Bannon v. Trump: Round 1
Posted on: January 4, 2018
Good morning Widdershins,
There’s a storm coming, so I hope anyone being effected is prepared and staying warm! I think it’s supposed to come to NYC as well, but honestly, since I’m working from home I’m not too concerned. Although my dog might not enjoy blistering walks (he likes snow.)
Speaking of storms, category 6 Hurricane Bannon hit the Dump White House yesterday. Excerpts from a new book by Michael Wolff, “Fire and Fury,” were published in The New Yorker. (The book is already #1 on Amazon’s best seller list.) Whether or not it’s true (and there are reasons to question Michael Wolff’s often imaginative imagination) isn’t even relevant. I’m sure some of the stories are true and others are true in part. And it’s not the stories themselves that matter, it’s the fact that Steve Bannon told some of them them, Michael Wolff put them in a book, and Donald Dump thought they were true enough to release a blistering attack on Bannon (on official White House letterhead via Sarah Huckleberry), calling Bannon insane. Don Junior activated his attack mode and called Bannon a lying, backstabbing ingrate on Twitter.
Rebekah Mercer
Rebekah Mercer, the former actress (whose credits include “Xena: Warrior Princess) and evil billionaire who has been funding Bannon’s Breitbart and the Dump campaign has, supposedly, severed all ties with Bannon. Which part of all this is not living up to Mercer’s expectations, I don’t know. I suppose she may have expected loyalty from a man she gave so much money to. Perhaps she expected honor among thieves? Dump doesn’t have any; he has destroyed more people than one can count. But it will be interesting to see what happens in this angry divorce between Bannon and Dump. So much of their followers are the same people: alt-right, white supremacists. Arguably they were Bannon’s first. He gifted them to Dump. Now they will have to choose sides. It’s a real pickle they find themselves in… Who do you think they will choose?
And what does the GOP think about all this? Well, Mitch McConnell’s official Twitter feed posted this creepy gif:
Draw your own conclusions. Everybody else has been strangely quiet. (But we can imagine their responses. For example, when asked about Dump’s tweet threatening nuclear annihilation, Susan Collins said … “I’m going to vote” as she stormed away to vote on something. Bob Corker laughed and said he hadn’t seen the tweet, but Trump will be Trump. LOL.) So as a Civil War breaks out in the GOP – what do we think Widdershins? What is Bannon doing? We know his real desire is to destroy everything. So are his opening shots at Trump a surprise? He built Dump and he will destroy him. What will Dump do in response? He’s certainly going to do something… What will McTurtle do besides grin? Is this war good or bad for the GOP? And how will Democrats screw everything up?
I know only one thing: in 2020 Bannon will endorse Bernie Sanders for President. Mark my words.
104 Responses to "Bannon v. Trump: Round 1"
January 4, 2018 at 10:53 am
The first picture is all wrong, DYB. Haven’t you heard? The Dump barely knew Mr. Hangover. Maybe he was in the office once or twice to bring coffee or something.
(God. This crew. And Dump is going to compensate by smashing something, who knows what. It’s a shame for him he doesn’t have his police state yet. Then he could just round these people up — including Ivanka who apparently does not believe in his hair! — and disappear them. As it is, especially now that he’ll be blind with rage that his hair secrets are being laughed at, his only option is war. Unless, somehow, he’s forced out of office before he can push any real buttons.
This crew is only going to be funny fifty years from now. And that’s assuming he doesn’t find the buttons.)
January 4, 2018 at 11:03 am
On a serious note, the Israel news is scary as hell. Point One was making a big deal out of Jerusalem. That got tempers riled. Now, apparently, the Mango Moron is defunding the UN office that provides most of the funds to the Palestinian Authority and some of the oldest refugee camps. Everybody who knows anything says that leaves only Hamas, promotes radicalisation in the camps — where the previous intifadas started — and tells the Palestinians they can go pound sand.
In the Moron’s head, and the Dauphin’s, this is probably their concept of forcing a Deal. In the real world it’s even more war in the Middle East.
