As a retired SSA employee, I was glad to see that the new budget will help SSA provide better service.
Category: Uncategorized
Climate change
A recent Quinnipiac poll shows that 63% think more needs to be done about climate change.
However, the Trump EPA is going in the opposite direction.
EPA staffers were given talking points downplaying human involvement in climate change.
Some of the talking points are misleading and contradict research.
The EPA is getting friendly with the fossil fuel industry.
This is a good overview of the EPA chief’s attacks on science advisors and scientific research.
Hundreds of EPA staff members have left the EPA during the Trump administration – more than 700 employees as of December 2017.
At some point, the Trump administration will be replaced by people who do not think climate change is a Chinese hoax. However, Trump is doing permanent damage. You can’t undo the negative impacts of Trump policies on the environment that will occur during his administration. Also, I think it will be hard to get ex-employees or similar people who believe climate change is real to go to the EPA when it is clear a future administration can toss them out. Sad!
Update on the police killing of an unarmed African-American man in Sacramento
Here’s an update on the latest police killing of an unarmed African-American man, this time in Sacramento. The California Department of Justice will oversee the Sacramento police investigation into the death of Stephon Clark.
This includes the police video.
How does the NRA use foreign funds?
The NRA acknowledges that it receives foreign funds but says they are not used for election work.Â
However, the NRA admits it moves funds between accounts so that may not actually be true. Sad!
Zinke is opposed to diversity
Will there now be gun violence research?
The new budget bill will enable the government to conduct research on gun violence which basically hasn’t been done in 20 years. However, researchers are skeptical that it would be funded so nothing will change. Sad!
Fact checks on the March for Our Lives
PolitiFact checked claims made by the speakers yesterday.
The march was important and hopefully will translate into votes this November for legislators who support gun control.
Look at the last claim where the NRA falsely stated that the march was organized by violent groups. How can we have a discussion on guns when they say nonsense like this? Sad!
20 Minutes
If Stormy Daniels is going to talk about sex with Trump, the name of the show should be 20 Minutes, not 60 Minutes. Maybe 10 Minutes. I guess we’ll find out more tonight.
W. C. Fields
I found this excellent essay on Fields by Roger Ebert. Fields is so mean-spirited that he’s a perfect fit for our current toxic environment. As Ebert notes “in “The Bank Dick” Fields plays an alcoholic misanthrope who lies, cheats and steals and is rewarded with wealth and fame.” (Except for the alcohol, that sounds like Trump except Fields is a lot more entertaining.)
The movies that I have seen don’t usually work as a coherent story line. This is especially true of his last starring film Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. It doesn’t matter. The individual scenes are hilarious and Fields is always amusing. It’s amazing how mean-spirited he can be.
I would start with The Bank Dick. One of my favorite Fields scenes is in Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. Fields is in a malt shop and looks right at the movie audience and says “This scene’s supposed to be in a saloon but the censors cut it out.”
The entire film is here. The censor line is at 58:46.
This YouTube video has famous Fields quotes.
John Landis on Trailers from Hell for Never Give A Sucker An Even Break
Let’s see if Trump does this
This would make Trump’s pal Putin unhappy.
Let’s see if Trump does it. I am betting that he won’t since he has been so easy on Russia. Sad!
Sad! 