Today's News: The Beginning of the End?

Three stories tonight seem to have the same theme -- that it may be the beginning of the end for Pierre Poilievre, for Elon Musk and for Donald Trump. 

First, for Pierre Poilievre: 

Evan Scrimshaw analyzes the Angus Reid poll tonight, comparing Poilievre at 3 months to the other Conservative leaders, and it is NOT good news for PP.

Today's News: Christ, what an asshole!

Time for this week's edition of "Christ, what an asshole!" 

So this happened:

The perfect candidate for voters whose concerns are less about healthcare and the economy than more relevant issues, like vampires and werewolves.🧛🐺 https://t.co/UEGkcPkvHm

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) November 16, 2022

"A Werewolf can kill a Vampire did you know that? I never knew that so I didn't want to be a Vampire anymore I want to be a Werewolf"

- Republican Hershel Walker #FreakNight https://t.co/HKjsaUfOUb

— AltBlueOhio (@StickerDeep) November 16, 2022

Leading, of course to this:

I saw Herschel Walker telling werewolf stories to a slack-jawed crowd. His hair was perfect.

— J. Elvis Weinstein (@JElvisWeinstein) November 16, 2022

Here's the reference:

   

 Speaking of perfection:

This is perfect pic.twitter.com/29ZEa56ycA

— Megs - mastodon.sdf.org/@the_meghaning (@the_meghaning) November 15, 2022

And here's the reference:

   

Today's News: Ratioed

To begin, I need to give a definition of "ratioed" - Merriam-Webster defines it as "A quantitative measure of how little they like your take." 

A tweet is "ratioed" when only a few people "Like" it or "Re-Tweet" it, compared to the large number of people who are hitting "Reply" to say something negative about it:

If the Replies:RT ratio is greater than 2:1, you done messed up.

— Brian (@Briligerent) March 15, 2017

This week, we saw two painfully ignorant Ratio examples, both related to the Queen's funeral and Canada's attendance there-at. 

First, a tweet from the Globe and Mail - 300 likes vs 1,900 replies:

Unlike the tens of thousands of people joining the eight-kilometre queue along the River Thames, Mr. Trudeau used a special VIP entrance to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth. https://t.co/tprUgtrMjq

— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) September 17, 2022

The response was immediate and incredulous.

Seriously?
Are the tens of thousands of people in the eight-kilometre queue heads of state?
🤔
Didn't think so...
Do better you partisan hacks!
🤬#CdnPoli #CdnMedia #CdnMediaFails

— The Ubiquitous J-Man (@Swift01_2000) September 18, 2022

Unlike the tens of thousands of people joining the 8 km queue, who are not heads of state, the Prime Minister of Canada was shown the respect due a Head-of-State at an official function. He used the entrance they provided, he didn’t “sneak past” the bouncer. FFS G&M!

— No dilbit (@Nodilbit) September 18, 2022

I thought this was a funny one:

https://t.co/yx6xu5E7v3

— Party's Over 🇨🇦 (@PoliPartysOver) September 18, 2022

And this one:

Globe tweet: “The Canadian PM unbelievably walked instead of taking a car or a sedan chair to the meeting.” https://t.co/Lw9hHVOsPF

— Greg MacEachern (@gmacofglebe) September 18, 2022

People were also annoyed to see the Globe and Mail refer to PMJT as just "Mr. Trudeau" when they should have been calling him Prime Minister Trudeau -- the funeral isn't a campaign event, he is attending in his official capacity as Prime Minister. 

But mainly, the thousands of Canadians replying to this tweet were annoyed with the needless, gratuitous and mean-spirited sniping at PMJT.

Today's News: "We have a lot to do"

This pretty well summarizes everything, doesn't it:

That being said, we have to work on equality, health care, education, housing, public services, pharma and dental, small businesses, foreign investment, elections, and the Russia Ukraine war. We have a lot to do.

— Rod Farva's litre of cola (@RodKahx) August 29, 2022

Across the country, Canadians are worried about the breakdown in hospital services -- because too many health care workers keep on getting sick with Covid, at the same time as the system grapples with the cumulative effect of two years of delayed surgeries and neglected health conditions. 

Premiers seem to think that "privatization" will magically make more services available, and indeed it may prove to be sensible to create stand-alone clinics for some routine surgeries like joint replacements, if it actually frees up hospital beds for more complex cases - rather than just allowing hospitals to cut their staff budgets accordingly.  No provincial politician should ever think that "privatizing" will save money while making people happier with their health care.

I know all about provincial and federal jurisdiction. But if there is one battle the federal government should fight right now, it’s protecting universal public health care. Explore every option available. Don’t let it pass. Be a pest to the Premiers. People are worried. #cdnpoli

— Dr. Matthew S. Johnston (@mattjohnstonca) August 24, 2022

I want Trudeau to come out and tell Canadians what is happening.

"Conservative premiers are coordinating to collapse our Healthcare system on purpose. So they can privatize. You will pay more for Healthcare now. Many will go bankrupt. Many will die."

Say it.#cdnpoli

— Andrew (@AndrewCote91) August 30, 2022

This is how Ontario thinks it will solve hospital crowding:

As if the elderly were not already treated as excess baggage to be shuffled off into storage, this would legalize disposing of them.