January 4, 2018 at 11:39 am
@4 quixote> Wow that does sound terrifying. I saw a couple of headlines, but didn’t delve into the details of what he was doing with the UN. Leaving Hamas as the only source of money… I’m actually just speechless.
January 4, 2018 at 12:05 pm
A bit of an interesting perspective, basically saying Bannon is finished. Is that wishful thinking on their part? I can’t imagine Bannon just walking away quietly into that good night.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-moves-crush-bannon-rebellion-inside-gop-n834366
January 4, 2018 at 3:09 pm
OT, but relates to recent ills which have plagued some Widdershinners:
A popular sugar additive may have fueled the spread of 2 superbugs
Two bacterial strains that have plagued hospitals around the country may have been at least partly fueled by a sugar additive in our food products, scientists say. Trehalose, a sugar that is added to a wide range of food products, could have allowed certain strains of Clostridium difficile to become far more virulent than they were before, a new study finds.
The results, described in the journal Nature, highlight the unintended consequences of introducing otherwise harmless additives to the food supply.
January 4, 2018 at 3:50 pm
Great post DYB!
Dump vs Bunion…hahaha, let the carnage begin.
The Dems need to sit back with their popcorn and keep quiet, especially the dumb bunnies that threw Franken out of office. Sorry, I am still pist about that.
January 4, 2018 at 4:59 pm
Not sure I know exactly why, but there hasn’t been a lot of coverage of this in the MSM.
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/04/politics/psychiatrist-congress-meeting-trump/index.html
January 4, 2018 at 5:02 pm
@12 Luna, she’s right but… it doesn’t matter that Michael Wolff has a history of lying. His history of lying isn’t comparable to Trump’s or Bannon’s. Even if 50% of what he wrote is true – it’s yuuuuuge. We need to take his stories and run with them like the Right ran with “Clinton Cash.” Hang it all around Trump’s and GOP’s necks and drown them.
January 4, 2018 at 5:07 pm
Okay, can we all have a chuckle over some Oregonians who are in a panic with this?
‘I don’t even know HOW’: Some Oregonians panic about new self-service gas law
January 4, 2018 at 5:15 pm
@14: Well what do ya know, Wolf actually discussed this with Blumenthal from CT.
January 4, 2018 at 5:17 pm
DYB, love the post!
I read Violet Jessop’s biography several years ago. Very interesting.
Fredster @17, I saw that! So funny!
January 4, 2018 at 5:21 pm
Luna @11, that link didn’t work. Did the article mention specific foods to avoid?
DYB, The Janice Min tweets are interesting.
I hope dump doesn’t start a war to distract from this book. What the hell will it take to get the rethug congress to impeach him? Dence couldn’t be as terrifying as Dump, could he?
January 4, 2018 at 5:24 pm
@17> Fredster, can’t they just youtube an instructional video? It’s how I learn to do almost everything.
January 4, 2018 at 5:31 pm
@5, Bummer. That whole scenario is weird.
I was wondering how a vending machine could kill anyone, and looked it up. Apparently by falling on them. Horrible.
January 4, 2018 at 5:37 pm
@23: I suppose they could D, but it’s been quite a long time since I’ve been at a station where they pumped your gas for you.
Some (most now?) pumps have a small video screen on them now. I suppose they could put a video on those.
January 4, 2018 at 8:22 pm
Today’s boom. I don’t want to link to the Times story by Mike Schmidt, so here’s a WaPo tweet about the Times story. 🙂
January 4, 2018 at 9:13 pm
@28 – Great post D!
I am watching Rachel break this YUGE scoop right now. I am absolutely in awe of Robert Mueller, and how systematically he is letting this all roll out. This is a total slam-dunk in terms of obstruction of justice. Of course it was already admitted by Drumpf on national Teevee months ago, but no one ever seems to remember or admit that!
