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To the editor: President Trump saying to FBI Director James Comey, I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy, is the cause of all the hysteria? (Comey memo says Trump asked him to drop FBI investigation of Michael Flynn, May 16)

It sounds like something I would say about a likable coworker who found himself or herself in trouble.

Trumps use of the word hope would indicate that it was not an order but rather an expression of concern. The president obviously understood that it was up to Comey to determine whether or not the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynns contact with Russian officials should continue.

As Flynn is still under investigation, we can assume that no great injustice has occurred. People need to get a grip.

Nathan Post, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: So here we go again. We have elected a president who has no idea of how to go about the job, and we are aghast when he demonstrates it.

Enough of our electorate, a minority strategically located in certain states, participated in a knee-jerk decision to bring in an outsider, and we are now in a dangerous mess. Our members of Congress are ill-equipped and disinclined to do anything about it. In a Groundhog Day existence, they wake up each day either looking for blood or looking the other way, depending on their party affiliation.

Dont expect anything to change, because our dangerously deficient leader is far too narcissistic to seek competent help, assuming he even knows where to look for it.

Alan Abajian, Alta Loma

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To the editor: Despite his administrations descent into incompetence, Trump continues to enjoy the support of most people who voted for him. Its almost as if they take pride in remaining deluded.

Still, I predict that Trumps credulous base inevitably will succumb to what might be termed the Nixon distancing syndrome.

In 1972, President Nixon won reelection by 18 million votes, the largest ever margin of victory. Yet after Nixon resigned in disgrace two years later, voters who would admit to having backed him were difficult to find.

Once Trump leaves office, it may be even harder to find someone who voted for him.

Gene Martinez, Orcutt, Calif.

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To the editor: Sometime last week, my stomach quit churning with worry about what the Trump presidency means for the country and the world.

Now Im queasy contemplating what Mike Pence can accomplish as president with the Republican Congress.

Carole Cooper, Manhattan Beach

..

To the editor: Thank God for the free press. Its taken on the job that the other branches of government should be doing: protecting the Republic.

Nato Flores, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

See the original post:
Get a grip, liberals the Comey memo does not show Trump committed obstruction of justice - Los Angeles Times

Talk of impeaching Donald Trump began only a couple of months after he declared his candidacy for president in 2015. Former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, in a dispatch from the future for The Atlantic, wrote that theres no need to belabor the details of how the next four years unfolded: the budget crisis, President Trumps impeachment, Vice President Cruzs inauguration, the second budget crisis. But the subject didnt truly gain steam until Trump won the Republican nomination and then the general electionwith Mike Pence, rather than Cruz, as his running mate.

The impeachment fantasywhich was confined to Democrats, journalists, and anti-Trump conservatives like New York Times columnist David Brooksspawned a new genre of concern trolling on the left: that Mike Pence would be a worse president. With Trump now an increasingly scandalized president, and impeachment being discussed openly by elected Democrats and even some Republicans, the aforementioned liberals have returned to warn that kicking Trump out of the White House would not be an improvement over our current situationthat, in fact, a President Pence would be a bigger disaster for the progressive project than Trump has been.

If Trump were impeached and convicted, Vice President Mike Pence, a right-wing, evangelical ideologue, would be a much more reliable and competent rubber stamp for the conservative policy agenda, wrote Jeff Alson at In These Times. Megan Carpentier, writing at Dame, argued that Pence may not tweet like a Ritalin-addicted teenager with an impulse-control problem, a deep sense of entitlement, and something to prove, and he probably has the good sense not to yell at other world leaders and constantly publicly praise the most murderous ones ... but in terms of actual, actionable policy decisions, the idea that Mike Pence would somehow be preferable to the man who is enacting every policy Mike Pence would himself enact is, and always was, the product of a fevered imagination.

But Cliston Brown, a columnist at the Observer (which is owned by the family of Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and a senior adviser), offered the most apocalyptic take on a Pence presidency. While Pence clearly has more self-control and self-awareness than Trump, thats exactly what makes him more dangerous. He has all the same ideas and goals as Trumpand, as an added bonus, a religious-right agenda thats even worseand a much better chance of actually implementing them, Brown wrote. Trumps presidency will continue to be a smoldering ruin, allowing Democrats to retake the House in 2018 and the White House in 2020 and putting the party in a position to control the country for a decade. By contrast, Brown argued, President Pence would win broad approval, cementing Republican control of government until 2024 at which point the Republicans could have a 7-2 Supreme Court majority that would cast a reactionary shadow for the next half-century.

