Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
@Junkster - did you move recently? I thought that you were embedded in one of the Carolina's. Not important, just making sure my crazy meter doesn't need another adjustment.
@Mark I have lived in the Mammoth Cave area of KY since 1996. I spend time during the summers hiking in the Boone/Banner Elk areas of NC. Too embedded here to ever permanently move.
Just don’t call it Kentucky. While one of the reddest of states some of our politicians here, notably Thomas Massie and Rand Paul are the rare breeds in the GOP who boldly and repeatedly stand up to that fellow in the White House.
I knew I might ruffle some feathers with my sarcasm. Apologies in advance to any of the good folks in Texas or Alabama. Randomly chosen, for comic effect.
I try to avoid the political wrangle. But I'm perplexed by the seizing of large super tankers loaded with oil as a way to fight drug use in the U.S. Notwithstanding "The Butterfly Effect" which teaches that everything is affected by everything else and knowing that the great comet extinguished the dianasours and paved the way for humans to evolve - it still seems like a stretch to me,
What's the tanker itself worth? More than one of those small drug boats I'd guess. And is a load of crude worth more or less than a load of cocaine or whatever the alleged drug boats deliver?
If I were in charge, I'd have the CIA plant bugs on these drug boats at sea and then intercept them humanely when they arrive in the U.S. If the CIA doesn't possess such tracking devices, they can buy some at Amazon for 15-20 bucks apiece. So the incredulity of this whole operation deeply perplexes troubles me.
@JD-co- Yes sir, you must have been reading my mind-waves. An ironic aspect of his political sabotage is that in many important areas his beliefs are in direct confrontation to those of the criminal he helped to empower. I certainly hope that he thinks about that every night as he tries to sleep.
It is not about drugs. trump pardons drug kingpins. Opioids ran rampant during the first trump administration, they did jack squat as it tore through the nation.
Drugs are being used as a pretense for these boat attacks. Trump dislikes President Maduro and may be trying to topple his regime. Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world. Trump and his accomplices may use military operations to ultimately gain leverage over Venezuelan oil.
we know about the McConnell spats. but McConnell voted for trump 3 times. in at least 2 of those elections, he publicly rallied to vote full gop. although not naming trump specifically, i am certain everyone including dementia mitch knew who was running. mitch didnt even have the guts to say vote all gop BUT trump.
newt and mitch are the architects of today's gop. #$talksBSwalks
McConnell was the "architect" in getting this Supreme Court loaded with MAGA cultists. I don't think the average voter has any idea that he was the one who managed to pull this off. McConnell even managed to block Obama's nominee (Merrick Garland) at the end of Obamas term.
McConnell and Trump used each other like you would expect 2 sociopaths to.
We are now paying dearly for it.
Clarence Thomas is the poster boy for most corrupt judge of the century. Fits in nicely with the current White House where services are up for sale to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, I live in a bustling Chicago suburb that has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. "...a significantly lower overall crime rate (17.57) compared to the national average (33.37), with both violent and property crime rates also being lower than the national rates."
... Clarence Thomas is the poster boy for most corrupt judge of the century. Fits in nicely with the current White House where services are up for sale to the highest bidder.
If the thieving pervert were a Dem, it would be the topic of nightly discourse on every right-wing media outlet.
With due respect for the intensity of passions, both here and nationally, I really do wonder whether it's time to move past the vituperation of Mr. Trump? I teach Propaganda which forces me to pay rather more attention to our current politics than, on whole, I would prefer. One of the most provocative suggestions is that if you got a couple good stiff drinks into the Republican members of the US Senate, you would hear a depth of hatred and ridicule that swamps your most heated ranting.