How coincidental that it’s right after that little sh*t Jeff Sessions removed the Obama-era protections against prosecuting pot buyers and sellers in states where it’s been made legal. Hmmmmmm….
January 4, 2018 at 10:38 pm
Here’s a little tidbit courtesy of R.P. concerning the mess that is Puerto Rico after Maria.
Puerto Rico is a primary place where IV bags and saline fluid are made, and so there has been a shortage of those in hospitals on the mainland. Amazing how this shit works. The FDA is saying that the manufacturing plant is back on the commercial grid, but, holy shitballs, did you even know this was happening?
https://www.snopes.com/did-maria-cause-an-iv-bag-shortage/
January 4, 2018 at 11:10 pm
@30 – I saw that!! Yet another reason why the malign neglect of Puerto Rico is so horribly shameful and catastrophic.
January 5, 2018 at 12:19 am
@30 Fredster> I saw a random mention of something like that on twitter a week or so ago. A guy who said his wife was a nurse said they were short of supplies that were being manufactured in Puerto Rico. I don’t think Trump knows or cares. We can only hope there are millions of people from PR moving to the mainland and that they vote in 2018 and 2020.
Trump has been having another meltdown on twitter tonight. He called Bannon “Sloppy Steve.”
How is this real life?! Every day I’m more and more stunned by the insanity of what is happening and that there is no end in sight. Yesterday we saw that Rosenshtein went to meet with Paul Ryan. Today we learned he went to tell Ryan to reign in Nunes and the Dossier investigation – and Ryan refused. Paul Ryan backed Nunes. And here we are.
January 5, 2018 at 12:20 am
BTW, the book “Fire and Fury” just went on sale, several days early to accommodate Trump threatening to ban it. There are stores opening at midnight to sell it. I don’t think that’s happened since the last Harry Potter book.
January 5, 2018 at 12:39 am
@20, annie, sorry — I accidentally put a quotation mark at the end of the URL so that’s why it didn’t work. 😦
They didn’t say what it could be found in — just that it’s made from starch through an enzymatic process and used as a sweetener in food. Not sure if it’s even listed in ingredients as trehalose — might just be called “sugar.” One more reason to eat less processed food. I’ll see if I can find anything in PubMed that’s open access. The original research article is in Nature which is a hugely influential science/medical journal. Have to wait until I’m back at work next week to get free access to that.
January 5, 2018 at 12:58 am
@20, annie — how interesting, there’s a metabolic condition called trehalase deficiency. It’s when people lack trehalase and so can’t digest trehalose (break it down to glucose), and get abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea etc after eating foods made with trehalose. So it not only makes it easier to get C diff, it can cause gut problems itself.
As to avoiding foods with trehalose, sounds like that could be tough. It’s even put into coffee and tea! Yuck.
Trehalose is found naturally in mushrooms, algae, and insects. Trehalose received the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food additive in 2000. Since that time, trehalose has been utilized in many capacities in food production due to its chemical makeup and properties including taste enhancement, food preservation, and stabilization against heat and cold. Food products that may contain trehalose or are predicted to contain trehalose in the future include: dried foods (cereal, powdered milk, beans), frozen foods, confection (candy, gum, chocolate), confectionary (cake, jam, cream), beverages (coffee, tea, fruit juices), and fermented food (bread, yogurt). Trehalose additionally might be utilized in medical and cosmetic products.
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10372/trehalase-deficiency#ref_2007
January 5, 2018 at 1:01 am
@29, That sounds like Trump is perilously close to getting slapped with a “lying to the FBI” charge. He’s going to lock himself into his bedroom and watch his gorilla fight videos.
January 5, 2018 at 2:14 am
Luna, thanks for the links! Shows how important enzymes are for health. I need to back off as much sugar as I can.
January 5, 2018 at 2:16 am
Those Rogue Melania tweets are hysterical. I shouted with laughter when I first read them half an hour ago at our neighborhood Starbucks.
January 5, 2018 at 2:41 pm
@42, annie @48, sue, you’re welcome.