Excerpt from:
Don't Fear President Pence, Liberals. Welcome Him. - New Republic

Good morning,

The biggest announcement out of Ottawa today is expected to be the Liberals unveiling of their plan for a national carbon-pricing scheme. The draft will be out around noon (local Ottawa time), with legislation in the fall following plenty of consultation from industry and environmentalists. The Liberal proposal will be the default option across the country when/if its enacted, with provinces given the option to come up with their own policies if they can prove there would be comparable emissions reduction. Sources tell The Globe to expect a federal plan that is similar to the one created by the Alberta NDP, which has won support from some oil companies.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa. If you're reading this on the web or someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Let us know what you think.

CANADIAN HEADLINES

The Liberals are pledging their support for a Magnitsky-style bill that targets Russian human rights abusers with sanctions. The legislation is modelled on a law passed in the U.S. in 2012 and named after an anti-Putin campaigner who was murdered in 2009. The Russian Embassy is denouncing the policy as unfriendly.

Opposition parties are up in arms over the appointment of Madeleine Meilleur as Official Languages Commissioner. The Conservatives and NDP say they werent consulted for the appointment, which, as an Officer of Parliament, is expected to operate independently of the government. Ms. Meilleur was a long-time Ontario Liberal politician and cabinet minister.

And just when you thought youd seen the last of Kevin OLeary: he could play a role in a Maxime-Bernier-led Conservative party, the pair say.

Lesley Bikos (Globe and Mail) on the culture of policing: While some in the public may see these reports as earth-shattering revelations about the workplace culture of Canadian police forces, their content should not surprise many of the officers who serve. The culture of policing was originally built on white, traditionally masculine, conservative norms, and is based on hyper-masculinity, loyalty and, above all, silence.

ric Grenier (CBC) on Conservative leadership rules: The party gives equal weight to each of Canada's 338 ridings regardless of how many members that riding has. Each riding will be worth 100 points, distributed proportionately according to each candidate's share of the vote. This will make members in some parts of the country far more valuable than others.

Chantal Hbert (Toronto Star) on NDP leadership contender Jagmeet Singhs appeal in Quebec: Based on the niqab episode of the 2015 election, there are those who would readily answer that going into the 2019 campaign in Quebec under a leader whose religious identity is a distinguishing feature could be a recipe for disaster. But that may amount to selling Quebecers short.

B.C. UPDATE by James Keller

As the B.C. Green Party prepares for negotiations with the Liberals and NDP for its support in a possible minority legislature, Leader Andrew Weaver has launched a bitter attack on the Liberal government. Mr. Weaver has gone out of his way since last week's election to say he's open to working with both parties, but yesterday he held a news conference in which he pointed out large gaps with the Liberals, notably on energy projects such as the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion and the Site C hydroelectric dam. And he also noted that on those issues, his party has far more in common with the NDP. Mr. Weaver's negotiating team includes Brian Mulroney's former chief of staff Norman Spector, who just last week said he believed the Greens would end up supporting the NDP.

SECUREDROP

Did you know you can share information with Globe journalists with much more security and anonymity than traditional means? Read more about SecureDrop and encrypted communication.

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

The White House is expected to send a letter to Congress today that will kick off the process for North American free-trade negotiations. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is headed to Mexico next week.

The U.S. Justice Department has appointed a special counsel to look into the web of allegations that Russia interfered with last years election and some of the Donald Trump campaign team could have been complicit. (The New York Times reports that the Trump team knew about Michael Flynns legal troubles for weeks before he was brought into the White House.) The special counsel is Robert Mueller, a former director of the FBI who served under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The Washington Post explains just what a special counsel can and cant do. Mr. Trump, apparently, took the news calmly.

Impeachment is still unlikely for Mr. Trump, but even some Republicans are starting to imagine a President Mike Pence.

And: No politician in history and I say this with great surety has been treated worse or more unfairly, Mr. Trump told Coast Guard graduates yesterday. There are a few politicians who might disagree.

Lawrence Martin (Globe and Mail) on the possible existence of taped conversation with Comey: It may, in fact, be the only way to prevent the onset of an obstruction of justice investigation against him and the threat of possible impeachment. Of course, Mr. Trump, knowing what is on the tapes, may not want them divulged. And if he fights their release, its a dead giveaway of his guilt. What a fix to be in.