The question, I guess, is what actions are necessary to increase the likelihood that the Trump era is a historical aberration rather than a template for the New American Politics? It's clear that about 30% of the American electorate is welded to Mr. Trump's ... uhh, hip, by the politics of identity and grievance. Rather a surprising number of white guys have been sold the story that they are America's most oppressed minority. That impression, ironically, seems fed in part by the rise of Mr. Trump's other constituency, the billionaires and decabilionaires and centabillionaires. As I have written elsewhere, their obsession about getting richer for the sake of being richer is effectively pathological. More importantly, it requires the diversion of resources from other parts of society and become beacons of “all that I don't have.” And those billionaires, in large part, have driven the rise of “journalism” as a bloodsport.
What's your plan for changing all, or any, of that? “Howling” does not qualify. Me? I try to make my neighborhood and the Quad Cities a better place. I pay for competent , professional journalism. I try to support sensible candidates for state (Ryan Peterman, running for Iowa Secretary of State, with whom I speak and offer minuscule financial support, as an instance) and local (the board of trustees for the community college district) offices, which form the foundation of the whole structure. I try to teach practical problem-solving skills to my students. (The liberal arts were, historically, practical problem solving skills, not erudite window-dressing.) I try to recognize how very much is going right. I rarely howl.
More than anything, the howling is a way for us to release our frustrations. This feels like a political waiting game and we have to cope with it for a spell. Trashing the corrupt and vindictive autocrat helps in some weird way.
It's noble that you can rise above it. Kudos for that. Seriously.
Of course it's your website, David, and you have to maintain it. Message Board posters have to abide by the rules laid out. If trashing Trump is no longer acceptable in the OFF TOPIC arena, then please state firmly just so that we understand.
(Hopefully this isn't the result of one or two whiney MAGA...posters.)
With due respect for the intensity of passions, both here and nationally, I really do wonder whether it's time to move past the vituperation of Mr. Trump? I teach Propaganda which forces me to pay rather more attention to our current politics than, on whole, I would prefer. One of the most provocative suggestions is that if you got a couple good stiff drinks into the Republican members of the US Senate, you would hear a depth of hatred and ridicule that swamps your most heated ranting.
The question, I guess, is what actions are necessary to increase the likelihood that the Trump era is a historical aberration rather than a template for the New American Politics? It's clear that about 30% of the American electorate is welded to Mr. Trump's ... uhh, hip, by the politics of identity and grievance. Rather a surprising number of white guys have been sold the story that they are America's most oppressed minority. That impression, ironically, seems fed in part by the rise of Mr. Trump's other constituency, the billionaires and decabilionaires and centabillionaires. As I have written elsewhere, their obsession about getting richer for the sake of being richer is effectively pathological. More importantly, it requires the diversion of resources from other parts of society and become beacons of “all that I don't have.” And those billionaires, in large part, have driven the rise of “journalism” as a bloodsport.
What's your plan for changing all, or any, of that? “Howling” does not qualify. Me? I try to make my neighborhood and the Quad Cities a better place. I pay for competent , professional journalism. I try to support sensible candidates for state (Ryan Peterman, running for Iowa Secretary of State, with whom I speak and offer minuscule financial support, as an instance) and local (the board of trustees for the community college district) offices, which form the foundation of the whole structure. I try to teach practical problem-solving skills to my students. (The liberal arts were, historically, practical problem solving skills, not erudite window-dressing.) I try to recognize how very much is going right. I rarely howl.
And you?
Excellent post. I raised a journalist, who worked on the national stage. I taught him moderation and balance. He was Editor-In-Chief of a well regarded high school newspaper. And Editor-In-Chief of a well-regarded University Newspaper. He spent 4 years in D.C. before moving on to greener pastures.
Despite the pure pleasure that I enjoy from kneecapping extremists in this thread, I promote compromise and reason IRL. I like the suggestion of financially supporting responsible journalism. And sensible politicians. I will do more of that, thanks to the suggestion.
I like to think that I respond with facts, more than howl, but point taken. We all can do more. And there is more than a little howling. There is the small problem that those seeking to undermine democracy are not inclined to compromise, or reason. But, those in a swing vote context, probably are open to a more reasonable approach.
Your patience with this thread has been nothing short of Herculean.