— V. Sears (@Sueshuz) August 30, 2022

Here in Saskatchewan, ERs are in crisis, ambulances are delayed, and rural health care facilities are struggling:

My whole family is terrified of having to try to access an ER these days. Luckily we have all been healthy enough to avoid them since 2020, but that can change in an instant. https://t.co/uuTTdZ0KNt

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) August 27, 2022

Saskatchewan plans to pledge cash hiring incentives for health care workers in remote and rural parts of the province as they struggle to recruit and retain staff, resulting in shuttered and curtailed services in dozens of communities https://t.co/9sM9Niaz9F

— Zak Vescera (@zakvescera) August 24, 2022

Here's a great idea:

It was great to hear @SLangeneggerCBC's interview with @joelghill this morning. Such an important initiative.

He's right - the province should provide a lot more information about health service disruptions in communities. It's dangerous not to.#skpolihttps://t.co/oe4mFk1D4E

— Carla Beck (@CarlaBeckSK) August 29, 2022

The website he created is here: Sk Service Disruptions Why Sask Health hasn't done this already, I don't know. 

And PS - Covid is not over!

You're the third person *today* I've seen on Twitter say someone they knew died in their sleep from Covid.

Sweet Jeebus.

— ☕ - It's what's for dinner (@DellaLuna) August 30, 2022

Today's News: What a week!

Beginning with a wonderful palate cleanser:

Nazem Kadri brings the Stanley Cup to the London Muslim Mosque.

This is believed to be the first time in history that the Cup has entered a mosque. @HkyNightPunjabi @NHL @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/wRIZAm8hvv

— Amrit Gill (@AmritG) August 27, 2022

A short stop at today's Globe and Mail:

"Bell, what is your plan?...What will you do not just for Lisa but for us all." I joined many others in signing this open letter in @globeandmail to Bell Canada about @BellMediaPR's "business decision" to fire Lisa LaFlamme in prime of her career. Have a read & RT if you support. pic.twitter.com/RlrW0JoBAr

— Catherine McKenna (@cathmckenna) August 27, 2022

At this point, Bell Media will have to offer LaFlamme the National News vice-presidency before this controversy will be quelled. And I would be fine with that.

   

Moving to today's news, first here is a great cartoon illustrating the trolls Canada is dealing with these days:

Which one of these characters would be that guy from Grande Prairie who cursed at Chrystia Freeland yesterday as she was getting into an elevator? 

The portion of the video after he had been kicked out of the hotel shows he was just so very pleased with himself, so absolutely delighted to "own the libs".  Everyone is pointing and laughing at him now, but we're also acknowledging that this kind of behaviour is unhinged and possibly dangerous:

This appears to have been in Grand Prairie, where Freeland had events scheduled today. Comments on TikTok are overwhelmingly supportive of this guy. (The OP’s feed is full of expected anti-mandate and conspiracy posts.)

— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) August 27, 2022

The Director’s Cut is worse of course. Rage Farmers have taken over the Conservative Party, and they’re about to put their man in charge. https://t.co/ycQ17OPCiQ

— Gerald Butts (@gmbutts) August 27, 2022

Canadian politicians from all parties are also speaking out against this - even Conservatives, albeit with a little nudging:

Are there any vertebrate conservatives remaining in Canada? Any of you going to stand up to this madness?

— Gerald Butts (@gmbutts) August 27, 2022

To @PierrePoilievre: Polite suggestion for your next video. Instead of talking to genuine wood or an imaginary PM, how about talking to the biggest asshole in Canada 🇨🇦 the guy in Grande Prairie who confronted @cafreeland How about giving him a piece of Jenni Byrne’s mind?

— Charles Adler (@charlesadler) August 27, 2022

Deputy Prime Minister @cafreeland is a proud Albertan and a dedicated public servant. I have seen her commitment to our province and our country firsthand. The harassment and intimidation she has faced is completely unacceptable, and is in no way representative of Albertans.

— Amarjeet Sohi (@AmarjeetSohiYEG) August 27, 2022

There can be no liberty without order. Political leaders of all stripes must denounce this type of unacceptable conduct. 2/2

— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) August 27, 2022

This is gross intimidation. People are angry. I get it. But this is dangerous behaviour. It cannot be normalized. Every political leader must speak out and condemn this. #cdnpoli https://t.co/azcuUE4vst

— Jean Charest (@JeanCharest_) August 27, 2022

The verbal harassment and threats directed at Minister @cafreeland during her visit to Alberta yesterday were reprehensible.

If you disagree with a politician, by all means exercise your right to protest. But screaming threatening language & physical intimidation cross the line.

— Jason Kenney 🇺🇦 (@jkenney) August 27, 2022

My friend Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance @cafreeland didn’t deserve this. No one in public office does. This needs to stop. Canada is better than this.

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) August 27, 2022

Pierre Poilievre’s deafening silence on the Freeland event is probably the most honest thing he’s done.

— Dean from Winnipeg (@Dean_Winnipeg) August 27, 2022

The diminishing cohort of principled conservatives are struggling with core values and path to power. Not sanguine about how this turns out

— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) August 28, 2022

Canadians were shocked and angry, and thousands tweeted support for Freeland:

Chrystia Freeland is an absolutely brilliant woman with an astonishing list of accomplishments during her stellar career. Yet, some inbred, uneducated hillbilly thinks he has a right to stalk, harass, & call her misogynistic names because he has a dick. That's misogyny in action. pic.twitter.com/HmVc0n1yGr

— Janet Wagner (@janetwagner21) August 27, 2022

Note. It’s pretty hard to intimidate a woman who defied the Russian secret police, who stood up to Putin and Trump, and who can run circles around most bullies, in high heels, no less. She greets him in an open friendly way, then strides coolly into that elevator when he goes off

— Paula Simons (@Paulatics) August 27, 2022

Dear DPM @cafreeland, you showed absolute grace and class while you were verbally attacked by a #WhiteSupremacist who @PierrePoilievre panders too. As a First Nations woman, born in #Alberta you are more than welcomed anywhere in my peoples country. Much love and respect.🪶🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/edYkjik6fm

— Blackfoot/Lakota FN’s 🪶🇨🇦🧡🇺🇸💙🇺🇦💛 (@ThoughtsNations) August 27, 2022

Not sure who needs to hear this but Ricky from the Trailer Park Boys was presented as a caricature, not a role model.

— Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions (@mynamesnotgordy) August 27, 2022

The Sound of Silence "Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again"
Today that silence comes from every right wing Conservative who has not flatly condemned the verbal assault and threat to Chrystia Freeland in her home province of Alberta.

— Mike Morris (@1MikeMorris) August 27, 2022

I was part of every single round of 2017-19 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇲🇽 negotiations & had many of my own meetings with the White House.

$16B in new auto investment in CANADA since the signing speaks for itself. It’s more than the previous 20 yrs combined.

No kidding Jared didn’t like @cafreeland. https://t.co/PtGOkmGZcP

— Flavio Volpe (@FlavioVolpe1) August 26, 2022

Class:

pic.twitter.com/peGNcXFysk

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) August 27, 2022

Today's News: CTV News is losing its soul

The very definition of a professional news organization is one that reports news without fear or favour. 

Over the years, news organizations have fired reporters, editors, anchors, editors, publishers, for good reasons and bad, pleasing or angering their audiences. But when a news organization also lets its own corporate actions compromise its objective news judgements, and then starts slanting its news stories to justify or cover up its own unethical behaviour, it has lost its soul. 

That began to happen to CTV News today. 

For the last two weeks, CTV and Bell Media has been embarrassed by the burgeoning corporate Going Grey movement, because corporations across Canada have been reflecting Canadian anger with CTV's unwarranted firing of Lisa LaFlamme. 

Today CTV News finally "covered" this story, but in a threatening way - they picked up a Canadian Press story which had found a "retail analyst" and a marketing professor to provide contrarian "takes" about how companies endorsing Going Grey really needed to watch their steps.  Then Bell Media outlets and CTV stations across the country dutifully "tweeted" the story out, one after the other.

The thuggery couldn't have been clearer - "nice little brand you got here. Be too bad if something were to happen to it"

Tell me this doesn't read like CTV is doubling down on its sexism/ageism/misogyny w/ what amounts to veiled threats against corporations, etc. who side w/ Lisa LaFlamme... https://t.co/kRKlGKJE8s #cdnpoli

— somecanuckchick 🍁 (@somecanuckchick) August 26, 2022

Maybe brands like @BellMediaPR should be wary of supporting sexism, misogyny & ageism. Just sayin.

— Covid's Not Done With Us Yet 💉😷🐝 (@Jennymd1) August 26, 2022

So let me get this straight. A media outlet owned by Bell media puts out a piece essentially say that other brands should be wary of taking a position on what Bell has done. Congrats @CP24 your corporate overlords will be very pleased.

— CFLFan@sevendeucemgw (@fan_cfl) August 26, 2022

@tara_deschamps just gotta wonder how you were pressured into writing this article. In my opinion, it is absolutely mind-blowing 🤯 that any @CTVNews female employee would agree to write such bullshit. @BellMediaPR #FireMichaelMelling https://t.co/HVpLZDk2q2

— D♠️R (@Dale_Roth22) August 26, 2022

New headline: In wake of firing LaFlamme, the public should be wary of Bell Media trying to censor brands that speak out against its discriminatory practices #LisaLaFlamme #KeepTheGrey #LetsTalkAboutBell https://t.co/BAAXGhtxxf

— Priya Sam (@PriyaSam) August 26, 2022

This is beyond hilarious. It’s the op-ed version of three kids - stacked up in a raincoat - pretending to be a grownup to buy beer. https://t.co/o3qmpeB8vW

— Bob Mackowycz (@BobMackowycz) August 26, 2022

.⁦@CTV⁩ you really need to read the room. #Wendys #Dove 💪🏻 https://t.co/ZAyW9ZfvpL

— Jill Davis (@Jdavis_Halton) August 26, 2022

Today's News: Night and day

I don't have a lot to talk about tonight, but I read a couple of articles today and I was struck by the contrast in these descriptions - the leadership Biden shows in dealing with Russia's war against Ukraine, compared to the ridiculous, childish ineptitude of Trump.

Here is Biden developing the complicated strategy of defending Ukraine without starting World War 3, as described by the Washington Post:

Using mounted maps on easels in front of the Resolute Desk, Milley showed Russian troop positions and the Ukrainian terrain they intended to conquer. It was a plan of staggering audacity, one that could pose a direct threat to NATO’s eastern flank, or even destroy the post-World War II security architecture of Europe.

...As he absorbed the briefing, Biden, who had taken office promising to keep the country out of new wars, was determined that Putin must either be deterred or confronted, and that the United States must not act alone. Yet NATO was far from unified on how to deal with Moscow, and U.S. credibility was weak. 

....Months later, Milley still carried in his briefcase note cards encapsulating the U.S. interests and strategic objectives discussed at the October briefing. He could recite them off the top of his head.

Problem: “How do you underwrite and enforce the rules-based international order” against a country with extraordinary nuclear capability, “without going to World War III?” 

No. 1: “Don’t have a kinetic conflict between the U.S. military and NATO with Russia.” 