One good characteristic of trehalose is that basically it causes less insulin production than does sucrose (common table sugar), about half as much, so helps decrease risk for diabetes. But that shouldn’t mean eat more of it! We do need some sugar, but much less than in the average American diet. Moderation in all things. 🙂
January 5, 2018 at 3:12 pm
Well now, isn’t this interesting:
CDC plans briefing to help the public prepare for potential nuclear threat
Jesus H. Christ I believed all thoughts of such things were sooo far in the past.
January 5, 2018 at 3:19 pm
@50, Fredster, WTH?? This should prove it to everyone: Trump is insane and his administration is full of idiots.
“Prepare for potential nuclear threat.” Riiiiiiight. Kiss your toes goodbye and break out your choice of extra strength mind-befuddling substance.
January 5, 2018 at 3:20 pm
@44, annie, luv that doggie vid! A Border Collie was my first dog.
January 5, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Uh….But no investigation of Trump & emoluments??? Foreign nationals are paying $$$ by staying at his hotels.
The FBI is investigating the Clinton Foundation
…Agents are trying to determine if any donations made to the foundation were linked to official acts when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, these people said.
…
It was not immediately clear what specific donations or interactions agents were scrutinizing, and there was some skepticism inside both the Justice Department and the FBI that the case would ultimately lead to any charges.
January 5, 2018 at 3:40 pm
@50 & 51: Here’s the CDC link:
https://www.cdc.gov/cdcgrandrounds/archives/2018/January2018.htm
January 5, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Grassley and Lady Lindsey want Christoher Steele prosecuted. So…
January 5, 2018 at 4:05 pm
If you haven’t yet seen this, it’s a really, really good thread.
https://twitter.com/SallyAlbright/status/948995883483492352
January 5, 2018 at 4:09 pm
@46, DYB, I haven’t yet. I may wait until I can read the library book (wait list). I couldn’t even get myself to read Hillary’s book as just the idea makes me sad. I already am deeply angry and appalled at how Trump and his ilk are destroying our country — I’d probably have an aneurysm reading the Wolff book.
January 5, 2018 at 4:18 pm
There was that mtg between Paul Ryan (douchebag-Wisc) and Rosenstein and FBI head Christopher Wray over documents that Nunes wanted. Ryan sided with Nunes of course.
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/04/politics/paul-ryan-nunes-justice-department/index.html
January 5, 2018 at 4:30 pm
JUST IN: Two top Pence aides leaving White House: report https://t.co/zZ7ZzRFUuV pic.twitter.com/mNky1KT7XX
— The Hill (@thehill) January 5, 2018
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January 5, 2018 at 4:38 pm
@60, more rats leaving the sinking ship.
@ 59, the rats still in office.
January 5, 2018 at 4:47 pm
@57, that is a good thread! This whole thing has gotten so ridiculous. Yesterday I looked at a gossip site I used to read because they do a lot of political stuff, they had a post up about Diana Ross’ daughter who gave an interview someplace where she says that no one should try to hug someone, or give a compliment (?!?) without asking permission first. And she didn’t make exceptions, like if its people you have known for years and hugged or complimented before. It was very strident and absolutist in tone. I looked at the comments and they all agreed with her and were all lavishly praising her, complimenting her actually. Granted, there are people that can be inappropriate with hugging or complimenting I guess if they focus on body parts or something, but so many of these Gen Xers and Millennials are so extreme. There’s never a “happy medium” with any of them.
January 5, 2018 at 4:49 pm
44 socalannie
Awesome, he even figured out how to turn by leaning to one side. Smart dog!
January 5, 2018 at 4:51 pm
I haven’t decided if I should get the book either. I figure that all of the juiciest stuff will be posted online, and I’m way behind in my reading of other books I’ve bought.
January 5, 2018 at 4:52 pm
46 DYB
Did anyone else buy the Wolff book?
—No, I am waiting for someone like Buzzfeed to post it all online. 😉
A whole book worth of snipes at the Dump…our New Years gift.
