. It was mentioned in the indictment.

 

 

this would be a comedy in the likes of Blazing Saddles if it weren't so sad. 

Not that anyone here actually thought Trump was going to do anything but go against lgbt rights (I think the most I hoped for is Ivanka and Jared might stop Pence from going completely off the deep end), but here's an article on protections which have been/are being dismantled (and more presumably we don't hear about).

 

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/trump-lgbt-rights-discrimination-353774

 

There was a poll out last month that I hadn't heard of until yesterday, from GLAAD (an organization I have little to no respect for and never will) about an "alarming drop" in lgbt rights. 

 

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/GLAAD-Harris-Poll-shows-LGBTQ-acceptance-dropping-Getty-pledges-15M/61713.html

 

Here's an op-ed on it.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/02/05/i-thought-gay-rights-were-safe-now-i-know-i-was-wrong/?utm_term=.7f33b4b1ea47

 

I do agree with those who feel that part of this is down to transgender rights and how poorly that debate is always framed and how easily those on the far right steer public opinion. I don't agree with Andrew Sullivan that the solution is to somehow distance lgb from t (although I have a feeling Andrew Sullivan would likely separate "g" from all the rest, very happily), because I don't think that would work anyway. 

 

And of course the wedding cake stuff and how glibly these stories are presented doesn't help either. (with many not realizing this isn't actually about a wedding cake or a photographer)

 

I also think that many are very naive with the whole "society always moves forward and all those icky old people are dying and nothing can stop us now" talk. This pops on every liberal issue and is one of the reasons that they are so often caught flatfooted.

 

There has likely been a backlash due to Trump and the far right gaining more of a voice, although to be honest based on the Clinton years I do wonder if the backlash would be even stronger if she had won. (although there would have been a tradeoff as she would have protected lgbt people and appointed judges who aren't incompetent hatemongers).

 

I think that the rainbow connection mentality of the last few years has helped blind some people to the reality that lgbt people will always be seen as different and will always be discriminated against. We will always have to be cautious in how we act and what we say in public about our lives. Ideally the days of some of my older relatives, like the one who always removed all photos of loved ones from his wallet when he went out to bars or clubs or to see men in case someone killed him and killed everyone in the wallet, are gone, but I can't even say that for sure.

 

There shouldn't be barriers, but there are barriers, and there always will be. The best you can do is shape the barriers to suit you as much as you possibly can. 

Edited February 19, 20187 yr by DRW50

I love this man!

 

 

6 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I also think that many are very naive with the whole "society always moves forward and all those icky old people are dying and nothing can stop us now" talk. This pops on every liberal issue and is one of the reasons that they are so often caught flatfooted.

 

I was guilty of this to some degree.  Probably because for most of my life American society was progressing and it's hard to take a broader view or different perspective for long periods of time.

 

I also (arrogantly or naively, however you want to look at it) thought the world would have to be pulled towards the American/European ideals of democracy.  I never seriously considered that we could be pulled towards an authoritarian style of government.

 

Laughably, I thought that the internet was the light that would force oppressive governments to change or be overthrown.

Here is some good news about the new Pennsylvania House map.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/upshot/pennsylvania-new-house-districts-gerrymandering.html

10 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

I was guilty of this to some degree.  Probably because for most of my life American society was progressing and it's hard to take a broader view or different perspective for long periods of time.

 

I think we're all guilty of it to some degree. What bothers me more is when people frame it around old vs young and essentially act gleeful about old people dying and the young taking their place. If the last 5-10 years have shown anything I think it's shown that voting patterns are not anywhere near that simple.

18 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

I think we're all guilty of it to some degree. What bothers me more is when people frame it around old vs young and essentially act gleeful about old people dying and the young taking their place. If the last 5-10 years have shown anything I think it's shown that voting patterns are not anywhere near that simple.

I hear you.  I'm always a little uncomfortable with that too because I know so many older women who are simply wonderful.

 

 

I wouldn't mind if this also became a movement.

 

 

"The only way that I can know for sure that this gun will never hurt anyone is if it doesn't exist." 

Connecticut resident Amanda Meyer is the latest gun owner to destroy her weapon in support of the "one less gun" movement in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida. pic.twitter.com/o49ePCKq5q

— ABC News (@ABC) February 20, 2018

More mess from the Trump campaign being exposed as it concerns the  Russian interference investigation.

 

Lawyer Accused of Making False Statements in Russia Investigation

MORE: Attorney Alex Van Der Zwaan, former associate of Manafort business partner Rick Gates, expected to plead guilty this afternoon, @CBSNLive rpts: https://t.co/1pOpWPbr3B pic.twitter.com/XYviZnrwK3

— Mark Albert (@malbertnews) February 20, 2018

WATCH: Florida students walk out of classes to protest gun violence after the mass school shooting that left 17 people dead last week. https://t.co/qVhU0N4xZB pic.twitter.com/8kwit6EDeY

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 20, 2018

Hundreds of students from West Boca Raton High School walked out of class this morning and headed toward Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to show solidarity with the students who lived through last week's shooting, Miami Herald reports. https://t.co/3aEq6WGcd9

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 20, 2018