No. 2: “Contain war inside the geographical boundaries of Ukraine.” 

No. 3: “Strengthen and maintain NATO unity.” 

No. 4: “Empower Ukraine and give them the means to fight.” 

Biden’s advisers were confident Ukraine would put up a fight. 

Compare Biden's articulate, thoughtful and courageous approach with how Trump acts, as described by David Roth:

By this point in our national relationship with Donald Trump, everyone who is not paid to pretend otherwise pretty much knows what he does and why. 

...[Trump] does everything he does for one reason, which is that he wants to do it at the moment it occurs to him to want it; that simple flash of want, which chirps out at periodic intervals like the sounds a smoke detector makes when its battery is dying, justifies anything that he takes or tries simply by virtue of its existence. ...raw spite and aimless resentment and relentless self-centered entitlement... 

Without Biden, Ukraine would have had no chance. It is terrible to contemplate.

From stealing classified documents to wanting his top brass to behave more like Hitler's generals, this week has reminded us that Trump is and has been for years one of the top national security threats the US faces. https://t.co/MVgHcZZkR9

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) August 9, 2022

Here's a ridiculous "take" on Biden's success:

I'm so sorry Biden doing good things for America is happening to you, Benjy. Our thoughts are with you in this difficult time.

— Molotovsky 🥀 (@GriffTheImpaler) August 16, 2022

What have you done for me next week, is a hell of a bad take. https://t.co/GJh845BfqG

— William K. Wolfrum (@Wolfrum) August 16, 2022

Here's a little more fun:

Look, were the Peterborough protestors fuckwads? Yes. But was it right for the mayor of Peterborough to come out and call them fuckwads, thereby normalizing politicians dismissing the concerns of people that are detached from reality and think rules don’t apply to them? Also yes.

— Aaron Hoyland (@aaronhoyland) August 17, 2022

And in response to CBC pearl-clutching:

I remember when the entire Ottawa press gallery had to fetch themselves fainting couches when Scott Brison uttered the words “golden showers” in QP.
The scrums afterward were embarrassing.
“Did you know what you were saying?!” they all shrieked. https://t.co/dXF4yyv01B

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) August 18, 2022

They're back, baby!

Sometimes you get a second chance at love #Zellers pic.twitter.com/vPUP09ETTy

— Brittlestar (@brittlestar) August 17, 2022

Today's News: #TRE45ON is trending tonight

Here's some cartoons I saw today about the Mar-A-Lago raid -- the warrant and document lists are out, and its bad for Trump. 

Very bad.

NBC has obtained the Mar-a-Lago search warrant. It shows Donald Trump is under investigation for potential obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act

— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) August 12, 2022

MSNBC confirms that the “Espionage Act” being used in the warrant means that there was evidence that Trump had transferred information to a third party (foreign gov’t or organization).

This is a whole new level of treachery.

— Harvey Bobrow (@Hbobrow1Hbobrow) August 12, 2022

CNN analyst says the intel Trump stole are so sensitive that FBI agents will begin FINGER PRINTING each document to find out who actually touched them.

— Brian McBride (@BrianDMcBride) August 12, 2022

I think everyone is sleeping on the fact that before they got the warrants the DOJ was given surveillance footage of the rooms in which the documents were stored.
They got video of who looked at them THEN went in.
Chew on what that implies for a second. It tastes like treason.

— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) August 12, 2022

So Republicans are running on unlimited price-gouging of insulin, ending Social Security and Medicare, and forcing ten year old rape victims to give birth. That is some platform. Please pay no attention to the former president who committed espionage #TRE45ON

— Miz Anthrope (@jenaglez) August 12, 2022

What in the world would Trump be doing with top secret classified information about nuclear weapons? There is absolutely no reason why an ex-president should take that out of the White House, except one. That kind of info would be worth A LOT OF MONEY!

— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) August 12, 2022

A major FUCK YOU to every trumper who told me if I didn't like "X" I should leave the country, you're defending a traitor who sold nuclear secrets to our enemies -- YOU leave the country.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) August 12, 2022

Once again I expect there will be a determined effort on the part of GOP leadership to throw Trump overboard, but Fox News and MAGA will not permit it. The only possibility for change now is absolute electoral defeat of Republicans in 2022, 2024, 2026 and 2028 -- with gerrymandering and corruption all the way up to the SCOTUS, I don't know if it is still possible:

Central question in US politics now is how much damage will Trump, massive conspiracy to overthrow an election, extremist abortion restrictions do to the GOP brand and how long will that damage last.

My take - a lot of damage, and it will last for many many years. https://t.co/Z6XjUQI4Ma

— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) August 12, 2022

It’s going to be tough to ButHillary or ButHunter their way out of this one but they’re going to give a shot

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 12, 2022

They have now figured out the new line -- that Trump had "declassified" all the documents before he took them out of the White House so, by definition, he's good!

I mean, the “it was just an accident, didn’t mean to keep them, and also declassified them” is deeply humiliating, but Trump has just the people to carry that water. https://t.co/0lcmSZmF1S

— 18Hat793 (@Popehat) August 12, 2022

michael scott declaring bankruptcy https://t.co/Sg8lEJrp7l

— Amy (@lolennui) August 13, 2022

Yeah, sure.

Today's News: Going Nuclear

Ain't we havin' some fun now?  

So Garland threw down the gauntlet to Trump - put up or shut up. 

He told Trump he was applying to the court to release the search warrant and evidence list from Monday's raid, and dared Trump to oppose it - which I fully expect he will try to do somehow.