He is going to have a meltdown over it.
January 5, 2018 at 4:55 pm
# 4 & 5 are key for Democrats’ message. Items are explained more fully at his website.
January 5, 2018 at 4:56 pm
Fredster, thanks for the CDC links. I’ll be interested to hear what they have to say.
January 5, 2018 at 4:57 pm
@68, oh shit, I pasted a link to the wrong tweet. Apologies. Here it is:
January 5, 2018 at 5:07 pm
@70, that’s good advice, but why doesn’t he want people to use his surname? He wants us to call him “The President” every time we mention him? That’s torture!
January 5, 2018 at 5:15 pm
@71, I don’t like that either, then after reading Lakoff’s original list, I realized what he meant by “It’s close, but not exactly what I said” about the viral list which was made by a listener, not Lakoff himself.
January 5, 2018 at 5:18 pm
@74, Meant to add this:
Hillary Clinton won the majority of votes in this year’s presidential election.
The loser, for the majority of voters, will now be a minority president-elect. Don’t let anyone forget it. Keep referring to Trump as the minority president, Mr. Minority and the overall Loser. Constant repetition, with discussion in the media and over social media, questions the legitimacy of the minority president to ignore the values of the majority. The majority, at the very least, needs to keep its values in the public eye and view the minority president’s action through majority American values.
The polls failed and the nation needs to know why. The pollsters and pundits have not given a satisfactory answer.
The “Ten Points for Democracy Activists” are here:
https://georgelakoff.com/2017/02/10/ten-points-for-democracy-activists/
January 5, 2018 at 5:19 pm
Awk, Moderators — my comment @75 is in jail because I put in 2 links again. Grrrr.
January 5, 2018 at 5:23 pm
@72, annie, Agree! Soc Sec = deferred wages. We pay for it. And people who make over IIRC $85,000/yr don’t pay into it for anything over that amount, which is ridiculous.
If Congress (meaning the GOP as they’re in control) would simply change to take FICA out of the entire amount of people’s income we’d have no problem funding Soc Security.
January 5, 2018 at 5:48 pm
@58 Luna, I haven’t read the HRC book either. I have it, but I can’t bring myself to read it. Maybe in 25 years.
January 5, 2018 at 5:48 pm
New Reporting Suggests the Trump Presidency Is Even Scarier and More Dysfunctional Than We Realized via @thenation https://t.co/HvA2Ul3S6y
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) January 5, 2018
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January 5, 2018 at 5:49 pm
@57> Sally’s thread on Gillibrand is interesting. Sally is getting attacked a lot for it, and there’s a new Daily Beast article getting slammed because it’s calling Gillibrand ruthless and opportunistic. I understand the criticism against it – but I think Sally has a point. Gillibrand deserves criticism for what she did to Franken.
January 5, 2018 at 5:53 pm
@63> That sounds crazy. I think Sally is right about a few things, including that women will get frozen out of a lot of professional positions because of this rigidity you describe. I may have mentioned before that I have a good male friend who was just hiring a personal assistant. Previously women have worked for him. Now he rejected all women’s applications outright because he was concerned that something he says or does will be used against him. He was sorry to do it, but thought it was necessary to protect himself. I agree on both counts.
January 5, 2018 at 6:18 pm
The mendacious Attorney General who is reported to have ordered a political smear of the FBI director presides over a Justice Department that has opened up a Fox News, Breitbart, Alex Jones mandated, Banana Republican criminal investigation of the Presidents frmr opponent. 1/2
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 5, 2018
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January 5, 2018 at 6:22 pm
@81: Interesting read here:
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2018/01/good-presidential-nominees-good-politics
January 5, 2018 at 7:38 pm
@86: I’m doing an All Floriduh strange/funny news post for Sunday.
January 5, 2018 at 8:29 pm
Gillibrand deserves criticism for what she did to Franken.
I agree.
January 5, 2018 at 10:55 pm
Luna @77, well said.
