Has U.S. Democracy Been Trumped?

[Cyberyeti]

The main pro-life proponent is the Catholic church, and Catholics don't put as much faith in the infallibility of the bible as some Protestant sects do. In reality, I doubt any pro-lifer cares what the bible says; they aren't thinking but viscerally reacting.

 

Bizarrely in Northern Ireland the Catholic party (Sinn Fein) is in favour of more liberal abortion laws than the main Protestant one (DUP).

[Al_U_Card]

The main pro-life proponent is the Catholic church, and Catholics don't put as much faith in the infallibility of the bible as some Protestant sects do. In reality, I doubt any pro-lifer cares what the bible says; they aren't thinking but viscerally reacting.

The bridge player that cashes his aces before they get ruffed away is working under a certain set of assumptions. Not always (or even often?) correct, this practice is both reasoned AND visceral. My POV is that if the foetus is viable at "birth" then murder is a consideration because the loss of a human "life" was a likely result of the procedure.

That is my reasoned approach and while not particularly visceral, the daughter that I lost to spontaneous abortion (placental infarction) did not bother me and ended up providing lives for my two youngest sons. (My wife wanted a boy and girl but I went for the big V after the 3rd baby arrived.) Reasoned, visceral or just selfish?

[Winstonm]

The bridge player that cashes his aces before they get ruffed away is working under a certain set of assumptions. Not always (or even often?) correct, this practice is both reasoned AND visceral. My POV is that if the foetus is viable at "birth" then murder is a consideration because the loss of a human "life" was a likely result of the procedure.

That is my reasoned approach and while not particularly visceral, the daughter that I lost to spontaneous abortion (placental infarction) did not bother me and ended up providing lives for my two youngest sons. (My wife wanted a boy and girl but I went for the big V after the 3rd baby arrived.) Reasoned, visceral or just selfish?

 

The entire legal debate about pro-life/pro-choice concerns viability. But when did the religious ever let reason stand in the way of enjoying a good gut-wrenching story?

[Al_U_Card]

I suppose faith-based reasoning presents the greatest barrier to a common-ground of understanding. It does help identify those that prefer wishful thinking as a motivational source but saving the world, espousing a personal preference or supporting a favorite son (home-team etc.) are all sides of a similar multi-facetted die. Lumping adversaries into categories only diminishes the discourse. Making the "avoid" list of prosyletizers of all kinds is more a badge of honor than a problem as one is unlikely to pierce the illusory carapace that impedes their contributing to the solution rather than exacerbating the problem.

[Winstonm]

There are certain individuals with whom you can reason - these a generally the ones who have some kind of reasoning for their actions. I voted for Dennison because I wanted fewer Mexicans to cross the border, for example.

 

At the same time, there is a significant amount of Dennison personality cultists with whom reason is a sign of weakness - this group is better treated like zombies, to be isolated and avoided until they consume each other.

[Winstonm]

Another win for Dennison!

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday amid ethics investigations of outsized security spending, first-class flights and a sweetheart condo lease.

 

With Pruitt's departure, President Donald Trump loses an administrator many conservatives regarded as one of the more effective members of his Cabinet. But Pruitt had also been dogged for months by a seemingly unending string of ethics scandals that spawned more than a dozen federal and congressional investigations.

 

I guess now we are down to the best of the best of the best people only - either that or family and hangers on. :o

[johnu]

Another win for Dennison!

 

 

 

I guess now we are down to the best of the best of the best people only - either that or family and hangers on. :o

 

I am very sad to see Pruitt leave . In news cycles dominated by Dennison all the time, Pruitt added some welcome comedy relief to an increasingly grim atmosphere. He was an added focal point of everything wrong with the Dennison administration. And it won't have any effect on the assault on the environment as whoever replaces him will be just as bad if not worse.

[Winstonm]

Noam Chomsky argued that contrary to many narratives, Trump was a natural outgrowth of a rightward shift in political currents.

 

The GOP's "dedication to wealth and corporate power is so extreme that they cannot get votes on their actual policies — which are now being revealed to us daily — and so have had to mobilize a voting base on issues unrelated to their service to their actual constituency," he explained. "These include religious fundamentalism — a major phenomenon in the US unlike other developed societies — white supremacy, xenophobia and other latent anti-social attitudes that tend to break through to the surface during periods of disillusionment and distress. This is partly a matter of 'search for scapegoats,' the actual sources concealed in the usual manner of propaganda; thus, the public vastly exaggerates the number of immigrants, even more than in Europe."

 

It's impossible to have rational discussions with "religious fundamentalism, white supremacy, xenophobia, and distress".