NEW: A federal judge in Florida has ordered the federal government to give the filing to Trump immediately and then advise the court by 3 p.m. on Friday if he will object to the motion to unseal the warrant. https://t.co/XyqXHh29Fg

— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) August 11, 2022

Two days ago, I said this raid was either: 

-a major national security scandal about a trove of top-secret documents that Trump was trying to sell to Putin or the Saudis; OR 

 -a nothing-burger Got Junk? cleanup of old presidential souvenirs that the Trumps had been too lazy to box up themselves and get to the National Archives. 

On Tuesday, it seemed like the nothing-burger story might be credible, By Wednesday the GOP started realizing maybe it wasn't so they started smearing the FBI. 

Today, the seriousness of the national security scandal came into focus.

In his nightly newsletter, CNN's Brian Stelter provides a timeline of commentary from Garland's press conference at 3 pm. Up until 8 pm, it was business as usual for the GOP and their sycophant networks -- defund the FBI, Trump is just a memento guy, "This was just a fishing expedition." etc. 

Then at 8 pm, BOOM - the Washington Post broke the news that the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago for stolen nuclear documents. 

All of a sudden, the story changed - even though Fox News still tried to minimize it, the whole world took the story much more seriously:

There are reports that when they raided the place, the FBI was looking for stolen nuclear secrets.
On the off chance it’s true, we’ve got technicians making sure our ‘caps lock’ buttons are working.

— Oak Bay Gazette 📰 🇺🇦 (@OakBayGazette) August 12, 2022

The article does not say what kind of nuclear documents, whether about American nuclear weapons or other nations'. It also does not say whether the documents relate to the deployment or the design of nuclear weapons. All that makes a difference in classification. 1/

— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) August 12, 2022

https://t.co/bUX0bRuZv7

— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) August 12, 2022

Government officials have expressed concern that allowing highly classified materials to remain at Mr. Trump’s home could leave them vulnerable to efforts by foreign adversaries to acquire them, a person familiar with DOJ thinking said. https://t.co/es0aah5WpN

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 12, 2022

1/3 Sources tell me the FBI took dozens of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago including TS/SCI information. That stands for Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information. It is among the most top secret level.

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) August 12, 2022

3/3 The storage room – I am told – is about 10x6 feet and there “were boxes everywhere.”

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) August 12, 2022

*Sighs, moves goalposts back to actual storage of nuclear weapons in closet*

— PerilousPlatypus (@PerilPlaty) August 12, 2022

11. But the point here is it is NO WONDER that the FBI executed a warrant. The focus now should be not on the search, but why the 🤬 Trump hung on to these documents, and why his supporters think that is very legal and very cool /END

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 12, 2022

"We fully support you Mr. Trump and we will defend whatever caused the FBI to raid your home to a hilt!"

Trump: pic.twitter.com/NUda6Dtwf7

— Nied (@B_Nied) August 11, 2022

Today's News: Taking the Fifth

Tuesday the Mar-A-Lago raid story was all the news. 

Today Trump refused to answer questions about his businesses, property evaluations and loans 400 times, taking the Fifth for every one of the questions. 

Thanks, Donnie, for killing the Mar-A-Lago raid story in just one day!

After spending days with Trump prepping for his deposition… his lawyers finally said “screw it..he’s an idiot…tell him to plead the 5th or we’re all going to prison” https://t.co/p2BSj6vaBp

— Hal Sparks (@HalSparks) August 10, 2022

BREAKING: as the NY AG investigation is civil (at this point), Trump's assertion of the 5th CAN be used against him if the AG brings a civil case, unlike in a criminal case. At this point, one would expect that civil suit to happen in short order. https://t.co/qTk3PwZw0Q

— Andrew Weissmann (@AWeissmann_) August 10, 2022

To quote Donald Trump: Only guilty people take the fifth.

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) August 10, 2022

The attempt to minimize or trivialize the Mar-a-Lago raid -- an attempt that seemed to have some plausibility last night - couldn't actually withstand the cold light of day today.

it’s wild to see a large number of journalists have already forgotten the cardinal rule of trump scandals, which is that they always turn out to be much worse than they look at the beginning

— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) August 9, 2022

"With time it will be CLEAR that Trump provoked this action by DOJ." - John Dean

— Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) August 9, 2022

So, yeah, I'm curious why he - or his minions - would take a van's worth of classified, steal it, and store it in Florida. What's in it that they didn't have time to destroy, or couldn't shred? What would be the point?

/2x

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 11, 2022

It’s A Mystery What The FBI Wanted At Mar-a-Lago, But Trump Knows https://t.co/Oz0Fcdc61R via @TPM

— hilzoy (@hilzoy) August 10, 2022

So today the GOP moved to Plan Two and we got a parade of "the FBI planted evidence!" accusations -- an even less plausible scenario, because of course the implicit sub-text is that damning evidence can be found in the boxes of stuff the FBI took away.

I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me a bit problematic if your strongest defense is “Hey, the FBI planted all this damning evidence.”

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) August 10, 2022

Why would Trump be stealing, hiding, and refusing to hand over top secret and classified documents he stole from us if he wasn't planning to sell them to our foreign enemies and adversaries?

— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) August 11, 2022

The backfire is going to be measured in megatons.
The entire @GOP has sided with a thief who by legal definition, stole & illegally held this country's most critical national security secrets, & did God only knows, while also mtg w/the Saudis & Orban in the same week.
Spin. That.