Fredster @87, that will a hoot! I know you’ll have lots of material! Dwarf tossing?
January 5, 2018 at 11:41 pm
Uh oh. Wonder if the Feds have seized this guy’s $90 million he got to do digital work for Trump?
January 6, 2018 at 1:12 am
Didn’t know if that would work or not @91. Richard Painter goes ballistic.
January 6, 2018 at 11:01 am
I have the Wolff book and am enjoying the hell out of it. Mainly because I like to understand why anyone would, or could, support a creature like Drumpf.
I disagree with Sally about MeToo being dead. It has morphed into action by the women who started it, which I wrote about in my last post.
Kirsten Gillibrand neither started nor ended the movement. It is like saying Nina Turner killed The Resistance. Both women tried to ride these waves, and both fell off their boards. Both movements go beyond one person’s actions. And yes, Al Franken was a really bad mistake, but Gillibrand alone was not to blame.
That being said, we are definitely going to need to work through the nuances as a society. Some are going to avoid hiring women, like your friend, D; some are going to avoid hiring men. The important thing is having the conversation, and I have had many conversations with women and men about this.
It is confusing for everyone, but it is far better than the horrorshow women have been experiencing at the hands of men for so many years. We live in a rape culture, and most men really didn’t get that till now. Even really good men, like my husband! So while I follow and like her often, I find it hard to understand Sally’s premature leap to conclusions here. You don’t blow the roof off rape culture without a few unintended casualties. The pendulum will swing the other way. And, I have no doubt Al Franken will be back and vindicated.
BTW Annie, I am GenX! We aren’t all bad. 😎
January 6, 2018 at 11:20 am
The Democrats harassed Franken right out of the Senate just when we need him the most and that’s the best news that Jeff Sessions has had for a long time. Nice work, Democrats.
January 6, 2018 at 3:57 pm
@92, madamab, what have you learned about why people would could/would support Trumpf? I ask because personally I doubt I could understand their thinking. I’m guessing they think he’s going to fix their problems (and are now getting disillusioned) or they fear that non-white or uppity women will get equal treatment and straight white men will no longer get preferential treatment. But I cannot understand why they would vote for dirty water, polluted air, trashed parks, losing health insurance, and making marijuana illegal.
As for Sally Albright, I do think she’s focused too much on Gillibrand and not on all the others who used “purity” as the reason Franken should leave. I don’t think he’ll be back on the national scene to effect change. He may be able to run in and win the governer’s race in his state.
Sally does have a point with which I agree — that waist pinches and the like are not the same as rape, though both are nonconsensual. Acts on the low end of the scale shouldn’t be condoned either.
The “Me Too” and “Believe Women” would have us take Roger Stone-coached lying women as seriously as we take the women who say Trump raped them. I don’t agree with believing all women.
My worry is that the accused won’t have due process and will be considered guilty before an investigation.
I do agree with and am glad that the “Me Too” movement has resulted in many abusive men removed from positions of power.
January 6, 2018 at 6:33 pm
You know, a few non guilty men may suffer. Compare that to the hundreds of millions of non guilty women who have suffered, all their lives, at the hands of men.
That is the trade-off right now. I wish it weren’t. In a perfect world, justice would also be perfect. To make things better, we went from “20 women say it but the man denies it, man must be telling the truth” to “believe women.” Yes, a few women lied, and one really good man was torpedoed by the Dems. It sucked. How many millions of good women have been torpedoed by assholes like Drumpf, Ailes, Lauer, Weinstein, ad infinitum? Women made mistakes and it invalidates the whole thing? Nope. Not anymore. That was then, this is now.
The bigger picture is that this has been coming for a long time. I think it is a deeply important and necessary, and tough, change we’re going through.
January 6, 2018 at 7:09 pm
Is there something wrong with me? I have no desire to read this book. It just reminds me that this appalling miscreant is in the WH instead of Hillary and what is happening to the country as a result. The news of GOP machinations to protect him and themselves gets worse with each passing day.