Comments
What's the tanker itself worth? More than one of those small drug boats I'd guess. And is a load of crude worth more or less than a load of cocaine or whatever the alleged drug boats deliver?
If I were in charge, I'd have the CIA plant bugs on these drug boats at sea and then intercept them humanely when they arrive in the U.S. If the CIA doesn't possess such tracking devices, they can buy some at Amazon for 15-20 bucks apiece. So the incredulity of this whole operation deeply
perplexestroubles me.Trump dislikes President Maduro and may be trying to topple his regime.
Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world.
Trump and his accomplices may use military operations
to ultimately gain leverage over Venezuelan oil.
what??? McConnell endorsed and voted trump 3 times !!!
Wishing everyone (well, almost everyone) a very happy and financially safe New Year.
we know about the McConnell spats.
but McConnell voted for trump 3 times. in at least 2 of those elections, he publicly rallied to vote full gop.
although not naming trump specifically, i am certain everyone including dementia mitch knew who was running. mitch didnt even have the guts to say vote all gop BUT trump.
newt and mitch are the architects of today's gop.
#$talksBSwalks
McConnell and Trump used each other like you would expect 2 sociopaths to.
We are now paying dearly for it.
Clarence Thomas is the poster boy for most corrupt judge of the century. Fits in nicely with the current White House where services are up for sale to the highest bidder.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/notes-on-new-york
1950's murder levels in NYC! Amazing.
Meanwhile the homicide rate "top 10" is filled with states like GA and TN.
https://www.thirdway.org/report/the-21st-century-red-state-murder-crisis
Crazy world that we live in.
Meanwhile, I live in a bustling Chicago suburb that has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. "...a significantly lower overall crime rate (17.57) compared to the national average (33.37), with both violent and property crime rates also being lower than the national rates."
The question, I guess, is what actions are necessary to increase the likelihood that the Trump era is a historical aberration rather than a template for the New American Politics? It's clear that about 30% of the American electorate is welded to Mr. Trump's ... uhh, hip, by the politics of identity and grievance. Rather a surprising number of white guys have been sold the story that they are America's most oppressed minority. That impression, ironically, seems fed in part by the rise of Mr. Trump's other constituency, the billionaires and decabilionaires and centabillionaires. As I have written elsewhere, their obsession about getting richer for the sake of being richer is effectively pathological. More importantly, it requires the diversion of resources from other parts of society and become beacons of “all that I don't have.” And those billionaires, in large part, have driven the rise of “journalism” as a bloodsport.
What's your plan for changing all, or any, of that? “Howling” does not qualify. Me? I try to make my neighborhood and the Quad Cities a better place. I pay for competent , professional journalism. I try to support sensible candidates for state (Ryan Peterman, running for Iowa Secretary of State, with whom I speak and offer minuscule financial support, as an instance) and local (the board of trustees for the community college district) offices, which form the foundation of the whole structure. I try to teach practical problem-solving skills to my students. (The liberal arts were, historically, practical problem solving skills, not erudite window-dressing.) I try to recognize how very much is going right. I rarely howl.
And you?
It's noble that you can rise above it. Kudos for that. Seriously.
Of course it's your website, David, and you have to maintain it. Message Board posters have to abide by the rules laid out. If trashing Trump is no longer acceptable in the OFF TOPIC arena, then please state firmly just so that we understand.
(Hopefully this isn't the result of one or two whiney MAGA...posters.)
Despite the pure pleasure that I enjoy from kneecapping extremists in this thread, I promote compromise and reason IRL. I like the suggestion of financially supporting responsible journalism. And sensible politicians. I will do more of that, thanks to the suggestion.
I like to think that I respond with facts, more than howl, but point taken. We all can do more. And there is more than a little howling. There is the small problem that those seeking to undermine democracy are not inclined to compromise, or reason. But, those in a swing vote context, probably are open to a more reasonable approach.
Your patience with this thread has been nothing short of Herculean.