— Schrödinger's Litter Box (@Brewjew308) August 11, 2022

🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: Federal investigators served subpoenas to several House and Senate Republican offices in the Pennsylvania Capitol.

The information being requested centered around U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, & the effort to seek alternate electors to overturn the 2020 election.

— Spiro Agnew’s Ghost (@SpiroAgnewGhost) August 10, 2022

Funnier takes:

BREAKING: DJT's personal library was destroyed in the FBI/DOJ search, and sadly ‘both books’ are beyond repair. 😂

— Jeras Ikehorn (@JerasIkehorn) August 11, 2022

I'm no Sauron fan, but here's why forming a fellowship to raid Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring is going to enrage his base

— Jokin Rokin Rokin Tolkien 🗡️🏹🪓 (@joshcarlosjosh) August 9, 2022

Today's News: Less than meets the eye?

I think Trump Mar-A-Lago "raid" was either: 

-a major national security scandal about a trove of top-secret documents that Trump was trying to sell to Putin or the Saudis; OR 

 -a Got Junk? cleanup of old presidential souvenirs that the Trumps had been too lazy to box up themselves and get to the National Archives. 

Of course, it could be both. 

But the New York Times may be coming down on option 2: 

... the F.B.I. conducted the search on a day when Mr. Trump was out of town and the club was closed. The agents carried out the search in a relatively low-key manner, people with knowledge of the matter said; by some accounts they were not seen donning the conspicuous navy-blue jackets with the agency’s initials emblazoned on the back that are commonly worn when executing search warrants. 

... agents began going through a storage unit, where items like beach chairs and umbrellas are kept, in the basement. They progressed to his office, which was built for him on the second floor of the main house, where they cracked a hotel-style safe that was said by two people briefed on the search to contain nothing of consequence to the agents. 

 Then they moved to Mr. Trump’s residence, the person said. 

 Ultimately, they removed a number of boxes of documents, people familiar with the search said. It is not clear what the agents were looking for or what they took. Nor is it clear whether the search was carried out simply to ensure that the documents and other material were properly turned over to the archives or it was a possible precursor to a prosecution of Mr. Trump for mishandling classified material or obstructing efforts to get it back. 

Of course, back in 2016 the New York Times had been tricked into publishing what turned out to be the Rudy Giuliani / FBI New York Field Office "take" on the Russia story, a couple of weeks before 2016 - nothing to see here, move along, move along:

The New York Times lead story on the Mar-a-Lago raid has big 'Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia' energy to me.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) August 10, 2022

If the Trump raid is indeed a nothingburger, then the Department of Justice will have let everyone down AGAIN by not issuing a press release describing the file retrieval, rather than remaining silent and thus allowing Trump and his flying monkeys make Trump look like a persecuted hero. 

Cuomo got a lot of push-back for this tweet, but he is right:

DOJ must immediately explain the reason for its raid & it must be more than a search for inconsequential archives or it will be viewed as a political tactic and undermine any future credible investigation & legitimacy of January 6 investigations.

— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) August 9, 2022

On a lighter side of the story, here are more funny takes:

(Barron not even looking up from his Xbox)
“Safe’s in the back.”

— Mike Scollins (@mikescollins) August 8, 2022

Breaking News: Florida Man Stunned to Find That Laws Apply to Him, Too

— Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) August 9, 2022

BREAKING: Trump currently in a white Bronco slowly headed south on a Los Angles freeway...

— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) August 8, 2022

If throwing Donald Trump in jail starts a second Civil War, we'll just have to win that one, too.

— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot) August 9, 2022

first they came for roger stone, and i said “great.” next, they came for alex jones and i said “good news.” then they came for donald trump and i said “this is also excellent”

— soul nate (@MNateShyamalan) August 9, 2022

I haven’t seen Republicans THIS angry since Sesame Street told them to get vaccinated, or the green M&M got less sexy, or Michelle Obama told their kids to do jumping jacks, or Barack wore a tan suit or (1/269)

— connectpoliticditto. (@cpoliticditto) August 9, 2022

Trump being raided and Schitt’s Creek… pic.twitter.com/t958lEpWzu

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 9, 2022

Today's News: Girl!

Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on Hillary Clinton's wall tonight?

pic.twitter.com/Vcq1VffIGn

— mamabear (@lmoon79) August 9, 2022

Dark Brandon works pretty fast, doesn't he?

trump couldn't lock up hillary in 4 years, brandon raided his home in 2. pic.twitter.com/kbEA4ll3fR

— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) August 8, 2022

Karma just grabbed Trump by the p*ssy.

— Mayo 🌻 (@MayoIsSpicyy) August 8, 2022

An FBI raid on a former president sets a dangerous precedent by implying the rule of law applies equally to everyone.

— Seva (@SevaUT) August 9, 2022

FBI: Raids Trump's for-profit house.

World: Wow, I wonder which of Trump's crimes this is about.

— Hunter (@HunterDK) August 8, 2022

Ok this is funny as hell🤣#VoteDemocratStraightDownTheBallot https://t.co/Q6hVmoeBWk

— Cat Joe💙 🌊 (@Mr_gsPenguin) August 9, 2022

Raw Story reports: 

Former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi walked MSNBC viewers through what the Miami Field Office had to do to execute today's search warrant on Mar-a-Lago... .

...the New York Times and CNN have sources confirming that the raid focused on the National Archives documents. Figiluzzi also confirmed it with as much certainty as he could....

"I have a medium to high degree of certainty that this at least is focused in part on national archives case...