On a lighter note: Shadow, how are your bones healing? Sue, how much longer must you and hubby be on Flagyl? Fredster, how are you doing dentally? To all, Happy New Year!
January 6, 2018 at 7:37 pm
In terms of why people support Drumpf, I don’t mean the voters. I mean the people who are protecting him and know 100% that he cannot do this job. I haven’t gotten that far into the book yet, but it seems that when he was elected, his family and associates said, well, maybe he can pull it out. Who knows? And if not, we can always bail. Meanwhile, look Ma! I’m in the White House!!
There’s some good stuff about Morning Schmoe calling to desperately ask Drumpf listen to someone with experience to help him do his job, saying “Is there anyone you will listen to? Maybe Jared? Anyone?” And Drumpf saying, “You aren’t going to like this, but….Me. I listen to me. “
January 6, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Cats, thanks. There’s not a thing wrong with you! I am sure a lot of people feel the same way.
January 6, 2018 at 9:22 pm
cats@98: I’m holding on dentally. I’m holding my breath that I can keep this thing going until later this year because Delta Dental won’t cover anything with it until a bit further on. 
Today they’ve had Wildcard games on in the NFL and I’ve been watching those plus trying to troubleshoot why my Windows updates weren’t working and also getting a post ready for tomorrow.
C’mon Rams! Don’t let the dirty birds win this game! 
January 6, 2018 at 10:31 pm
You know, a few non guilty men may suffer. Compare that to the hundreds of millions of non guilty women who have suffered, all their lives, at the hands of men.
That is the trade-off right now. I wish it weren’t. In a perfect world, justice would also be perfect.
With all respect, madamab, that sounds positively Jacobin to me. I want no part of it.
January 7, 2018 at 12:32 am
Just poking my head up here, to say to Madamab, that I do know where you’re coming from.
I lived my early adulthood as a very attractive young woman (no big deal, two of my sisters and three of my brothers were head turners too). For me and my sisters, by the time we were out of our teens, our status as public objects was settled. We did not need random males, usually hideous, to tell us that we qualified. All they did was remind us of the ever present threat of rape. All of us have had to deal with violent threats of same, as a matter of everyday life.
My brothers have lived, intentionally, in a world apart. They do not believe us (although in one case, that one went into a weirdly Islamic-esque explanation of protection). This is the caste system at its very inception, making an exempt class out of brothers, and a subject class out of sisters, raised together in the U.S. of A., so there’s no excuse of “well, we never knew them, so how could we have known”.
I’ve made my own living for all my adult life. As is considered normal for men in this country, but not women, my work has been the source of my adult identity. As a STEM professional, my mind and my ability to reason have been the source of that work.
Throughout my professional life, male coworkers have used sex to attack that ability. Usually it’s been in the form of making me a public object for the other men present, to replace me being a highly regarded professional giving a presentation, or joining in a class, or being part of a cutting edge team. That’s what a “sexual advance” or sexual joke does.
From the time of my “walking the gauntlet” past the good ole boys’ law school just to goddamn get to the library every day to study, in that “flagship” university where the administration knew and didn’t care that those future lawyers and judges were known to call out their assessments of women students, to the untold physically deadly threats every damn time I was out exploring fascinating new cityscapes “alone”, to the men I worked with who would turn on me in conferences and make sexual remarks to degrade me to the other men there, my experience has been of men using sex to enforce caste.
I have never made my living off a man’s wages, even given that I’m hopelessly het, so maybe I’m an outlier. But I do know that what I expect from a work environment is also what the law is in this country. That law was enacted on the premise that work is of overwhelming importance to citizens and that women are citizens equal to men and are entitled to live as such.
Comments are closed.
The Widdershins 
January 4, 2018 at 10:45 am
GAgal, from the previous thread where you posted Katy Tur’s tweet with a photo of the book; the chapter about Trump and women – and yes, it is literally not possible for people to write about Trump without also bashing Bill (or Hillary.) It’s just not possible. It would open a hell-dimension if they tried.