Ben Shapiro (National Review) on Trumps political strategy: There is no 8-D underwater quantum chess. There is only Trump. And as the so-called law of the lid states in business, the upper limit of a presidents competence can never be superseded by that of his subordinates. And Trumps competence is tied directly to his character defects.

Anthony Furey (Toronto Sun) on Trumps troubles: The truth is, there is no urgency right now. When youre dealing with, say, a potential government shutdown over a looming spending deal (exactly what happened last month) then sure theres a rush to get all the moving parts to fit together. A touch of mania would be defensible. Not in this case though. This is a slower moving story, with more journalism required and likely committee hearings.

Globe and Mail editorial board on the stakes: But regardless of the outcomes of any investigations, its unlikely that they would lead to Mr. Trumps impeachment.

John Moody (Fox News) on whether Trump will serve all four years: Trump is slowly accomplishing his mission. If he plans to walk away from Washington once he feels he has fulfilled his promise to the American people, he should say so. Both his supporters and his growing list of opponents would probably respect his candor, and might work together to give him what he wants, so he will go away.

Follow Chris Hannay on Twitter: @channay

Original post:
Politics Briefing newsletter: Liberals to unveil carbon-pricing plan - The Globe and Mail

RESISTANCE IS AN ACTION--Why do a broad range of factions -- that we commonly label as liberal -- continue ad nauseum to content themselves with only reporting the latest irrational, depressing and demoralizing behavior of our profit-driven corporate-controlled American government?

At the same time these liberals content themselves with preaching a rational alternative for what is possible to people who already agree with them. They seem to purposefully avoid any action designed to make their progressive ideas become the basis for more rational actions that could be taken by the government.

But of course, the liberal's exclusively verbal and intellectual take or, if you will, game -- never seems to reach a mainstream American audience that still doesn't have a clue as to what is going on in the programmed dissipation of the American dream of social equity.

What if the Amy Goodmans, the Robert Reichs, the Noam Chomskys, the Chris Hedges, the Henry Louis Gates, and other insightful liberals took a page from Martin Luther King's playbook? In dealing with a segregated public transit system in Selma, Alabama, instead of merely reporting the ever increasing outrageous assaults on our democracy, Dr. King proactively posited a well-organized plan of action that those in power could no longer ignore with impunity. Ironically, it is my belief that such organized, concerted action would be far easier and would accomplish far more if it were adopted by these current leaders.

King understood that a public transportation system in Selma that relied on a 70% African American ridership could no longer send these riders to the back of the bus -- unless those riders and their supporters allowed them to continue doing so. The bus boycott that ensued was based on a simple economic premise: either truly integrate this public transportation system or our well-organized boycott will bankrupt it. When push came to shove, the fear of looming bankruptcy of public transit in Selma trumped good old fashion publicly sanctioned racism.

If we could apply this same principle (based on the fundamental democratic idea that majority rules) to changing the de facto segregated public education system that still exists in Los Angeles sixty-three years after Brown vs. Board of Education established that "separate but equal... is inherently unequal," then we could also stop the now unimpeded move toward corporate privatization of public education for profit and the further dumbing of America.

Like the Selma bus boycott, a boycott of still segregated and quantifiably inferior public schools might go something like this:

-Students do not go to school, but rather go to classes that are organized in churches and other public buildings, where they are taught by retired or other qualified teachers -- many of whom were themselves removed from their teaching careers based on fabricated charges.

- However, the students regular teachers would show up at their regular schools and the school district would still be required to pay them.

- But since the students aren't there and schools receive their money from the state and federal government based on in-seat average daily attendance, now, like in Selma, you've finally created negative financial consequences that the corrupt folks in power in schools, government, and corporations can no longer ignore as they do now.

Liberals would finally make the news by doing something that can no longer be ignored by corrupt corporate interests and their respective media vassals. In addition, this action would serve to educate what has been, up until now, an unaware and discriminated against majority as to the meaning behind the phrase majority rules.

In order to organize an effective action-oriented anti-oligarchy opposition from the Left, wouldn't it be relevant to wonder just how many degrees of internet separation there are among the still silent majority in this internet age? Would people who receive a solicitation to join a well-organized public school boycott that has a clear shot of succeeding be more likely to get involved if Matt Damon or John Stewart -- whose mothers are teachers were to reach out and ask them to do so? And wouldn't they reach out to their respective networks to get people onboard?