The time to negotiate and turn everything over is long gone, and now we've reached the point where agents are convincing a judge that they have evidence of a crime." 

Scrimshaw writes: 

It’s really hard not to just enjoy the hubris of Mr. “Lock Her Up” being raided by the FBI, but let’s actually just focus on what it all means that Donald Trump has had Mar-A-Lago raided today.  

The specific search seems to be about some Presidential records and classified documents that Trump took to Mar-A-Lago, but it’s also fair to say that we don’t know what those records supposedly show, and therefore whether or not this is connected to one or both of the Grand Juries investigating the attempt to overturn the 2020 election with fake electors and January 6th, respectively. That said, on some level, the details don’t matter for the politics of all of this, and that’s where the GOP are in deep, deep trouble. 

...[the GOP] are not going to make strategically optimal decisions to appeal to the centre ground, because their heads are so far up their own asses that they think loyalty to Trump matters more than electability. 

... the GOP are shooting themselves in the feet and letting Democrats reframe this election away from Biden and to a choice between them and a cast of fucking crazy people. 

Democrats can now tie together the defence of criminality here with the incredibly restrictive abortion policies of state GOPs and create a coherent narrative about their sensible, pragmatic approach to helping everyday Americans and the GOP’s weird obsession with criminalizing women and defending Trump. If that’s not a winning message, I don’t know what is. 

Today's News: A problem with definitions

Some chatter these days about how conservatives and progressives aren't talking to each other very much anymore.

Another day of nightmare oppression in communist Canada 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/msNUsft7Se

— Dr. Ian Garner (@irgarner) July 17, 2022

We don't agree on some basic definitions anymore, do we. 

One striking thing about GOPers obsessing about the definition of words like women and recession is that they use "woke" as a blank-check placeholder for anything from "gay" to "black" to "against kids raped by their fathers being forced to bear their children" and don't care.

— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) July 30, 2022

For example, "freedom" to some conservatives seems to mean that they should be "free" to not have to follow any rules or laws about how to treat people.

This message of "freedom" is a powerful one, even though what it actually means is letting Canadians be racist and sexist, underpay workers, operate unsafe factories, fire teachers, & dismantle any other "state interference" that actually gives us all real freedom.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 3, 2022

And second, I don't know who is selling this fantasy, but pro-life conservatives in the US are pretending now that US state laws against "abortion" really only ban the pregnancy terminations they don't approve of, while the terminations they DO approve of - ie, the terminations that save a woman's life - aren't really abortions at all and therefore are still legal.

Terminating an ectopic pregnancy is not abortion.

Ectopic pregnancies are not sustainable and life-threatening. They REQUIRE a termination.

The idea that banning abortions includes ectopic pregnancies is ABSURD.

Know the facts. #AbortionIsMurder

— Michelle 🍊 (@DecertifyWI) July 29, 2022

I’m not, any termination of the fetus is an abortion. And yes it is, the right is now scrambling to redefine the terminology because they fucked up.

— Brett Booth (@Demonpuppy) August 1, 2022

No, talk to a pro life OB-GYN, they will explain why Abortion and treatment that requires termination of pregnancy are not the same thing.

— Cliff Wilson (@CliffWi53826478) August 1, 2022

The extent of right-wing - conservative anger is getting frightening - it was bad enough in Canada in 2019, throwing gravel at Trudeau, but the FluTruxKlan extravaganza this winter seems to have created a fury of hate. 

 Recent example -- last week in Canmore Alta, a guy destroyed his family business just because he couldn't resist sending an unnecessary transphobic insult email.

The Town of Canmore is reinforcing the community’s values of love and inclusivity after a local business, Valbella Gourmet Foods, faced backlash for a transphobic email to Pride organizers. https://t.co/XG33GZhmP0

— CityNews Calgary (@citynewscalgary) July 27, 2022

The incredible thing about this email from the owner of Valbella’s is that he could have simply not sent it. He could have chosen not to reply to Canmore Pride at all.

He’d be enjoying a relaxing Tuesday night right now, and looking forward to a normal day at work tomorrow.

— Matt Blair (@mjblair) July 27, 2022

Watching Valbella learning in realtime that 'cancel culture' and 'fuck around and find out' are really just the same thing is glorious.
Tip of the hat to all the businesses out there making a stand for inclusiveness and against hate.

— Luke Fevin (@According2Luke) July 27, 2022

Here's a good analysis of how this could happen - mainly, because of the right-wing bubble that these people live in, where they believe they are in the mainstream and everybody secretly agrees with them:

The Valbella Gourmet Foods drama is a good example of how the radical right's bubble has made them hilariously overconfident. The language Jeff von Rotz used is straight from right wing online discourse, which means he's spent enough time on social media to be aware of the--

— Allan Mott: Beloved by Dozens (@HouseofGlib) July 27, 2022

is in full damage mode, it's reputation permanently marred, while it loses business in a way that can probably only be rectified by their giving a huge chunk of money to the organization he denounced. Apparently von Rotz was a big vocal supporter of the ridiculous--

— Allan Mott: Beloved by Dozens (@HouseofGlib) July 27, 2022

assholes he follows rail against "cancel culture". He truly thought nothing would happen to him because everyone he knows seems to agree with him--not realizing that circle of people is much smaller than he imagined and not at all representative of the whole.

— Allan Mott: Beloved by Dozens (@HouseofGlib) July 27, 2022

But there are even hate-crimes happening in little ole PEI, for heaven's sake, just because Trudeau happened to drop in to a Charlottestown pub one day. What is the matter with people like this?

