My God, this train wreck just never stops.
Apparently, Donald Trump has decided to use a Cat. 4 hurricane as cover for all of the controversial things he wants to get done this week – things that he knows everyone is going to be pissed off about or otherwise highly interested in critiquing.
The fact that Hurricane Harvey is hitting on a Friday night is even better in terms of serving as a smoke screen for the administration.
First Trump made the transgender ban official, as the White House confirmed it had sent guidance to the Pentagon related to the implementation of the policy Trump announced on Twitter the morning Paul Manafort’s house was raided by the FBI (and yes, that’s just as ridiculous as it sounds). Here are the quick highlights (nothing you didn’t already know) via Bloomberg:
- Openly transgender individuals to be barred from entering military service
- Military leaders have 6 months to decide plan on how to address transgender troops currently serving; 6 mos. to decide plan; must be implemented by March 23, 2018
- Decision to be based on unit cohesion, applicable law, resources: official
- Halts military resources to fund sex-reassignment procedures, except to protect health of individual already in process of transitioning; 6 mos. to decide plan; must be
Next he pardoned Joe Arpaio, a move that would have been controversial enough on its own, but has now taken on extra significance as it comes amid a worsening of race relations tied to Trump’s bungled response to Charlottesville.
As a reminder, Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a court order in a racial profiling case involving his rather nasty habit of singling out and detaining drivers based on their ethnicity.
“Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration,” the White House said in a statement. “Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon.”
Got it. I mean not really, but I acknowledge that I have read the flimsy rationale.
Finally, to complete the clusterfuck, Sebastian Gorka has resigned.
Gorka is of course highly controversial for a veritable laundry list of reasons that I quite literally don’t have time to get into right now, but suffice to say he’s citing the ascendancy of anti-MAGA sentiment. And yes, I am dead fucking serious. Here are some excerpts from his letter:
Given recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are — for now — ascendant within the White House. As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.
All of this on Friday evening when the eyes of the national are fixed on the eye of a real hurricane, which is serving as a highly convenient distraction from the figurative hurricane that’s been inundating the “swamp” since January 20.
Gorka out, Arpaio pardoned, transgender ban rules issued. Any questions?
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) August 26, 2017
Casual Friday. https://t.co/2yfyCDK7zo
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 26, 2017
Thanks, I was wondering what Texas had done to piss off their God this time. And I do have to admit that their God has a great sense of humor. Mar-a-Lago would of course be the funniest next target for their God to consider. That one would be better even than the time God sent Hurricane Isaac to the 2012 GOP Convention.
PS All of you Texans will be in my prayers tonight. Stay safe guys! :;-)
Big thanks from Houston!
– Murphy
Harvey how dare you. Hope all are well in Texas, stay safe. Trump is a pig.
Historically, it’s pretty typical to drop the bad news on Friday, and especially during a huge distraction. No surprise
In spite of knowing both Trump and his families documented history of being racist, pre-election I couldn’t deny that a lot of the problems that Trump identified in his campaign were not real problems – illegal immigration, dysfunctional and bloated government social programs, an unaffordable health care system, questionable economic policies both domestic and foreign, massive government contract corruption, etc., etc. However, I did know the Trump racist and corruption history – so I voted against Trump, but not for HC.
The problems Trump built his campaign around solving were and still are real problems for the US, (and still will be based on Trump’s total incompetence when he leaves the WH through impeachment, military removal and or feet first via obesity induced stroke or heart failure) that all need to be addressed with practical level-headed and fair minded solutions. Not hair brained, authoritarian sledge hammer attacks – that all are all illegal, Constitutionally dysfunctional, and economically unworkable to start with – and or that give the country away to fascist elements that were supposedly defeated in WWII.
Apparently, Trump has given up any effort in,and or semblance of – maintaining any image of not being a racially biased white supremacist, a supporter of the KKK, and at least neutral if not a closet supporter of the neo-Nazi movement in the US. His pardon of fellow racist Arpaio is just another in-your-face flaunting of who he now admits he is practically if not actually saying – “I’m your racist Nazi President and there is nothing you can do about it.” Considering the Republican leadership that have now by association self-identified as Nazi enablers – Trump may be right. One day recently we woke up and discovered that a large part of the Republican Party and especially its current Congressional representation where closet racist, white supremacist, white nationalist, neo-Nazi sympathizers and enablers and the other part of the Republican Party had somehow lost both their spines and conscience. Well folks – they’re out of the closet now – what are you going to do about it? Unless we fix the pay-for-play election industry and the self-interested career oriented political parties we have – you can count on seeing more rich incompetents cropping up every election.
Dugger, as I have said before to all of you, I do my part as best I can. I send Cornyn and Cruz a monthly bashing and demeaning email – both got that today because I woke up in Houston this morning and found their stupid monthly newsletters in my mail WARNING of the “approaching hurricane” and their best wishes for my safety — THIS MORNING AFTER THE HURRICANE HIT LAST NIGHT. So, I had some words for both of them about their lack of attention and quick response and related the same lack of attention on trump. I reminded Cruz how embarrassing it was to allow trump to belittle him and insult him, even publicly humiliating his wife Heidi Cruz…and now he kisses his ass and supports him! I told them both to polish up those resumes because they would not be re-elected and they were a disgrace to their office, just like trump. And I do this every single month, sign my name, give them my number and email – and all I get back is some form letter they had put my name on as their “response” – then I send them another note telling them that a trained monkey could do a better job than that. It’s a vicious circle. But I got nothing but time. 🙂
– Murphy
HEY LOOK, I already got a reply from Cruz:
Thank you for contacting the Office of Senator Ted Cruz. We are proud to represent the Lone Star State and appreciate hearing from you.
Your request will be processed as quickly as possible, but should you require more immediate assistance, please feel free to call either our office in Austin, TX, (512) 916-5834 or Washington, D.C., (202) 224-5922.
– Murphy
Well, it took most the day but now I have a response from Cronyn:
Thank you for contacting Senator John Cornyn’s office. If you need immediate assistance regarding an urgent or time sensitive matter you are personally experiencing with a federal agency, please call my Dallas office at (972) 239-1310. If you are seeking information or services from my offices that are NOT related to my Legislative duties, please visit my “For Texans” section for more information. Warmest Regards, Senator John Cornyn
– Murphy (hard at work, doing their jobs, click and send, done, total fucking jerks.)