Use the list below to create, add to, and share in creating our own 2017 Selma bus-boycott-type organization necessary to bring to an end to the criminality that is destroying our society.

What we have been experiencing up until now has been the end product of a war started long ago under Reagan to dismantle public education for profit. We have witnessed the further dumbing down of America so that "alternative facts" and irrational policies could then go unchallenged by undereducated Americans who have been subjected to this system for the last 40 years and are no longer capable of understanding what is going on and what will be its Orwellian conclusion.

In pursuit of this end, I would argue that the 1st Amendment right to freedom of association -- even virtually -- is the most important civil right we have if we are to bring about measurable change in bad actions and policies. This would make all of our other rights possible to achieve.

With the Internet, the facilitating association has become more doable. But we must overcome the purposefully nurtured hopeless lethargy that has made the majority think they are the minority. Our truth is nowhere to be found as reported in the mainstream corporate media.

What follows is, for starters, an initial contact information list of some who have already shown that they know better. If you can think of others or have a better way of reaching out and networking, add to this list and share what you do with all of us in the comments section below. Remember, most of us presently remain unaware of just how powerful we could be in organizing effective opposition to the growing dangerous alternative reality we are forced to live under:

Reverend Dr. William Barber info@naacpnc.org9196824700

The Black Star Project Address: 3509 S King Dr #2B, Chicago, IL 60653 Phone: (773) 285-9600 http://www.blackstarproject.org

Noam Chomsky chomsky@mit.edu

Stephen Colbert

Matt Damon

Ava DuVernay contact Mercedes Cooper mercedes@arraynow.com

Professor Henry Louis Gates gates@harvard.edu 617.496.5468

Amy Goodman https://www.democracynow.org/contact(212) 431-9090

Chris Hedges hedgesscoop@aol.com

Rachel Maddow Rachel@msnbc.com

Professor Diane Ravitch gardendr@gmail.com

Robert Reichreich@commoncause.org

Michael Rezendes, The Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Tel: 617-929-3047 Cell: 617-763-1458 Fax: 617-929-2019

John Stewart

And ... Lenny Isenberg Leonard.Isenberg@gmail.com

(Leonard Isenberg is a Los Angeles observer and a contributor to CityWatch. He was a second generation teacher at LAUSD and blogs at perdaily.com.Leonard can be reached at Lenny@perdaily.com) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

-cw

Read more from the original source:
Advisory for Liberals: Stop Talking and Start Acting - City Watch

Classic liberals are generous with their own money. Modern-day liberals are generous with other peoples money.

In an opinion piece published by USA Today, Democrat senators Chris Coons and Jeff Merkley demonstrate that they are modern-day liberals.

It is the opinion of Coons and Merkley that the U.S. government must use federal tax dollars to help non-Americans who live outside of the USA even when it is not vital to the USA for the U.S. government to do so.

Ah, but according to Coons and Merkley, it is vital to the USA.

Hogwash!

It is ridiculous for the U.S. government to borrow money to keep the U.S. government functioning and then to give away that money to foreigners in foreign lands in order to rescue some of those foreigners from chronic problems that those foreign lands are notorious for.

Apparently, it has escaped Coons and Merkleys attention that it is the job of the U.S. government to take care of U.S. citizens, and the latter arent properly taken care of if the former burdens the latter with a massive national debt.

With a national debt approaching $20 trillion and a federal budget deficit approaching $600 billion, U.S. citizens cant afford to have their federal tax dollars given away in such a manner when private charities are capable of meeting the needs of foreigners that Coons and Merkley are so concerned about.

Indeed, private charities are providing the foreign aid that Coons and Merkley are concerned about.

So, why dont Coons and Merkley ask Americans to donate to the charities that are doing what Coons and Merkley want done?

Could this be the reason why?

That above-posted graphic is supported by an August 2013 Huffington Post report titled One Thing Red States Do Better Than Blue States. Here is the first paragraph of that report:

People who live in deeply religious regions of the country the solid-red states of the Bible Belt and Utah give more of their income to charity than those who dont. Of the top 10 most generous states, according to a Chronicle of Philanthropy study based on itemized charitable contributions among people who made at least $50,000, nine voted for Mitt Romney in 2012.

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the above-posted statistics by WalletHub and the Huffington Post. However, if those statistics are accurate, then perhaps they explain why Coons and Merkley are modern-day liberals because they dont expect blue-state residents to be classic liberals.

Read the original:
A Tale of Two Modern-Day Liberals - Wizbang (blog)