A P.E.I. pub that received a barrage of harassment after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited last Friday just had their delivery van vandalized.

“The hate is still there, and this time it has gone way too far,” the pub wrote in a social media post. pic.twitter.com/mRGRlvlt0J

— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) July 31, 2022

Its hard to figure out how this type of ill-will can end, or where we will be when it does. 

Some great stuff

 

I had never seen this before, its absolutely hilarious. 

Here's another great Twitter story:

Frank Slade was helping his Aunt Ethel run her gas station in Goldsboro, North Carolina, when there was a knock on the door.

Two men told him he had a choice between joining the U.S. Army for the Korean War orTrum returning to Canada.

What did he do? pic.twitter.com/8lAStYsa2R

— Canadian Forces in 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS) July 20, 2022

Moving on, one of the bizarre things I noticed about the Trump administration is that things were ALWAYS worse than they first appeared to be. No matter how bad something looked when first reported or exposed - from the Muslim Ban to the Helsinki meeting to the child separation policy to Jan 6 insurrection etc etc - it always turned out to be even more senseless, cruel, abusive, greedy or criminal than it first looked. 

And Trump is still doing this, from beyond the grave, so to speak - it is now clear that misplaced loyalty and. I assume, the promotion of too many incompetents, has compromised the US Secret Service.

Here's the end of a long thread from Rick Wilson plus links that is worth reading - he also talks about Trump's ability to inspire the worst in everyone near him. 

It was Wilson who in 2016 coined the hashtag #ETTD - Everything Trump Touches Dies:

12/ I'll wrap this by noting that oversight by the Executive and Legislative in this matter is more than a little urgent.

Trump's shitbird superpower has always been to call out the worst versions of the people working for him.

The Service is gambling its reputation on HIM?

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 20, 2022

And what a grievance-hoarder Trump is:

Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged are best understood in the context of his repeated claims that the Emmy's were rigged as an explanation for his failure to win one for The Apprentice.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 20, 2022

Today's news: Nelson moments

 

Today seemed to be a day of "Nelson" moments. 

There was that day-long Rogers outage:

Having Rogers internet down all day meant spending the day talking with family. They seem like nice people. 🤣

— KNugent4118🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 (@knugent4118) July 8, 2022

I can't grasp the scale of how bad this is at Rogers. This is an unprecedented disaster. Been down now for over 12 hours and they still don't know why.

And they have really smart engineers working there. I know, I've worked with them.

— Catelli 2.0 🚣🚴🏕 (@Catelli2Oh) July 8, 2022

You start a simple kitchen reno. And then next thing you know you're jacking up the house and rebuilding the foundation from the footings up.

There is no "just put the wall back up and hide the mess we found"

— Catelli 2.0 🚣🚴🏕 (@Catelli2Oh) July 8, 2022

They appear to have turned their router off and back on again.

— David Cochrane (@DavidWCochrane) July 9, 2022

And that story about SCOTUS justice Brett Kavanaugh being chased out of Morton's by protestors:

The Morton's restaurant chain opened in 1978 and is therefore not "deeply rooted in the nation's history and traditions."

— Lawrence Glickman (@LarryGlickman) July 8, 2022

Yup, you have to articulate the right at the most specific level you can so that you can find that the right doesn’t exist. There is no fundamental “right to eat at Morton’s in DC on a Thursday night without leaving through the back due to protestors”

— Defend the Truth and Defeat the Lies (@fitzador) July 8, 2022

On the other hand, they could argue that the right of powerful white men to ruin other people’s lives and expect to not face even the mildest of consequences is very much “deeply rooted in the nation’s history in tradition”

— Jacob Harris (@harrisj) July 8, 2022

What did Brett Kavanaugh and his right wing Supreme Court pals think their lives would be like after they criminally assaulted 200,000,000 American women? Did they think people would just smile at them in restaurants? Also goodbye Mortons for aggressively taking Kavanaugh’s side.

— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) July 8, 2022

It doesn't matter if protesters interrupt his meal because Brett Kavanaugh believes dinner begins at reservation

— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) July 8, 2022

All six of the SCOTUS majority are too arrogant and stupid to understand that they will never eat an unspat-in restaurant meal for the rest of their lives.

— Randy Cauthen (@Joe_Bourgeois) July 8, 2022

And Tamara Lich is back in jail:

I'm reading angry tweets that Lich is a martyr -- but honestly, what did she think would happen after she breached her bail conditions? Her lawyers did her no favours.

I find it hilarious that Tamara Lich's lawyers awarded her some bs "freedom award" that ended up causing her to lose her freedoms. Good job JCCF! #cdnpoli #FreeDumbConvoy

— Rob Gill (@vote4robgill) July 8, 2022

We have now entered the glorious “Find Out” phase.

I bet she’s pissed her little attempted martyrdom didn’t get the goobers worked up enough to overthrow the Commie Nazi tyrant Trudeau. 😂🤣😂https://t.co/irmv1TDheI

— Jay Gamble (@DrJayDrNo) July 8, 2022

And Elon Musk wants to pull out of the Twitter deal.

You know, I always believed  that the only reason Musk wanted Twitter was because he had promised to reinstate Trump, but then it got too complicated and Musk never actually wanted to work that hard.

Elon Musk has announced he is not going to buy Twitter as he needs more time to stay at home with his families.

— Gene Spafford (@TheRealSpaf) July 8, 2022

BREAKING: Elon Musk has terminated his deal to buy Twitter, which is shocking because I didn’t think he knew how to pull out of anything.

— Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) July 8, 2022