[PassedOut]

U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

 

A resolution to encourage breast-feeding was expected to be approved quickly and easily by the hundreds of government delegates who gathered this spring in Geneva for the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly.

 

Based on decades of research, the resolution says that mother’s milk is healthiest for children and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes.

 

Then the United States delegation, embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers, upended the deliberations.

 

American officials sought to water down the resolution by removing language that called on governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding” and another passage that called on policymakers to restrict the promotion of food products that many experts say can have deleterious effects on young children.

 

When that failed, they turned to threats, according to diplomats and government officials who took part in the discussions. Ecuador, which had planned to introduce the measure, was the first to find itself in the cross hairs.

 

The Americans were blunt: If Ecuador refused to drop the resolution, Washington would unleash punishing trade measures and withdraw crucial military aid. The Ecuadorean government quickly acquiesced.

The ugly American strikes again. It's going to take a long, long time to recover from this administration of morons.

[Winstonm]

U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

 

 

The ugly American strikes again. It's going to take a long, long time to recover from this administration of morons.

 

The moronic administration was a given the night of the election; what is more troubling is the continued moronic support of this administration.

[johnu]

Yet another WTF moment from the Dennison administration

 

U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

 

Remember, Corporations are people too! Protect their rights :rolleyes:

[barmar]

Yet another WTF moment from the Dennison administration

 

U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

 

Remember, Corporations are people too! Protect their rights :rolleyes:

Not only did the administration oppose the resolution, they threatened sanctions against the country (Uruguay) that was originally planning to introduce it. Russia had to come to their aid and introduce the measure in their place.

 

And an HHS spokesman had this to say about why the US was opposed:

We recognize not all women are able to breast-feed for a variety of reasons. These women should have the choice and access to alternatives for the health of their babies, and not be stigmatized for the ways in which they are able to do so.

So much BS -- the proposal is to encourage breast-feeding, not prevent bottle-feeding. No wonder the spokesman wanted to be kept anonymous.

[Winstonm]

Trump Dennison enacted tariffs Friday morning on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods, affecting hundreds of products from boats to medical devices and auto parts. Products spared include those manufactured by his daughter.

 

That means Chengdu Kameido Shoes in Sichuan province can continue to supply shoes for the Ivanka Trump Dennison Daughter brand as it has in the past. It’s currently bidding for a new contract to manufacture 140,000 pairs of shoes for Trump’s Dennison's company, a spokesman told The South China Morning Post.

 

Hangzhou HS Fashion in Zhejiang province also said it’s filling orders for orders for the G-III Apparel Group, which supplies shoes to Trump’s Dennison's brand.

 

Well, isn't that special!

[cherdano]

Yet another WTF moment from the Dennison administration

 

U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

 

Remember, Corporations are people too! Protect their rights :rolleyes:

I haven't read the actual resolution. But I have spent quite a bit of time in the past reading about the benefits of breastfeeding. And it's quite plausible that the US position here is right on the merits. Almost all breastfeeding propagandaencouragement vastly overstates the benefits, or lists dozens of benefits for which there is absolutely no reliable evidence. The end results often is pressure on mothers to (try to) breastfeed, instead of support for those that choose to.

[Winstonm]

A troubling question.

 

In congressional testimony on Russian election interference last year, Brennan hinted that some Americans might have betrayed their country. “Individuals who go along a treasonous path,” he warned, “do not even realize they’re along that path until it gets to be a bit too late.” In an interview this year, he put it more bluntly: “I think [Trump] is afraid of the president of Russia. The Russians may have something on him personally that they could always roll out and make his life more difficult.”

 

While the fact that the former CIA director has espoused this theory hardly proves it, perhaps we should give more credence to the possibility that Brennan is making these extraordinary charges of treason and blackmail at the highest levels of government because he knows something we don’t.

[johnu]

I haven't read the actual resolution. But I have spent quite a bit of time in the past reading about the benefits of breastfeeding. And it's quite plausible that the US position here is right on the merits. Almost all breastfeeding propagandaencouragement vastly overstates the benefits, or lists dozens of benefits for which there is absolutely no reliable evidence. The end results often is pressure on mothers to (try to) breastfeed, instead of support for those that choose to.

 

From the article,

 

"The $70 billion industry, which is dominated by a handful of American and European companies, has seen sales flatten in wealthy countries in recent years, as more women embrace breast-feeding. Over all, global sales are expected to rise by 4 percent in 2018, according to Euromonitor, with most of that growth occurring in developing nations."

 

I can give you 70 billion reasons why the US decision is dollar based and not science based.

[cherdano]

From the article,

 

"The $70 billion industry, which is dominated by a handful of American and European companies, has seen sales flatten in wealthy countries in recent years, as more women embrace breast-feeding. Over all, global sales are expected to rise by 4 percent in 2018, according to Euromonitor, with most of that growth occurring in developing nations."

 

I can give you 70 billion reasons why the US decision is dollar based and not science based.

That does not necessarily mean that it is wrong...

[johnu]

That does not necessarily mean that it is wrong...

 

Absolutely, no more wrong than studies that show smoking doesn't cause health problems, or that carbon dioxide doesn't cause global warming. However, there are some who might think that financial considerations have biased the conclusions.

[johnu]

I always thought Mitch McConnell was a politician without any sense of humor. I'll be the first to admit I was wrong.

 

Mitch McConnell To Democrats: Treat Trump’s SCOTUS Pick ‘Fairly’

 

Said McConnell, "we should treat this process with the respect and the dignity that it deserves."

 

This is side splitting hilarious from a hack who refused to hold a hearing on Merrick Garland.

[Winstonm]

The reality is that after the song and dance routine, Kavanaugh will be confirmed because the GOP has been dreaming of this day for half a century and no GOP senator would risk destroying this opportunity to fulfill that wish list item.

 

Of course, with that confirmation, we will be a long, long way down the road to autocracy, and the midterms may then be meaningless.

[barmar]

The reality is that after the song and dance routine, Kavanaugh will be confirmed because the GOP has been dreaming of this day for half a century and no GOP senator would risk destroying this opportunity to fulfill that wish list item.

There's some hope that moderate Republicans who aren't in favor of overturning Roe v Wade will flip. Maybe it's a small hope, but it's all we have. If the process of approving a new Justice can be held up for 6 months we'll have a new Senate.

[Winstonm]

There's some hope that moderate Republicans who aren't in favor of overturning Roe v Wade will flip. Maybe it's a small hope, but it's all we have. If the process of approving a new Justice can be held up for 6 months we'll have a new Senate.

 

A new senate is pretty much a pipe dream - a new house is possible. Neither is enough with an unwilling senate and a SCOTUS acting as protectorate to Dennison. A more likely scenario now is a realignment of the world order in a way that fits Moscow's wants.

[rmnka447]

The reality is that after the song and dance routine, Kavanaugh will be confirmed because the GOP has been dreaming of this day for half a century and no GOP senator would risk destroying this opportunity to fulfill that wish list item.

 

Of course, with that confirmation, we will be a long, long way down the road to autocracy, and the midterms may then be meaningless.

 

Your argument might hold some water if the pick were a right wing ideologue instead of a respected, independent conservative jurist. It looks to me that it's a like for like pick, if anything. I guess you forgot that Justice Kennedy took a conservative view of the law more than 75% of the time.

 

At least one liberal supports the nominee --

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/opinion/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-trump.html

 

The most comforting aspect of President Trump's picks is that they aren't the left wing ideologues that Hillary surely would have picked. We've been saved from becoming the nightmarish permanently progressive bureaucratic state a la USSR 1960-1989 that would have followed.

[cherdano]

Your argument might hold some water if the pick were a right wing ideologue instead of a respected, independent conservative jurist. It looks to me that it's a like for like pick, if anything. I guess you forgot that Justice Kennedy took a conservative view of the law more than 75% of the time.

 

At least one liberal supports the nominee --

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/opinion/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-trump.html

 

The most comforting aspect of President Trump's picks is that they aren't the left wing ideologues that Hillary surely would have picked. We've been saved from becoming the nightmarish permanently progressive bureaucratic state a la USSR 1960-1989 that would have followed.

I, for one, will be really grateful that when Judge Kavanaugh will sabotage health care and voting rights, or the Mueller investigation, or when he will overturn Roe vs. Wade, he will do so in a thoughtful manner and with great credentials, and in prose that his fellow constitutional law scholars can admire.

[Winstonm]

Your argument might hold some water if the pick were a right wing ideologue instead of a respected, independent conservative jurist. It looks to me that it's a like for like pick, if anything. I guess you forgot that Justice Kennedy took a conservative view of the law more than 75% of the time.

 

At least one liberal supports the nominee --

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/opinion/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-trump.html

 

The most comforting aspect of President Trump's picks is that they aren't the left wing ideologues that Hillary surely would have picked. We've been saved from becoming the nightmarish permanently progressive bureaucratic state a la USSR 1960-1989 that would have followed.

 

Instead, a reliving of Europe in the 1930s.